We are taking a trip to Seattle this summer. Three days in Vancouver, BC and three days in Seattle (our hotel is in South Lake Union). We have two boys ages 3 and 11. I know a few people on this board live in that area. Any suggestions of things kids love doing up in that area?
Things on our list are: - Mariners Game - Any recommendations of where to sit (game time is 12:30)? - Pikes Place Market and the Original Starbucks - Space Needle - Visit to UW campus because my dad went there (actually he grew up there, but hasn't been back in a while, so his suggestions for things to do with kids are limited)
No kids here, but the kids I know in the area love the Ballard Locks. Also, if you get picnic stuff at Pike Place Market, GasWorks park has an amazing view of the city and is fun to hang out in for a few hours and watch the activity on Lake Union. Bring a Frisbee or a ball and let the kids blow off some steam.
Recommendation - get to Pike Place Market as early as possible. It is incredibly crowded during the summer (especially if there's a cruise ship leaving that afternoon), so much so that it's hard to even walk through the halls.
Post by BlondeSpiders on Feb 10, 2017 19:52:27 GMT -5
I'd caution against the Ride the Ducks tour. After a horrible, horrible crash with a bus (carrying international students from my college workplace) that killed 4 people 18 months ago, a lot of reports came out about how badly the vehicles are maintained, if at all.
I have a 3 y.o. son. Some of our favorite Seattle places are the aquarium and ferris wheel, while getting fish & chips at the Ivars, and ice cream at Mariner's Landing. The museum of flight is south of downtown (so you'd have to drive there), but a worthwhile stop if you or your kids are at all into planes & space. We haven't gone yet, but I've heard the new playground at the Seattle Center is great, and you could hit up pacific science center and EMP (DS is into science so pacicific science center is a good one for us as well). If you go to the UW campus, you could take a shopping break at U Village outdoor mall and get dumplings at Din Tai Fung, play on the playground, and get ice cream at Molly Moons. If it's warm enough you could go to the beach. Bainbridge ferry is a great idea and doable as a day trip for sure. And, there are also boat tours on lake union, into elliott bay, etc...I have never done one myself, so I'm not certain how kid friendly they are exactly. If you like Starbucks, you might want to visit the roastery in Capital Hill. It's the ultra upscale Starbucks store that serves only Reserve coffees, and you can get all kinds of delicious coffee beverages there that you cant get in a regular store. They roast all reserve coffee there and you can see roasters in action. It's also houses a serious pie restaurant, which is pizza (more upscale). There are a few of these around the city, and relatively kid friendly (they have a margherita pizza) Have fun!
I'd caution against the Ride the Ducks tour. After a horrible, horrible crash with a bus (carrying international students from my college workplace) that killed 4 people 18 months ago, a lot of reports came out about how badly the vehicles are maintained, if at all.
Say no to the Ducks!
Agreed! A few months ago I saw a passenger with a toddler standing on her lap, hanging halfway out the window/side of the vehicle at a stop light near my work. Although those things scared me even before the accident.
The ferry to Bainbridge is my favorite thing to do with visitors, it's so beautiful and easy to walk on.
The Chihuly glass garden is well worth it too. Probably not the most interesting place for an 11 year old, but it's stunning and doesn't take long to walk through. It's right at the base of the Space Needle.
The Duck Tour is cheesy, but the 3 year old will love it.
Seattle Center (where the space needle is) has a lot of things to do. EMP, Pacific Science Center, Children's Museum, the Chuhily Glass Museum, there's a fountain they can play in that plays music. You could easily spend a day there. I actually preferred that to Pike Place Market, but that was because we were a big group with wheelchairs and strollers, and it was super crowded and not very handicap-accessible.
We went on vacation last May with a 3 year old (he turned 4 a month later). He LOVED the Children's Museum and the playground by the Space Needle/EMP. We visited the playground multiple times as we were staying nearby. The playground has awesome stuff for older kids as well, so it would be fun for both kiddos.
We rode the monorail several times, which he thought was awesome. He also enjoyed the aquarium - it wasn't my favorite, but he loved it.
Post by InBetweenDays on Feb 11, 2017 13:08:47 GMT -5
Lots of other good recommendations, but if you're staying near Lake Union check out The Electric Boat Company. You can rent electric boats and tour around the lake on your own. Either dock at a restaurant for lunch or bring a picnic.
The Great Wheel on the waterfront (if you aren't afraid of heights) and the Ballard Locks (especially if you're going when the salmon are swimming up the fish ladder) are both fun options. If you go to the Ballard Locks you can do lunch at Ray's Cafe which is right on the water (there is the fancier Ray's Restaurant downstairs and the more casual Ray's Cafe upstairs) or get sandwiches at Un Bien and have a picnic at Golden Gardens beach just down the road.
The ferry to Bainbridge with a stop at Mora Ice Cream. The Underground Tour (if the weather isn't great). If you visit UW, consider going to Agua Verde for lunch. Right on the Montlake Cut (you can also rent kayaks there if you want).
Regarding where to sit at the Mariner's game - do you want sun or prefer to not be in the sun?