Spectator Sports

With professional football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, and women's basketball teams, as well as the various University of Washington Huskies teams, Seattle is definitely a city of sports fans.

Ticketmaster (tel. 206/628-0123; www.ticketmaster.com) sells tickets to almost all sporting events in the Seattle area. You'll find Ticketmaster outlets at area Fred Meyer stores and Tower Records.

Baseball

Seattle's most popular professional sports team is the Mariners (tel. 206/346-4000 or 206/346-4001; www.seattlemariners.com), part of Major League Baseball's American League. The team has a devoted following, so buy your tickets well in advance if you want to see a game.

The Mariners' retro-style Safeco Field is one of the most beautiful ballparks in the country. It's also one of only a handful of stadiums with a retractable roof (which can open or close in 10-20 min.), allowing the Mariners a real grass playing field without the worry of getting rained out.

Ticket prices range from $7 to $60. Though you may be able to buy a single ticket on game day at the Safeco Field box office, it's tough to get two seats together. If you want to ensure that you get good seats, order in advance at Mariners Team Stores (there are locations at Fourth and Stewart sts. downtown and in the Bellevue Sq. shopping mall) or through Ticketmaster (tel. 206/622-HITS; www.ticketmaster.com), which has outlets at Fred Meyer and Tower Records. Parking is next to impossible in the immediate vicinity of Safeco Field, so plan to leave your car behind.

If you'd like a behind-the-scenes look at the ballpark, you can take a 1-hour tour, which costs $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, and $5 for kids 3 to 12. Tickets can be purchased at the Mariners Team Store at Safeco Field, at other Mariners Team Stores around the city, or through Ticketmaster. Tour times vary, and tours are not offered on days when day games are scheduled.

Basketball

The National Basketball Association's Seattle SuperSonics (tel. 800/4NBA-TIX, 800/743-7021, or 206/283-3865; www.supersonics.com) play in the Key Arena at Seattle Center, and though they always seem to trail behind the Portland Trail Blazers, they generally put in a good showing every season. Tickets cost $10 to $275 and are available at the arena box office or through Ticketmaster (tel. 206/628-0888). Tickets can generally be purchased on short notice, except for games against the Lakers and the Trail Blazers, which are always well attended.

The Seattle Storm (tel. 877/WNBA-TIX or 206/217-WNBA; www.storm.wnba.com), also play in Key Arena. Most ticket prices range from $10 to $55; they're available at the arena box office or through Ticketmaster (tel. 206/628-0888).

The University of Washington Huskies women's basketball team has also been very popular for years. For information on both the women's and the men's Huskies basketball games, call tel. 206/543-2200 or go to www.gohuskies.com.

Football

Although the Seattle Seahawks (tel. 888/635-4295 or 206/381-7888; www.seahawks.com) didn't win the SuperBowl back in 2006, they came close, and best of all they developed a little respect in their home town (and across the nation), so by the time you read this, if the team is again doing well, you may find that tickets are hard to get. The Seahawks play at Qwest Field, 800 Occidental Ave. S. (tel. 206/381-7500; www.qwestfield.com), which stands on the site of the old Kingdome and is adjacent to Safeco Field. Tickets to games run from around $50 to more than $300 and are sold through Ticketmaster (tel. 206/622-HAWK; www.ticketmaster.com). Regardless of how the Seahawks are doing this year, games against Oakland, Denver, and a couple of other teams usually sell out as soon as tickets go on sale in July or August. Traffic and parking in the vicinity of Qwest Field is a nightmare on game days, so take the bus if you can. If you want a behind-the-scenes look at Qwest Field, you can take a tour of the stadium. Tours operate daily at 12:30 and 2:30pm between June and August and only on Friday and Saturday in other months (note that there are not tours on game days or when other events are scheduled). Tours cost $7 for adults and $5 for seniors and children 4 to 12.

Not surprisingly, the University of Washington Huskies (tel. 206/543-2200; www.gohuskies.com), who play in Husky Stadium on the university campus, have a loyal following. Big games (Nebraska or Washington State) sell out as soon as tickets go on sale in the summer. Other games can sell out in advance, but obstructed-view tickets are usually available on game day. Ticket prices range from $60 to $65 for reserved seats, and from $30 to $33 for general admission.

Horse Racing

The state-of-the-art Emerald Downs, 2300 Emerald Downs Dr., Auburn (tel. 888/931-8400 or 253/288-7000; www.emeralddowns.com), is south of Seattle, in Auburn, off Wash. 167 (reached from I-405 at the south end of Lake Washington). To get to the racetrack, take the 15th Avenue Northwest exit. Admission is $5 to $8. The season runs from mid-April to September.

The Marathon

The Seattle Marathon (tel. 206/729-3660; www.seattlemarathon.org), which attracts around 14,000 participants, takes place the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The race starts and ends at Seattle Center and crosses the I-90 floating bridge to Mercer Island.

Soccer

If you're a soccer fan, you can catch the United Soccer League's Seattle Sounders (tel. 206/622-3415; www.seattlesounders.net) at Qwest Field. Tickets, which sell for $13 to $18, are available through Ticketmaster (tel. 206/628-0888).