Places to go in Seattle with kids

A new co-worker just moved to Seattle from the east coast with his wife and two kids in tow.  Here are some Seattle favorite hot spots of ours I pulled together:

Places we’re a member of:

• Seattle Children’s Museum – this was better when the boys were younger and we’re going to let this one expire
• Woodland Park Zoo – awesome zoo
• Seattle Aquarium – awesome aquarium (gets packed on rainy days)
• Pacific Science Center – great exhibits
• The Museum of Flight – are boys are space junkies so this place is a hit

 Fun things to do:

•  In the summertime, kayaking and paddle boarding with the kids on Lake Union
• Rent a boat at The Center for Wooden Boats
• The duck tour with Ride The Ducks (the grandparents took our boys)
• Seaplane ride around Lake Union  with Seattle Seaplanes (there was a coupon on the seaplane tour in the Entertainment Book last year)
• Blueberry picking at Larsen Lake Blueberry Farm in Bellevue in the summer is awesome – tons of fun for the kids

 Fun places to go:

• Crystal is the best for kids IMO, but it’s pretty far away – there’s a “magic carpet” there where kids can ride up a mini hill and ski down for free
• Discovery Park is great for hiking
• Carkeek Park has a fun playground and beach area where you can watch the trains
• Golden Gardens is a nice beach (packed in the summers) with a good park and more train watching  
• Lowman Beach Park in West Seattle is fun – I’d rather go to Ballard beaches, though, because it’s a bit far

 Good places to eat:

• Our boys LOVE Tutta Bella (I don’t like it, though)
• Vios in Capitol Hill has a kid zone / play area and great Greek Food
• Vios in Ravena is in a cool book store and has pretty good breakfast
• Ballard farmer’s market and Queen Anne farmer’s market are awesome and super kid friendly

 Random links:

•  Seattle Art Museum is a nice museum (fairly small) and on the first Thursday of each month it’s free (which is great for bringing kids!)
•  Red Tri is a good site for getting cool kid things to do around town
• If we lived on the east side we’d join the PRO Sports Club – they have multiple pools, great childcare, racket ball, and a lot of other great amenities
• Remlinger Farms is fun in the summer – I’ve only been there for events
• Kelsey Creek Farm is a fun one to walk around in the summer – they do events but I’ve never been to one
• Our boys are enjoying rock climbing now and Seattle Bouldering Project has a great kid area