Seattle By Foot’s Coffee Crawl offers more than just coffee.
One of the best ways to see any city (except maybe LA) is on foot. Seattle is no exception. Its walkable streets and tight-knit neighborhoods make Seattle a great town to explore with a comfortable pair of shoes (and an umbrella).
Seattle has several great tours available for visitors and locals, including a pub crawl, a Seattle underground tour, and a few ghostly haunt tours.
But Seattle is nearly synonymous with great coffee, so, it may please you to know that we also have an excellent coffee tour as well.
That’s right, The Coffee Crawl, brought to us by Seattle by Foot, is a 2.5 hour whirlwind coffee tour in the heart of the city.
I recently met up with tour owner, Heather Chermak, on a typical drizzly and gray Seattle morning and joined her tour. (Rain or shine the Coffee Crawl starts at Hammering Man | Seattle Art Museum, First Avenue & University Street). See below for times, dates, and prices).
Great for Tourists & Seattleites Alike
If you’ve ever been curious about learning a bit more about Seattle’s robust coffee culture without feeling like a tourist, then this coffee crawl should be first on your list.
Have you ever wondered: What makes Seattle the American coffee center? What are the great cafes that exemplify Seattle’s best coffee experience? For the last couple of years, this coffee tour has given people a front and center view of the city’s caffeinated lifestyle and answers these questions – and more. I cover quite a bit of coffee in my blog and I was happy to learn many quite a few things.
Perfect for families, first dates, tourists, locals, and/or coffee bloggers – The Coffee Crawl covers lots of ground.
Enjoying a taste of Seattle’s Coffee Culture at Caffe Umbria.
Along with several other coffee lovers, I walked with Heather through Seattle’s coffee history and present day coffee culture, exploring historic districts and long-time and established cafes.
Breaking up the two mile walk through the city, the tour takes you to six high profile locations where you get to sample a variety of coffee, espresso, coffee art, chocolate, while discussing a variety of coffee brewing methods directly with baristas. A surprise was that I also got to experience Seattle’s distinct architecture and learn a bit more about the city’s history.
No doubt, it’s easy to get intimidated by Seattle’s Coffee Scene, but I felt this tour did a great job of explaining and drawing the curtain back on a wonderful, rich part of our city’s culture.
I recently sat down with Heather and asked her a few questions:
Why do You Think Seattle has a vibrant Coffee Scene?
Seattle is so creative and has a strong entrepreneurial spirit. There is something about a warm coffee house on a cold and rainy day that is uplifting and gets those creative juices flowing; the coffee aroma, local art on the walls and comfortable seating. The “big guys” initiated an awareness, appetite and need for coffee but it’s the smaller independent shops who have created the “scene” or coffee couture with locals in mind.
What the future of the Seattle coffee scene?
Refinement. Seattleites will always want a cup of coffee but more than ever, we are aware of where it is sourced, roasted and brewed. This awareness supports a continued commitment to quality and strong relations with coffee growers; farm direct. I am very intrigued by some developments in Washington DC and NYC where some coffee houses have banned laptops! Would that fly in Seattle? Coffee houses were initially a place where friends would gather for conversation. Not so much anymore–today most coffee houses in Seattle are silent.
What can visitors expect from you tour?
A good time and lots of coffee! We offer an authentic local experience without the coffee snobbery. We just love/need coffee. Expect more than just coffee talk: we also include Seattle history and walk through four downtown districts. All of Seattle By Foot tours are intimate and conversational. Whether you’re a visitor to Seattle or a local you will discover something new.
Seattle Coffee Crawl Basics:
Thursday-Sunday – 2.5 HRS
9:50am Check-in
Prices: $35 per person (plus taxes & fees). Cash only.
Includes 6+ Samples of Coffee and Chocolate (Yum!)
More Information: 1-206-508-7017
The tour meets at Hammering Man | Seattle Art Museum. See Map Below:
