Queen Anne is an instantly identifiable Seattle neighborhood: the big houses on the hill. Named after the style of the majority of houses built on the hill, Queen Anne is one of Seattle’s largest neighborhood. The most prominent landmark is this area is the Seattle Center, which houses the Pacific Science Center, Museum of Pop Culture, Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass. Musical and performing arts shows are put on by the Pacific Northwest Ballet and Seattle Opera at the McCaw Hall.

Queen Anne sits on a 456-foot hill in Seattle and offers some of the most impressive views of the Space Needle, city skyline, Mount Rainier and Elliott Bay anywhere in the city, particularly from its small hilltop parks like Bhy Kracke, Marshall and Kerry parks. More than 100 pedestrian staircases connect the streets of this hilly neighborhood. Queen Anne is mainly quiet and residential with low crime rates and a selection of cafes, restaurants and shops along walkable Queen Anne Avenue on top of the hill. It’s centrally located (a 20-minute walk to the Seattle Center) and a short drive south into downtown or north to Fremont and Ballard, but out of the way of most city traffic. Famous for: The Queen Anne–style houses of the 1870s–’90s gave the neighborhood its name but most of these originals have disappeared from the hill.