Located 113 miles south of the Canadian border, the hilly town of Seattle, Washington, charms visitors who come to the Pacific Northwest. With its location on scenic Puget Sound coupled with many well-maintained parks, lakes and trails, the city offers plenty of opportunities for children to enjoy fun outdoor activities during their stay. On rainy days, there are no shortages of activities as the downtown area provides a plethora of indoor activities that will keep both children and parents active and entertained.
Hiking
Spend a day hiking, birdwatching and picnicking at Discovery Park, a 534-acre natural area situated on Magnolia Bluff with scenic views of Puget Sound and the Cascade Mountain Range.
Known as Seattle's largest city park, Discovery Park has 2 miles of protected tidal beaches, approximately 12 miles of trails that showcase its meadows and streams and is home to a diversity of wildlife. The park also has a children's play area, picnic tables and tennis courts.
Gem Hunt
Learn about 150 varieties of minerals while sifting through a large sandpit filled with an array of tumbled gemstones from around the world while listening to peaceful bird songs. At the Scratch Patch, both children and parents can embark on an interactive gem hunt. Use an identification chart to identify and learn about the different varieties of gemstones. Before taking off, purchase a bag to fill up with your favorite stones to take home as a souvenir.
Museums
Located near the Space Needle and within the Seattle Center, the Children's Museum provides kids and their parents with a day of educational entertainment for a rainy day. Make art in the Imagination Studio, explore a miniature global village, perform a dance on the Bijou Theatre and follow animal tracks up a mountain and more in the course of a day. The museum also offers story telling and a discovery center for toddlers complete with a large aquarium, plenty of nooks to play peek-a-boo, and a water table for wave making.
Other nearby museums include the Pacific Science Center, the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture and Seattle Bug Safari, where visitors can get up close to 50 different species of insects.
Amusement Park
Climb a 25-foot climbing wall, enjoy a game of laser tag and play a round of mini-golf at Fun Forest Amusement Park along with an assortment of rides. The amusement park also has an inflatable castle for jumping and plenty of prize games to play.
Fun Forest is located within the Seattle Center, which also includes many park and garden areas for children to wander and play. Get wet in the large international fountain, skate board at the 10,000-square-foot skate park, or play tag at the neototems children's garden filled with whimsical sea creature sculptures.
Kayaking
Located in North Seattle at the southwest edge of Green Lake, Green Lake Small Craft Center offers canoeing, kayaking and sailing classes for children, youth and adults. Linger at the parkland surrounding the lake to walk, skate or bike on their well-maintained walking path.
For families newer to the Seattle area, Alki Kayak Tours offers a variety of sea-kayaking tours to Alki Lighthouse, Duwamish River and Elliot Bay. Visitors can rent triple kayaks to accommodate younger paddlers or children who weigh less than 80 pounds.
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