Family Friendly in Seattle

Mount Rainier (September 2010)

Over the past 5 years, I have worked 40-60 hour weeks. I have barely even scratched the surface when it comes to all the Pacific Northwest has to offer. The two weeks of vacation I did have, I wanted to get out of the country as soon as possible. My cell phone did not work there. I could not be tempted to check on things in the office. Staycation was a very dirty word to me.

When I first realized I needed to leave my job my perspective changed. Our finances would be severely cut. I would also have a lot more time on my hands. I started to make a list of all of the things I wanted to see in Seattle over the summer. Most were free. The list grew to over 40 places. I then started adding sights outside of Seattle. I worked my way into Oregon and up into British Columbia. The parts outside of Seattle still need to be fleshed out a bit, but at least I know where I wanted to go when time for a weekend trip arises.

Plenty of people have done books on the Pacific Northwest. I’m definitely not trying to redo that. My real plan is to have a tangible list so I don’t sit in my house all day. I hope to get to 2-3 places a week. This will vary I’m sure based on health, how sleeping went the night before, appointments, play dates and other commitments.

I am lucky to have a few mom friends who are up to joining me. Don’t be surprised if you see them pop in now and then. Who knows what fun we will come up with in the coming weeks, months and year.

Your Challenge: Have you been neglecting all of the amazing sights in your own backyard? I challenge you to make your own list and start exploring anything within easy driving distance. Most of the things on my list can be done in a morning to accommodate nap time. I do have a few day trips snuck in there, some seasonal trips (tulip festival!) and overnight trips. If you take up my challenge and you blog about it, send me your link. If you don’t blog, but you have an amazing story to share, let me know. I’d love to have you guest post or I’ll interview you. If you live in the PacNW, have no fear, I want to hear from you too! The more the merrier in my summer kick off to exploration.

My List: this list is ongoing and ever changing. Check back to see when a link is added to a sight. It means I have a story to share. 

Parks

• Magnuson Park
• Carkeek Park
• Seward Park
  • Tales and Trails
• Golden Gardens
• Matthews Beach
• Kelsey Creek Park
• Volunteer Park, Conservatory and Volunteer Park Cafe
• Green Lake
• Bitter Lake
• Discovery Park
• St. Edwards State Park
• Luther Burbank Park (Mercer Island)

• West Seattle: California Ave and Alki Beach
  • Bakery Nouveau
• Snoqualmie Falls and trains
• Ballard
• International District
• Pioneer Square
• University District
• Cherry Tree Blossom viewing

• Japanese Garden (Arboretum)
• Chinese Garden (West Seattle)
• Kubota Garden
• Kruckeberg Botanical Gardens (Shoreline)
• Lakewold Garden
• Bellevue Botanical Garden
  • Garden d’Lights
• Butchart Gardens (Victoria, BC)
  • The Gardens at Christmas time

• Woodland Park Zoo
• Cougar Mountain Zoo
• Seattle Aquarium
• Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium
• Vancouver Aquarium (Vancouver, BC)

• Seattle Children’s Museum
• Seattle Art Museum
• Olympic Sculpture Park (free!)
• Burke Museum
• Everett Children’s Museum
• Frye Art Museum
• EMP (Experimental Music Project) and Sci-fi Museum
• Seattle Center
• KidsQuest Children’s Museum
• Pacific Science Center

Holiday Attractions

• Seattle Holiday Carousel (Seattle, WA)
• Holiday Events In and Around Seattle
• Garden D’Light at the Bellevue Botanical Garden (Bellevue, Wa)
• 12 Days of Christmas at Butchart Gardens (Victoria, BC)

Reference Books and Sites I’m Using: 

• Cascadia Kids – site and blog maintained by a local Seattle mom who is dedicated to family travel in the Pacific Northwest. She even wrote a book on it- Northwest Kid Trips: Portland, Seattle, Victoria, Vancouver
• Goby App on iPhone- like so many others, I am now in love with this app. I simply tell it where I want to go and it pulls up a ton of local interest spots, restaurants, sports, etc.
• Best Places Travel Series- a friend of mine used to edit the Seattle book, so she got me hooked on them.
  • Best Places Seattle by Monica Fischer (2008)
  • Best Places Portland by Elizabeth Lopeman (2010)
  • Best Places Northwest by Jo Ostgarden (2009)
• The Rough Guide to Vancouver by Tim Jepson (2010)