Exploring Seattle with Kids

~ cswada

We spent our summer having fun in Seattle, Washington and wanted to share with you a few highlights from our time there. This isn’t intended to be a “Top 10” sort of list, but wanted to share our honest opinions on each of the activities listed below.

The experiences described below are from June 2023.

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Woodland Park Zoo

Located just north of the city, the zoo here has much to like about it. It’s on the larger side, has plenty shade, and has plenty of paths. We ended up spending a good six hours here, quite a bit longer than we initially anticipated but the kids were entertained throughout our visit.

Many of the usual animal suspects are here. We enjoyed going to different zones and a variety of buildings housing smaller creatures. This is mostly standard fare with most zoos, but I will also say that it’s nice that the weather was quite terrific. I’ve been to zoos in the summer before and the heat and the sun weigh heavy on visitors. Here it was difficult to tell it was no longer spring.

One activity here with a long line was the petting zoo at the appropriately-named Family Farm. We waited here roughly 45 minutes to be able to get inside and meet the animals. There are plenty of approachable animals here with friendly staff eager to answer any questions. I don’t think the wait was worth it for myself but the kids had a good time. In particular, Char really wanted to spend lots of time here.

The star of the show for our kids was the indoor kid playground with climbing spaces, slides, stuffed animals, play tents, and other children’s activities. It was honestly a bit tough to pull the kids away. There are plenty of activities to occupy a child’s imagination and the zoo gets an A for creativity and theme.

Hidden behind the play center is a beautiful butterfly garden. I’ve been to other butterfly gardens before but not many come free of charge (aside from the price of admission to the zoo itself, that is). They provide a sheet that shows all the species you might encounter inside, which ended up being a fun scavenger hunt for the kids. Just don’t step on any!

Also nearby the play center is one of the main restaurants. There are typical choices you might expect to see, but it’s done fairly well. The one downside was the ketchup machine. It’s supposed to help prevent the spread of germs by requiring you to hover your hand over it to dispense, but one machine was broken and the other only operated when it decided to work. Give me the regular pump machines any day.

Taking the Bus With Kids

To get to the zoo from downtown, we rode the bus. The light rail doesn’t come here and I didn’t want to bother tracking down a locker to store car seats while at the zoo. The experience was quite easy (no connections needed and frequent bus departures). You can use the same Orca card used on the light rail, but the best part are kids are free. Taking a bus ended up being a good change of pace and gave the kids a chance to see the city a bit more.

Taking the Monorail With Kids

Smack in the middle of Seattle is a monorail that takes people over to the Seattle Center. While the monorail itself is of limited usefulness as a form of mass transit, it does offer kids a fun way to get around in the city. The downtown station was a conveniently short walk from our hotel. To get from the ground floor required going up stairs or there is also an elevator for those who need it.

We found the staff here very friendly and approachable. The kids were even invited to sit in the front row and they loved the experience. Char had to get her own (free) ticket and she enjoyed scanning it at the machine. On the back of the ticket is a discount for the Seattle Children’s Museum. Thankfully there was generally just a short wait for the monorail to arrive.

Seattle Children’s Museum

Found at the bottom floor of the Armory, somewhat hidden under the food court, the Seattle Children’s Museum was a fun visit for our kids. Tickets are purchased at the door but note that the first hour was members only so we waited at a nearby playground. If you need to leave for any reason (such as to eat), same-day readmission is no problem.

There are a number of fun things for kids to do here including a make-believe section, a train station, and a toddler area with fishing, a restaurant, and water painting. Our children were in love with the wilderness camping section where they could learn about animals and forests, play in a tent, go down a little slide built into the wall, and explore a cave.

Our kids also spent a lot of time at the theater where parents can watch the shows the kids produce. One of the best aspects of this children’s museum is its ability to bring out the creativity in little ones, not just offering kids a venue to release their energy. We would most definitely come back.

Pacific Science Center

Located in the Seattle Center complex, the Pacific Science Center offered entertainment geared toward an older audience than the Seattle Children’s Museum. Tickets can be purchased in advance. When we came here in the summer, there were a number of campers here, so it can get crowded at times.

While we do have legos at home, for some reason kids seem to enjoy playing the same toys in a new environment where it feels fresh and different. Go figure. Other things our kids enjoyed here included a section with some video games, an area where you can learn about the planets, and a planetarium where staff engaged children with a story.

There’s also an outdoor section with interactive exhibits, including some water guns (don’t worry, you can’t get wet from them). The water wheel was a bit tough for younger children to do on their own.

Perhaps their favorite part about the Pacific Science Center was the laser light show. You can add these for free when you purchase your ticket online. You can also get tickets while at the center as long as they’re still available. Think of this as lasers timed with different types of music, including a show dedicated to Taylor Swift for all you Swifties out there (and yes, even our four year old can sing some songs).

Seattle Center

The Children’s Museum, Pacific Science Center, and the monorail mentioned above are located at the Seattle Center (along with the iconic Space Needle and Chihuly Garden but we didn’t make it to those). But the center itself has a free attraction of its own–a massive playground structure. Kids loved playing here. As a parent, it was awesome to have an opportunity for the kids to tire themselves out a bit more after leaving the other attractions in the area.

Just a note that if you decide to make it all the way up to the top where the rope bridge is located, you’ll have to go on the slide to get down. That might make it tougher for younger children who are still afraid of heights. But there are still attractions for the younger crowd, which Char loved.

They also have a maze here that’s best described as a 2D hedge maze. Since you can see your way out, it’s a bit harder to get lost in here but the kids still had fun.

Seattle Aquarium

The Seattle Aquarium is located near the water, right at Pier 59 and by Pike Place Market. With the construction going on over the summer, it admittedly was a bit difficult to find. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. The aquarium is one of those attractions that can be purchased with other sites, but I found the deal wasn’t worth it in part because it included things that I wasn’t interested in. If you’re looking to do all the attractions in the package, then it would make sense to get it. Just note that the price for the aquarium does vary depending on the day selected, so if you’re going on a cheaper day, it might not worth it to purchase a package (as those prices may not vary).

There are many standard attractions here you would find at this aquarium. Some of the highlights here include a make-believe section with teddies (one of Char’s favorites), a section dedicated to the octopus, and an exhibit showcasing the salmon. There’s also a nice area where you’re surrounded by fish.

Somewhat surprisingly, we spent a lot of time in one area of the aquarium where you can read books. Again, it’s not like we’re lacking books at home, but simple things have new life when not done at home.

Have you been to Seattle? What has been some of your favorite places to go?

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