The Seattle Monorail may only travel about a mile, but more than 60 years after it debuted for the 1962 World’s Fair, it remains one of Seattle’s most recognizable attractions.
Spend any time around Seattle Center, and you’ll see plenty of visitors hopping aboard simply for the experience. And I get it. There’s something fun about riding an elevated train through the heart of Seattle, even if the entire trip only takes a couple of minutes.
The fact that it also provides a convenient connection between downtown Seattle and Seattle Center? That’s a pretty nice bonus.
Riding the Seattle Monorail
There’s really not much to figure out.
The Monorail runs between just two stations: Westlake Center in downtown Seattle and Seattle Center. The trip takes about two minutes, and trains generally depart about every ten minutes.
From Westlake, you’re just a few blocks from Pike Place Market and other downtown attractions. At the other end, the Seattle Center station drops you right near the Space Needle, MoPOP, and the Seattle Center Armory.
That makes the Monorail especially handy if you’re trying to combine downtown and Seattle Center in the same day without walking the entire way between them.
Riding the Seattle Monorail With Kids
This is where I think the Monorail earns a little more credit.
For kids, the transportation itself can be part of the attraction.
The trip is short, but riding above the streets and pulling into Seattle Center makes getting from Point A to Point B a little more interesting than simply walking or taking a bus.
And once you arrive at Seattle Center, you can make the kids’ day even better by heading over to Artists at Play, a completely free playground just north of the Monorail station. It has a huge 30-foot climbing tower, giant slides, and plenty of other ways to burn some energy. The Seattle Children’s Museum is also inside the Armory.
A Little Seattle Monorail History
The Monorail is also a surviving piece of Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair.
Construction began in 1961, and the Monorail opened on March 24, 1962, less than a month before the fair began. More than eight million people rode it during the six-month World’s Fair.
More than six decades later, the original Blue and Red trains still travel the route between downtown and Seattle Center.
That’s pretty cool for something that takes about two minutes to ride.
Planning Your Seattle Monorail Ride
The Seattle Monorail operates daily, with hours that vary by day and season. It also extends its hours for many events at Climate Pledge Arena and Seattle Center.
For current fares and hours of operation, visit the Seattle Monorail website.
Is the Seattle Monorail worth building an entire Seattle day around? Definitely not.
But if you’re traveling between downtown and Seattle Center, it’s quick, convenient and a little more fun than simply getting from one place to another.
And sometimes a two-minute train ride is all it takes to make getting there part of the adventure.
