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{Let's See Seattle} is where you can find the very best parts of the city of Seattle. The great eats, gorgeous spots, and weirdest attractions of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest overall come to life right before your eyes. We're not always drinking coffee while wearing rain boots! Recently via {Let's See Seattle} we celebrated Springtime in Seattle with the Cherry Blossoms and Tulip Fields. Now we're covering Seattle for Kids and soon we'll explore Pike Place Market for Kids. We are unofficial tour guides for our friends and family often. With kids of all ages visiting us regularly, we've compiled a great list of the best places to take visitors with little ones or tall teenagers. This list is for kids of all ages and includes only options where kids and adults alike will all enjoy themselves. In the Fremont, Ballard, and Greenwood neighborhoods
In Downtown Seattle and Seattle Center
 In the Fremont, Ballard, and Greenwood neighborhoods:This is where I live and spend most of my time so it's only natural that I've scoped out the best spots to take our visitors nearby. Golden Gardens BeachWe visit Golden Gardens Beach year round for warm sunny days and cold nights with hot bonfires alike. You'll stare directly at the Olympic Mountains over the water. You're at the beach but that body of water isn't the ocean, it's the the Puget Sound. Golden Gardens is facing West so this spot is perfect for watching sunsets. With parking, restrooms, and playgrounds all onsite, this makes for a great location. Bring your own lunch, snacks, donuts, or s'mores stuff depending on the time of day and time of year.    Edith Macefield House - the Up houseThe movie Up, about old man Carl and his house that flies away by the power of hundreds of balloons, is inspired by real life Seattle resident Edith Macefield. When a shopping center was being built in her neighborhood, Edith refused to move or sell her home. The Ballard Blocks were actually built all around her house and she became a local legend. Edith has since died and her house has changed ownership several times. It's still there but it's surely fading away as the years pass. Watching the movie Up before taking kids to see this house is a fun duo. Often times there will be balloons and sweet messages attached to the fence at the house.  Wading PoolsYou've probably heard of Seattle's gloom and rain, but did you know that we have stellar summers? The sun shines for months straight and truly doesn't set until 9 and 10 pm in the summer. While the days are sunny they do not get warm enough to justify proper swimming pools. Instead we have shallow wading pools all over the city. Wading pools are just right for splashing around in! Families flock to them on warm days and even grown ups dip their feet in. Bring the toys and squirt guns and forget about floaties and swimming lessons. We often go to Green Lake's Wading Pool while you can find them all over the city. They don't stay filled so be sure to check the schedule for which days each pool is open.  Chuck's Hop ShopChuck's Hop Shop is called the land of 1000 beers. While it's truly for adults there are so many reasons to bring kids. First, it's totally legal and acceptable (until 9 pm). Second, they've got ice cream, board games, an outdoor patio, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages. Most days they have a food truck onsite and you can bring in your own food or even have pizza or Uber eats delivered to Chuck's. There are two locations of Chuck's. The one I'm talking about is the Greenwood location.   Full TiltFull Tilt is an ice cream shop where the ice creams are homemade and the room is filled with pinball games! It doesn't need further explanation but I'll give you a few more gems: the vegan chocolate ice cream is made with coconut milk so it's a chocolatey coconutty treat and the Pac-Man game can be played by four people at once. The Full Tilt location we frequent is the Ballard one. Don't worry about brining quarters, they've got a change machine onsite.   Frelard PizzaFrelard Pizza is one of our favorites, with or without kids. You can get your pizza by the pie or by the slice and your caesar salad with or without anchovies! They have so many delicious pizza varieties and plenty of other good food, plus beer and wine. What about the kids, Ang? What if I told you that the kids can play safely nearby while you sip your cold beer and eat your pizza while it's still hot? There's a play area in the restaurant filled with toys and other kids for your little ones to enjoy. Everybody wins!  Ivar's SeafoodIvar's is a local Seattle institution and a great spot for the whole family. Ivar's has locations all over the city, serving seafood at stands and proper sit-down-restaurants. We went to Ivar's Salmon House on Lake Union with a huge group (8 grown ups and 3 kids) and everyone was able to eat and drink to their liking. Eating on the lake is picturesque, of course! They've got all of the seafood, plenty of other non-fish-foods, a full kids menu, cups with lids, and activities and the cutest masks for little ones.    The TrollOur favorite weird Seattle treasure is the Troll! He lives under the Fremont bridge and clutches a real VW Beetle in his troll hand. We typically do a huge lead up to a "special surprise" without telling the kids exactly what it is. We let them discover and identify the troll, much to their delight! Kids are always shocked at just how big the troll is, that you can climb on it, and just how weird and cool the troll is. Parking nearby is tricky but visits only last a few minutes so spots become available often. There's always a line for getting on the troll for photos, make fast friends with the people in front of and behind you and take turns taking photos.  In downtown Seattle and Seattle Center:Every visit to Seattle should include a day spent running around downtown and the nearby Seattle Center area, just around the Space Needle. Pack snacks and water for everyone and do it all! Kerry ParkKerry Park is a wonderful scenic viewpoint that overlooks Seattle, the Space Needle, and the Puget Sound. It's a great spot to start your Seattle day of adventure. Snap a few photos, show your visitors the spots you'll visit later, climb on the sculpture, then be on your way! Kerry Park is located in the beautiful hillside neighborhood of Queen Anne. You'll have to snag a parking spot on the street to visit this gem. Similar to parking at the Troll, people don't stay here more than 5 - 10 minutes so getting a spot is never too tricky.   The Space NeedleThe Space Needle is Seattle's icon. While "touristy" it is a must visit spot, especially after the recent renovations. Buy your tickets in advance and show up early to avoid spending your day in line, of course! The elevator ride is just 42 seconds to the top. If you or the kids you're with are brave, stand in the front of the elevator car close to the windows. If you'd rather not see how quickly you're leaving the ground you can stand in the back or close your eyes. The view from the top of the Space Needle is truly awesome. You can walk all the way around the Observation Deck and check out nearby Lake Union, the Puget Sound, downtown Seattle, and the incoming and outgoing ferry boats. The recent renovations eliminated the walls and wires around the Observation Deck. Now all that separates you from the view is a huge and clear pane of glass! There are even little glass benches that tilt backwards for those adventurous kids and grown ups to sit on.  Artists at PlayJust below the Space Needle is a KILLER playground called Artists at Play. It's got a super tall rope bridge, plenty of slides and swings, ways to make music, and a giant web to climb up. After standing still in the Space Needle, let the kids run free around Artists at Play.  The MonorailThe Monorail in Seattle is almost identical to the one at Disneyland. It's just a 2 minute ride from Seattle Center and the Space Needle to downtown Seattle. There you can visit the Flagship Nordstrom Store or visit Pike Place Market. (Stay tuned for next week's guide to Pike Place Market for Kids!) Fear-wise, the monorail ain't no thang compared to the Space Needle. The ride is super smooth and very short. You could walk, but the monorail ride is novel and relaxing for kids and adults alike. Kids often get first dibs on the best seats next to the conductor! Buy a round trip ticket if you're needing to travel both ways and save yourself some time.   Parasail SeattleOnce you've had enough city-living and running around, let Parasail Seattle take you away on the water. Kids and adults of all ages can take a boat ride on the Puget Sound and those ages 5 and older can opt for to parasail! We've done this countless times and it couldn't be easier to find and board the boat, you can walk right to the waterfront dock. The boat ride is relaxing and filled with giggles and views of the city. Parasailing is one of my favorite ways to have an adventure, it's calming and freeing to fly above the water and the world! You can FLY solo, as a pair, or in a trio if one of your group is a kid. Captain Andrew is a great friend of ours, let him know that Figs and Flights sent you "sailing" his way! If you're lucky he may even let you steer the boat.   I hope this guide helps you to enjoy Seattle for Kids! Summer is the best time to visit Seattle and I hope you'll take advantage of our beautiful city and all of these wonderful ways to spend time together.  Similar Posts
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What is Figs and Flights?A blog fueled by food and travel, Figs and Flights is a resource for curious travelers, foodies, yogis & book worms
Hello, I'm AngelaI'm a food obsessed blogger and world traveler 
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