Seattle is a family-friendly city. It is home to a plethora of museums, parks, festivals, and fun and educational events. Kids can learn about wildlife, check out how a supersonic Concord flies, see a movie on a 60-foot movie screen and jump around in a giant fountain--all within a 20-mile radius.
Museums
Education is fun in Seattle's many museums. The Children's Museum in Seattle Center is an indoor playground with arts and crafts, a global village and an opportunity for kids to jump into their favorite storybooks. Set in Frank Gehry's famous building, the Seattle Sci-Fi Museum and Experience Music Project give kids the hand-on opportunity to make music with their favorite artists and jump into their favorite science fiction movies. Boeing's Museum of Flight tells the history of the airplane and allows kids to peek inside real airplanes.
Outdoor Activities
There are plenty of outdoor activities for active kids. Greenlake, a park north of downtown, has swimming, biking, paddleboating, rollerblading and fishing; you can rent most gear nearby. A three-mile path around the lake is accessible to walkers, bikers, rollerbladers and skate boarders. West of Greenlake, the Ballard Locks offer a glimpse at one of the largest lock systems, second only to the Panama Canal. Children can learn how the locks work and check out a functioning salmon ladder. Seattle Center offers the Fun Forest, a small amusement park with carnival rides, an arcade and the Seattle Space Needle. A giant fountain cools off visitors and shoots water into the air to the beat of music over the loudspeaker.
Animal Activities
Seattle offers animal exhibits on land and sea at the Woodland Park Zoo and Seattle Aquarium. Take a trip north of downtown to the Phinney Ridge neighborhood to the zoo. Learn about lions and tigers and bears--plus flamingos, giraffes, monkeys, penguins and farm animals. Peacocks roam the grounds, allowing visitors to get an up-close look at them. Head back to downtown to check out the sea creatures at the Seattle Aquarium on the pier. Windows on Washington, one of the exhibits, lets you peer into Elliott Bay from the safety of the aquarium. Other exhibits include a Pacific coral reef and shark tunnel.
Festivals
There are plenty of festivals in Seattle that cater to kids. The Seattle International Children's Festiva, also called the Giant Magnet, takes place in May with live shows and plays geared toward educating and entertaining children. Hands-on crafts also take center stage at this event. The Red Bull soap box race takes place in September; contestants are invited to create and decorate their own soap box car to race down Fremont Avenue. In May, Folklife festival takes over Seattle Center, celebrating Pacific Northwest heritage. There are educational exhibits and cultural booths geared toward children throughout Seattle Center.
Shows
At Seattle's IMAX theater, kids can learn about history and the earth and see their favorite movies. Educational offerings such as "The Living Sea" and "The Eruption of Mount St. Helens," as well as commercial movies, all play at the Seattle IMAX. The 60-foot screen immerses viewers in the movie's setting. If theater is more your pace, the Seattle Children's Theater stages productions of popular children's books. Past shows have included "The Wizard of Oz," "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Bunnicula.
Member Comments