A Family Getaway to Seattle
A few weeks ago my family and I took a trip to Seattle and we had the most amazing time! Seattle is the perfect family destination because there are so many kid friendly things to do and see. It is also an easy drive from Portland, which makes it great for a weekend trip.
We managed to fit in a lot on our trip but there are so many activities I had on my list that we didn’t get to fit in. Seattle has a great mix of indoor and outdoor activities, so no matter what time of year you go you will find lots of fun things!
Green Lake Park
Our Airbnb was very close to Green Lake Park, so we spent a lot of time at the playground there, checking out the ducks, and enjoying the gorgeous views. We loved the big sand pit at the playground, and the kids really enjoyed walking out onto the docks and looking at the animals. We saw someone feeding the ducks and pigeons, watched some people play basketball, and pretended we were back on the monorail riding around the lake. It is on our bucket list for next time to rent a boat and enjoy the lake from the water!
Visiting the Woodland Park Zoo was one of the unexpected highlights of the trip for me! For some reason I was thinking the zoo in Seattle was very small, but I learned it is bigger than the Oregon Zoo! They have lots of animals that we don’t have at our zoo, including gorillas (baby gorillas!), wallabies, a snow leopard, and Komodo Dragons. We are members at the Oregon Zoo which got us tickets for 50% off, and we could have spent all day exploring - we didn’t get to stay as long as we would have wanted because we had to get back for lunch and Teddy’s nap. I highly recommend a visit to the Woodland Park Zoo!
Teddy and Vivian are very into trains right now, so when we learned Seattle has a monorail we knew we had to go for a ride! The monorail only has two stops - downtown Seattle and the Seattle Center, and it is only a 2 minute ride each way. We bought round trip tickets and rode it from downtown to the Seattle Center, where we got coffee and donuts, and then back to downtown. This was definitely the highlight of the trip for Teddy - he has been talking about it daily ever since!
We went to the Seattle Aquarium with Vivian in late 2023, and since then they have done a major renovation and added another building, so we were eager to go back! The new Ocean Pavilion was very impressive, with a giant aquarium in the lobby area and so many interesting fish to see. Other highlights were the octopus (Teddy was obsessed!), the touch pools in Pier 59, and the seals and different birds in Pier 60. They have lots of presentations and activities at the aquarium, and lots of interactive areas that keep kids entertained. We had a great time at the Seattle Aquarium!
Golden Gardens Park
On our last morning we headed to Golden Gardens Park, a beachfront park in the Ballard Neighborhood that is located right on the sound. The kids love the beach, plus they have a playground, so we thought it would be the perfect place to spend the morning before driving back to Portland. We loved looking at seashells and rocks, playing on the playground, and enjoying the gorgeous views. David even saw a seal in the water!
Other Recommendations!
We would have loved to do some of these activities but we only had two full days in Seattle. Here are some other recommendations that we are saving for our next trip!
Artists at Play Playground
Bainbridge Island Ferry
Ballard Farmer’s Market
Ballard Locks
Discovery Park
Ella Bailey Park
Elliot Bay Bookstore
The Pacific Science Center
Pikes Place Market
Ravenna Park
Seattle Central Library
Seattle Children’s Museum