7 things you didn’t know about Pike Place Market in Seattle

Pike Place Market—the 108-year-old farmers’ market and Seattle tourist attraction which draws in more than 10 million visitors annually—is justly famous for its fishmongers, produce stalls, craft stands and specialty food shops, but there’s so much more to the Market than meets the eye. After you’ve snatched up some fresh fish and a sweet treat from the Daily Dozen Doughnut Company, get even more out of your visit by reading about these seven secrets of Pike Place Market in Seattle.

1. There’s a gooey gum wall.
Step one: Go to your local convenience store or supermarket and purchase a pack of Trident, Orbit or Juicy Fruit. Step two: Shove as many pieces as you can into your mouth and proceed to chew on them for awhile. Step three: Head to Post Alley at the Market Theater under Pike Place Market and add your gum to the gooey, germy Gum Wall. Although famous enough that it may no longer qualify as a true secret—at least to tourists in the know—the Gum Wall nevertheless fascinates visitors no longer content with simply visiting Pike Place to watch the fish fly.

2. Ghosts reportedly roam the market.
Pike Place Market—as a tourist attraction at least—is the heart and soul of downtown Seattle, but did you also know there are also heartless souls roaming it? At least that’s according to the the Market Ghost Tour, a nighttime historical walking tour of the Market that hints at paranormal activity. Whether you believe there are spirits roaming the city’s most celebrated attraction or not, it sure it cool to wander around the Market after dark. Purchase tickets at Ghost Alley Espresso.

Also: Check out the most beautiful hikes in and around Seattle.

3. Rachel the Pig brings in big bucks.
The object of affection of thousands of amateur photographers and hundreds of ensuing Instragram uploads, that 550-pound bronze cast piggy bank you might’ve seen standing proudly under the Public Market Center sign and clock is Rachel the Pig. According to the Market, she is the handiwork of sculptor Georgia Gerber of nearby Whidbey Island and brings home the bacon in the form of nearly $200,000 annually which benefits local charities. Rub Rachel’s snout and make a donation you’ll supposedly have good luck—just bring hand sanitizer.

4. You’ll find the original Starbucks here.
The ubiquitous purveyor of roasted java that now claims locations on nearly every city block in all of America started near Pike Place Market in 1971. Although it moved to its current Market location in 1976 the storefront nevertheless still boasts a vintage vibe thanks to Market specifications and even includes the original topless mermaid logo which was swapped for a more conservative version as the chain began to rapidly expand in the 1990s. You can also pick up souvenirs and trinkets exclusive to the Pike Place store and one other nearby location.

5. Look closely and you’ll find a Heaven’s Gate floor tile.
Remember in 1997 when more than three dozen bodies were discovered in a mansion in suburban San Diego? That was the work of religious cult Heaven’s Gate whose leader and 38 members killed themselves by taking phenobarbital and mixing it with apple sauce washed down with vodka. Disillusioned though they may have been, they nevertheless purchased a floor tile on the upper floor of the Market near the produce stands as part of a 1985 fundraising initiative which hauled in $1.6 million for the Market.

Related: 13-unashamedly hipster things to do in Seattle.

6. It’s got the world’s largest collection of giant shoes?
Never mind the Seattle Art Museum, the Experience Music Project or the Olympic Sculpture Park, the only cultural institution worthy of your tourist dollar (and we’re saying this with tongue planted firmly in cheek, of course) is the Giant Shoe Museum at Pike Place which argues it has the world’s largest collection of giant shoes—including a wingtip from the world’s tallest man Robert Wadlow—although in reality the entire museum is a single exhibit wall that is a part of the Old Seattle Paperworks.

7. Busking here is serious business.
Those street performers who make the Market more merry don’t randomly show up and start strumming ditties on their ukeleles. Rather, there are more than a dozen spots around the market slotted for buskers and each one is designated with a large musical note painted on the pavement. Check out Emery Carl who is one of the longest-running buskers at the marketor seasoned musician Gregory Paul who has never actually taken a single music lesson in his life, according to the Pike Place Market blog.

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