10 epic things to do in Seattle with kids for guaranteed family fun
From museums that explore pop culture and pinball to a ride to the top of the towering Space Needle, there's something for everyone in Seattle — kids and adults alike. A Pacific Northwest panorama of evergreens, majestic mountains, Elliot Bay, and the Puget Sound makes it easy to enjoy fresh air fun while staying within the city limits.
I first discovered Seattle when our family's cruise to Alaska departed from the busy port, and I was instantly smitten. My children and I return often, forever discovering new fun things to do in Seattle with kids, including iconic attractions, outdoor adventures, and more. Here are 10 of our favorites. Space Needle
The Space Needle is a must-see for kids and adults alike – Photo courtesy of Space Needle
Built for the 1962 World's Fair, the Space Needle observation tower is an icon of the Seattle skyline. Located in the heart of City Center with numerous other main attractions, you can ride the lightning-fast elevator for impressive views of the cityscape, Olympic and Cascade mountains, and Puget Sound islands from your perch 520 feet above ground.
Advertisement
Just below the observation deck is The Loupe, the world's first revolving glass floor with a slow spin that makes you feel like you're a record on a turntable. Olympic Sculpture Park
Olympic Sculpture Park is a low-stakes way to introduce kids to art – Photo courtesy of Allison Tibaldi
I introduced my children to the Olympic Sculpture Park along the waterfront when they were very young. Even if they don't appear interested, kids absorb color, form, and the ever-changing dialogue between art and the environment as they run and play outdoors. It's a low-stakes activity because it's free of charge.
Works include Alexander Calder's immense "The Eagle," a 6-ton steel sculpture with soaring curves and spikes that somehow manages to capture the delicacy of an origami bird. When little legs need a rest, they can sit on a series of granite "Eye Benches," surrealist eyeballs that double as surprisingly comfortable benches.
Advertisement
Chihuly Garden and Glass
Chihuly's glass works have loads of kid appeal – Photo courtesy of Greg Balkin / State of Washington Tourism
Dale Chihuly has been expanding the boundaries of glass as an artistic medium for decades. His imaginative glass sculptures and installations are on display indoors and outdoors at Chihuly Garden and Glass.
Chihuly's bold interplay of whimsy and luminous color is a winning combination for many children. Glassblowing demonstrations throughout the day are captivating, and young visitors can touch real tools and materials used in the glassblowing process at the hands-on Curiosity Station. Seattle Pinball Museum
The Seattle Pinball Museum offers retro fun for kids – Photo courtesy of Alabastro Photography/Visit Seattle
Families can spend hours enjoying unlimited play for one price on dozens of vintage and modern pinball machines at the Seattle Pinball Museum in the International District. My kids love the machine's low-tech flippers and retro arcade setting. Order a soda in a vintage glass bottle to complete the throwback experience.
Advertisement
Museum of Pop Culture
The Museum of Pop Culture pays tribute to Seattle's seminal role in pop culture – Photo courtesy of Allison Tibaldi
If you're traveling with a tough-to-please teenager, the Museum of Pop Culture is an oasis of cool that should appease even the moodiest. The Frank Gehry-designed building is a testament to rebel architecture at its finest, wrapped in shimmering sheet metal that resembles a smashed electric guitar.
Permanent and temporary exhibits explore the influence of pop culture in music, film, fashion, sports, and gaming. Seattle's role in music, particularly grunge and alternative rock, is evident in the Guitar Gallery, an homage to the instrument and the musicians who play it. Glimpse the guitar of hometown rocker Jimi Hendrix and clothing worn by Washington-born Kurt Cobain. The Sound Lab lets kids create music with real instruments, while the Next Gen Gamers exhibit tests their skills as they play trailblazing video games. Pike Place Market
The Gum Wall at Pike Place Market is quirky fun thing to do with kids in Seattle – Photo courtesy of Alabastro Photography / Visit Seattle
Since 1907, Pike Place Market has supplied farm-fresh produce and boat-to-table seafood to generations of Seattleites and hungry tourists. Hundreds of farmers, fishermen, and artisans sell their goods in the heart of downtown. Watch the fishmongers throw fish into the waiting arms of customers — an entertaining and unusual market ritual. If you're visiting in summer, sample yellow-hued Rainier cherries, a Washington treat.
More than a marketplace, it's a community center. Public art, including the Instagram-favorite Gum Wall, adds quirky eye candy. Kids particularly enjoy exploring the Magic Market Shop (the third oldest magic shop in the country) and eating mac and cheese from Beecher's while watching cheese get made.
Advertisement
Seattle Aquarium
The Seattle Aquarium has interactive exhibits with a conservation message – Photo courtesy of Allison Tibaldi
The Seattle Aquarium combines dazzling sea life with a conservation message. Over 10,000 animals live here — from seahorses to a Giant Pacific Octopus — with an emphasis on those from the Pacific Northwest. Interactive touch tanks, a hands-on play space, and a crawl-through coral reef encourage kids to become stewards of the sea while having a ball. Seattle Great Wheel
The Seattle Great Wheel has views for days – Photo courtesy of Rachael Jones/Visit Seattle
Hop in a climate-controlled pod and take a sky-high ride on the enormous Seattle Great Wheel on Pier 57. On a clear day, this 175-foot Ferris wheel presents stunning vistas of the skyline and Mount Rainier. At night, it's illuminated with a half-million LED lights. A ride lasts for approximately 15 minutes. When you've landed back down to earth, take a spin on a painted pony at the carousel just a few steps away. Golden Gardens Park
Seattle's Golden Gardens Park's sandy beach and tide pools are fun for kids – Photo courtesy of Rachael Jones/Visit Seattle
If your family craves an afternoon at the beach, Golden Gardens Park in the Ballard neighborhood is a jackpot. This one-mile stretch of soft sand along the Puget Sound is perfect for Frisbee and beach volleyball, while the clear, cold water may tempt the brave to go for a summertime swim. At low tide, rocky sections at either end are a great place to view tide pools teeming with sea creatures, including anemones and starfish.
Pacific Science Center
Seattle's Pacific Science Center is a great place for curious kids – Photo courtesy of Rachael Jones/Visit Seattle
Over the years, I've taken my kids to numerous science museums. As they grew older, they were often bored, as many catered to young children.
Advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Tour de France finale brings excitement to Montmartre with a climb to Sacré-Coeur
Hours before the Tour de France peloton was due to pass through Montmartre on Sunday, thousands of fans packed the streets, eager to claim a prime spot to watch riders climb the iconic hill during the final stage of the race. The Tour is breaking with tradition this year as organizers look to build on the popular success of the Paris Olympic road race. During last year's Olympics, massive crowds lined the streets of Montmartre — a neighborhood in northern Paris famous for its artistic heritage and sweeping city views — to cheer on riders. Inspired by the frenetic atmosphere, Tour organizers decided to include the Montmartre climb in this summer's route. Riders will ascend the hill and pass beneath the Sacré-Coeur basilica before heading to the finish on the Champs-Élysées. Spectators began arriving early Sunday on the cobbled Rue Lepic, well before race leader Tadej Pogačar and his rivals were expected to tackle the steep ascent. Fans also filled the stairs beneath the Sacré-Coeur to ensure they didn't miss a moment of the action. Riders will also pass the Moulin Rouge before climbing to the Butte Montmartre. To mark the occasion, dancers in tricolor costumes will perform a French Cancan outside the cabaret. Traditionally, the final stage is largely processional until a sprint decides the day's winner on the Champs-Elysées. On Sunday, the final climb comes less than 7km from the finish, making it unlikely that many sprinters will contend for the stage win. During the Olympics, the road races drew more than 500,000 spectators in Paris. Last year's Tour concluded outside Paris for the first time since 1905 because of a scheduling conflict with the Olympics, with the final stage held in Nice. The Champs-Élysées returned this year for the conclusion of the 3,320-kilometer (2,060-mile) race. ___
Hamilton Spectator
3 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Tour de France finale brings excitement to Montmartre with a climb to Sacré-Coeur
Hours before the Tour de France peloton was due to pass through Montmartre on Sunday, thousands of fans packed the streets, eager to claim a prime spot to watch riders climb the iconic hill during the final stage of the race. The Tour is breaking with tradition this year as organizers look to build on the popular success of the Paris Olympic road race. During last year's Olympics, massive crowds lined the streets of Montmartre — a neighborhood in northern Paris famous for its artistic heritage and sweeping city views — to cheer on riders. Inspired by the frenetic atmosphere, Tour organizers decided to include the Montmartre climb in this summer's route. Riders will ascend the hill and pass beneath the Sacré-Coeur basilica before heading to the finish on the Champs-Élysées. Spectators began arriving early Sunday on the cobbled Rue Lepic, well before race leader Tadej Pogačar and his rivals were expected to tackle the steep ascent. Fans also filled the stairs beneath the Sacré-Coeur to ensure they didn't miss a moment of the action. Riders will also pass the Moulin Rouge before climbing to the Butte Montmartre. To mark the occasion, dancers in tricolor costumes will perform a French Cancan outside the cabaret. Traditionally, the final stage is largely processional until a sprint decides the day's winner on the Champs-Elysées. On Sunday, the final climb comes less than 7km from the finish, making it unlikely that many sprinters will contend for the stage win. During the Olympics, the road races drew more than 500,000 spectators in Paris. Last year's Tour concluded outside Paris for the first time since 1905 because of a scheduling conflict with the Olympics, with the final stage held in Nice. The Champs-Élysées returned this year for the conclusion of the 3,320-kilometer (2,060-mile) race. ___ AP cycling:
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Famed Wanamaker Organ will again be heard by the public in fall art series in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — One of the most famous organs in the world, which graces one of Philadelphia's favorite public spaces, was at risk of going quiet this spring when Macy's closed up shop in the city's storied Wanamaker Building. But countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, the avant-garde opera star hired last year to run Opera Philadelphia, is leading an effort to let the public again enjoy the Wanamaker Organ, a National Historic Landmark-designated treasure. The organ boasts more than 28,000 wood and metal pipes hidden behind a soaring wall of gold-leaf pipes that frame the building's seven-story marble atrium. Costanzo, with $1 million in philanthropic funding, is organizing a series of public performances this fall — including opera, ballet, theater and drag — before renovations begin next year on the building's conversion to a retail and residential hub. The first event is set for Sunday, Sept. 7. 'John Wanamaker, when he built this Grand Court, said he wanted it to be the intersection of arts and commerce, and that's why he put the world's largest pipe organ into it,' Costanzo told The Associated Press in an onsite interview Thursday evening. 'This space is operatic,' he said. 'So I thought it was a perfect umbrella to bring in every arts organization I could, and all these different collaborators.' The organ was made for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. Wanamaker, a successful merchant and civic leader, had it moved to his new emporium next to City Hall in 1909 and then hired a crew of 40 pipe makers to enlarge it so the sound filled the vast space. A decade later, famed conductor Leopold Anthony Stokowski performed there with the Philadelphia Orchestra as 15,000 people crowded into the great hall and mezzanines. With the merchandise now gone, the acoustics rival those of the great cathedrals, Costanzo said. 'The organ for the first time is in perfect cathedral acoustic condition, so it will be the best way to hear this instrument in the history of the space, because there's actually nothing in there,' he said. The building's new owner hopes to continue to incorporate art and culture into their plans, which include retail on the lower floors and office and residential space above. The organ adds unique challenges. 'You've got this organ music going in the grand atrium, but meanwhile you've got other uses on these upper floors looking into that space, so you have to figure out how to make that work for everybody,' said Jon McMillan, a senior vice president of TF Cornerstone, the New York-based development firm. Local civic groups, in an announcement Friday, said they hope to raise funds to bring back one of the city's most beloved annual events, a holiday light show that drew generations of families to the store. Costanzo, who continues to perform around the world, believes he can build enthusiasm for the arts by bringing it to the places where people gather, including the Wanamaker Building. And he hopes that, in turn, will help people find a way to connect with each other. 'This space is so deeply embedded in the emotion of Philadelphia,' Costanzo said. "I want them to come to Wanamaker and discover something they've never seen before.'
