Favorite get-outta-the-house activities in Seattle

ACTIVITIES	NOTES
Alliance Church in Northgate	Play area for playdates
Arena Sports bounce area
Bainbridge Children's Museum	Ferry ride & great kid's museum all in one!
Ballard Locks
Barnes & Noble story time
Boat rides on South Lake Union Wooden Boat Center	Free boat rides on Sundays & Thursdays
Bookstore story times	Mockingbird in Greenlake (daily at 11am)
Caspar Babypants concerts - they're often free at libraries or community centers!	Schedule on his website - arrive early for concerts!!
Children's Museum	$8/per person, fee goes toward year membership (pays for itself in 3 visits). Last hour of the day is free!
Country Village train & pony ride	Bothell
Dick's Drive in & Big Foot carwash - play music!	Kids are fed and car is clean!
Dinosaur Dig	Hide bones in sandbox; dress up as a geologist
Elevated sports - Bothell
Family Learning Center in Wallingford	Free play groups 2-3x/week
Farmer's Markets	Have the kiddos pick out fruit
Fred Meyer Ballard - one hour free child care while shopping
Gates Foundation family days	Fun activities for kids in their visitor center; check their website
Go for a walk outside & collect things	Put together found items, make art & take pics; do an A-B-C scavenger hunt (find an item that starts with "A", etc….)
Go to a thrift store to buy books
Greenlake Community Center Playroom	Cost is $3/per kiddo
Hiking Marsh Island by UW	Part of the Arboretum
Ikea ball room
Indoor water park in Lynwood or Rainier Beach
Jungle gym in Burien
Kelsey Creek Farm	Bellevue
Kindermusic/Gymboree/Little Gym
Library story times	All branches feature
Molbaks play areas
Montlake Ale House	Parents can dine; in the back there's a "pit" where kids play while you enjoy each other's company!
Montlake Terrace Pool	Great lazy river & wading pool
MOPS/ Thursday Bible studies at Bethany
Mosaic Church	Wallingford. Café & play area
ACTIVITIES	NOTES
Museums!	Free first Thursday at all Seattle Museums
Nature walks and looking for things in a made-up scavenger hunt
Northgate Mall play area (surprisingly fun!)
Om Culture in Fremont - play area
Pacific Science Center	Amazing dinos, touch pools, bug & butterfly experience. They also have a nursing room!
PCC - go pick out a free fruit
Play area at U Village
Playdates at friend's houses
QFC U Village - one hour free child care while shopping
REI play area
Reptile Zoo
Ride the ferry - to anywhere!
Ride the monorail	Kids can ride up front and beep the horn
Seattle Aquarium	Toddler time is great - check their website. Also 4:30-6 no one is there!
Seattle Children's Museum Everett
Seattle Children's Theater	Age restrictions, but shows are amazing!
Seattle Gymnastics Academy	Ballard. Open gym from 12-1pm daily -costs $6 per kiddo; punch cards available
Seattle Playgarden
Seattle Symphony Tiny Tots concerts	$10 per person; includes access to their Soundbridge program where kids can play with instruments
Shoreline Children's Center	play & learn
Sky Nursery	Sky has a kids club - they get a coupon for free plants
Swanson's Café	looking at fish and flowers
Taking a bus ride to anywhere
The Sandbox	SODO. $6 entry fee
Top Ten Toys	Greenwood
Town Hall Seattle	3rd Thursday concert - $3!
Tug Boat Stories	3rd Thursday of the month
Vertical World
Visit the Snoquamie trains
Wiggleworks in Bellevue
Zoo/Zoomazium	Creature feature at 10:30am daily, Shake Rattle & Roll at 11
PARKS	NOTES
BELLEVUE BOTANICAL GARDEN
CARKEEK PARK	Check out the train!
DISCOVERY PARK - VISITOR'S CENTER
ELLA BAILEY PARK	Magnolia
ERCOLINI PARK	West Seattle
GOLDEN GARDENS	Great for sand castles & wading - also great playground. Also really fun at low tide for creature exploring!
GREENLAKE PARK
GREENLAKE WADING POOL
GREENWOOD PARK	Greenwood
LINCOLN PARK	West Seattle
LUTHER BURBANK PARK	Mercer Island
MAPLE LEAF PARK	New play structure
NEWCASTLE BEACH PARK	Bellevue
NORTH SEATTLE SPRAY PARK	130TH NW - sprayers start at 11am
SALMON BAY PARK	Ballard - fun zip line
VOLUNTEER PARK	Capitol Hill - visit the Conservatory and check out plants!
WASHINGTON ARBORETUM
CAFES / RESTAURANTS	NOTES
Barking Dog Restaurant	Ballard
Café Momo	Greenlake - small play area
Café Vios
Half Price Books Café	Ravenna
Lynwood Playdate Café
Montlake Ale House	Parents can dine; in the back there's a "pit" where kids play while you enjoy each other's company!
Phinney Market Pub	Kid friendly restaurant
Q café	Quest Church
Rosita's Greenlake	Kids love the fresh tortilla bar (small tips accepted)
South Lake Union Playdate café	GIANT play structure!! Cost is $5 per kiddo, food/coffee is available. Friday night puppet shows! FREE last Wednesday of the month!
The Ridge - pizza on Phinney Ridge	They pass out a great little toy box for kids to play with while you wait
Third Place Books	Roosevelt area - Also free bread for kiddos at  nearby Great Harvest!
Twirl Café	Top of Queen Anne - $5 for play area. FREE last Monday of the month!
REC CENTERS	NOTES
Ballard	Bouncy house and lots of fun rideable toys
Magnuson Park	Inflatables & ride ons - $3
Northgate Community Center	TU/TH
Queen Anne	Bouncy house and lots of fun rideable toys
Ravenna Eckstien	Bouncy house
Shoreline
Spartan Gym
HOLIDAY - SPECIAL ACTIVITIES
Bellevue Botanical Garden light display
Bellevue Square outdoor Snowflake Lane show - every night at 7pm during the holidays
Carousel in Westlake Center - ride monorail
Christmas Boat Parade	Check out schedule on line
Christmas Lights	Olympic Manor or Candycane Lane
Fairmont - Teddy Bear Room
Halloween:  Bethany Harvest Party, Zoo Pumpkin feeding, Phinney Ridge/Ballard/ Waterfront trick or treating
Macy's day-after-Thanksgiving parade
Phinney Ridge SeaFair Pirates Parade - 4th of July
Seattle Center Christmas Train display
Sheraton Gingerbread Houses
Swanson's Nursery - reindeer, camel, & train display	Free!
Visit Santa	Space Needle (buy one get one free ticket coupon at Bartell's, Molbaks is free, Home Depot is free, Nordstrom, Northgate Mall, etc…)
Zoolights
CLASSES	NOTES
All That Dance
Arena Sports - Lil' Kickers
Ballard or Ravenna Eckstien - Dandelion Dance
Community Centers in general have great daytime classes!
Community pool swim lessons
Greenlake Community Center Musikal Magic
WEBSITES
www.redtricycle.com	www.seattle.gov/parks