Nearly old enough to be called a Seattle institution, the Crocodile is a clamorous 560-capacity music venue that first opened in 1991, just in time to grab the coattails of the grunge explosion. Everyone who’s anyone in Seattle’s alt-music scene has since played here, including a famous occasion in 1992 when Nirvana appeared unannounced, supporting Mudhoney.

Despite changing ownership in 2009 and undergoing a grunge-cleansing refurbishment, the Croc remains plugged into the Seattle scene, though these days aspiring stage divers are more likely to get kicked out than crowd surfed on the arms of an adoring audience. There’s a full bar, a mezzanine floor and a no-frills pizza restaurant on-site.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Victor Steinbrueck Park

0.23 MILES

When you’ve had enough of Pike Place Market and its crowds, wander out the end of the North Arcade and cross Western Ave to Victor Steinbrueck Park, a…

2. Pier 66

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This elevated pier has a large viewing platform that looks out over downtown and the harbor. It's a good spot to grab a skyline-backed selfie or family…

3. Spheres

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Amazon's latest construction in the Denny Triangle opened January 2018 and is quite different to the Amazon Tower I, which went up in 2015 down the street…

4. Times Square Building

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This terracotta and granite structure, guarded by eagles perched on the roof, was designed by the Paris-trained architect Carl Gould (who also designed…

5. Amazon Tower I

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The new Seattle HQ of online retail behemoth Amazon opened in December 2015. Officially it's called Amazon Tower I, but it's known colloquially as 'the…

6. Corner & Sanitary Market Buildings

0.34 MILES

Across Pike Place from the Main Arcade are the 1912 Corner & Sanitary Market Buildings, so named because they were the first of the market buildings in…

7. Main & North Arcades

0.35 MILES

The Main & North Arcades, sandwiched between Pike Pl and Western Ave, contain some of the most quintessential Pike Place Market ephemera: flower stands,…

8. Pike Place Market

0.35 MILES

A cavalcade of noise, smells, personalities, banter and urban theater sprinkled liberally around a spatially challenged waterside strip, Pike Place Market…