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> Go Out & Play

A local mom’s guide to keeping kids busy—
and happy—in Seattle

SURE, SEATTLE’S GOT A REPUTATION for rain. But it also offers families an endless amount of ignore-the-forecast fun. With outdoor highs of 75 degrees in July and lows of 45 degrees in December, families almost never have to brave bone-chilling or spirit-withering temperatures. And as for rain showers … well, they often pass as quickly as a toddler’s temper tantrum.

When I have friends visiting with their little ones, I tell them to ignore the received wisdom and pack sunglasses. Locals know that summer and early fall practically guarantee dazzling sunshine, and with golden rays regularly poking through even during the cloudier seasons, the city offers year-round indoor and outdoor fun. From award-winning museums and cozy, kid-friendly coffee shops to cool zoos and island escapes, these are places I not only recommend to other families, but also use to entertain my own kiddos.

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1. PIKE PLACE MARKET:

Not Your Average Grocery Store

ALMOST EVERY VISITOR to Seattle makes a beeline for Pike Place Market (206-622-6198; www.pikeplacemarket.org), but Seattle’s famous stalls of fish, produce, and handmade crafts are a wholly different experience for waist-high wanderers. At the Market’s main entrance, at the corner of Pike Street and Pike Place, my kids climb up on Rachel, the golden pig. We always know the buskers who are performing right next to Rachel, and the kids love throwing a dollar into a guitar case or asking a balloon maestro to create an animal for them.

Nearby, the employees at Pike Place Fish (206-682-7181; www.pikeplacefish.com) sling fishy tricks at unsuspecting marketgoers. In the street-level arcades, vendors call out, “Freshest peaches!” and provide samples to back up their claims—particularly to kids who say “please.” Local veggies also abound up here, and I’m always surprised at what my kids will try, especially considering how defiantly they stare down their broccoli stalks at home.

On rainy days, the underground market’s the best place to roam. A labyrinth of narrow alleyways and shops, these halls are said to harbor ghosts. But my little ones and I enjoy how it feels full of history and dangerously delicious. Speaking of yummy, Sweetie’s Candy (206- 467-4587) offers lollipops and sours for every kid’s sweet tooth. Other kid-friendly shops in the Market include the Great Wind-Up (roll-ing, chattering, and waddling wind-up toys; 206-621-9370; www.greatwindup.com), Market Magic (gross-out gags and deft tricks; 206-624-4271), and Golden Age Collectables (collectible and contemporary comics; 206-622- 9799; www.goldenagecollectables.com).

Picky eaters love the more than 50 restaurants and cafés in the Market; they turn lunch into an international buffet. Our family tip: Give the kids five dollars and let them make their own meal, whether a gyro or a humbow. (The only downside is when they come back with ice cream—and another ice cream for dessert.)

And there’s one last must-do for kids at the Market—visiting Post Alley’s bubblegum wall. This disgusting, intriguing brick wall is covered with layers of ABC (already-been-chewed) gum, dried into a decades-old rainbow of ridges. Ew. Or, as my kids say, “Cool!”

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2. BALLARD:

Babies, Boats and Boutiques

ONCE A HABITAT for only the saltiest Scandinavian fishermen, Seattle’s revitalized Ballard neighborhood now welcomes boys and girls in addition to buoys and gulls. About five miles northwest of downtown, it’s a neighborhood that celebrates children, with kid-friendly coffee shops, restaurants, and clothing stores.

Families from all over Seattle flock to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (3015 NW 54th St), where yachts, fishing vessels, and small cruise ships ply the route between salty Puget Sound and freshwater Lake Washington. Salmon use the Locks as a way to move upstream during their annual run, and kids love watching coho climb the fish ladders from the Locks’ underwater viewing area.

“You never know what you’ll see,” says Leah Adams, Seattle mom to Sophie, 7, and Owen, 5, of visiting the Locks. “It’s different every time we go. Sometimes we see salmon jumping straight out of the water or watch herons or seagulls land. Once we saw an orange-brown jellyfish with a body several feet wide.”

On summer Sundays, brass and marching bands keep time in the Locks’ picnic-perfect grassy spaces, and kids race through the rose gardens and trails. The best part? It’s all free, including the fresh, sea-scented air.

From the Locks, it’s only a short walk to Ballard’s stores and restaurants. My crew regularly sets up camp in the toy-strewn playroom at Firehouse Coffee (2622 NW Market St; 206- 784-2911), and I drink a half-caf double skinny latte (coffee with milk, for non-native Northwesterners). For high-quality merchandise and service, we head for Secret Garden Books (206-789-5006; www.secretgardenbooks.com), where a mini-rocking chair keeps little ones reading while we browse, and Clover Toys (206-782-0715; www.clovertoys.com), which stocks educational toys from around the world.

Ballard also knows how to set the dinner table when my family gets hungry. The train set at Snoose Junction Pizzeria (206-789-2305; www.snoosejunctionpizzeria.com) provides the perfect diversion while we’re waiting for our pie. For family-style menus (also known as “that’s one big platter of food”), kids’ menus and crayons, or innovative breakfasts, we love the authentic 1911 neighborhood firehouse that has been transformed into the Hi-Life (206-784-7272; www.chowfoods.com/hilife).

On rainy days, many Ballardites head for the Majestic Bay Theatre (206-781-2229; www.majesticbay.com), which shows first-run flicks next to coffee mainstay Cupcake Royale (206-782-9557; www.cupcakeroyale.com).

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3. SEATTLE CENTER:

No-Stress Smarts

JUST A MONORAIL RIDE away from the heart of downtown, Seattle Center (206-684-7200; www.seattlecenter.com) is a 74-acre emporium of educational amusement and amusing education. It’s home to many of the city’s kidfriendly attractions—the Pacific Science Center, the Children’s Museum, and EMP|SFM—all sheltered beneath the iconic, 605-foot-tall Space Needle.

Carrie Yandell, mother to Nathan, 3, and Levi, 4 months, says Nathan loves the Space Needle (206-905-2100; www.spaceneedle.com). “He thought he was in a spaceship,” she says. Not even the most sugar-amped kid can see all of Seattle Center’s sights in one day, so I tell fellow parents to plan an outing appropriate for the child’s age.

For example, babies through preschoolers go wild over the Children’s Museum (206- 441-1768; www.thechildrensmuseum.org). My toddler enjoys kicking back in a tatami-lined living room, producing a lightning-lit and thunder-enhanced play, serving up a plastic- taco feast in the Mexican restaurant, and assembling a deli sandwich (mmm, that’s good felt!) in the new-in-2008 mini-grocery. It looks like someone might be a chef when he grows up. Or maybe a weatherman.

The Pacific Science Center (206-443-2001; www.pacsci.org) is great for introducing children ages 6 to 12 to inquiry and discovery. But this is far from Mr. McBoring’s ninth-grade biology class: Animatronic dinos, Jersey-accented talking bugs, and naked mole rats do the teaching, and there’s no test afterward. In the butterfly exhibit, guides ask visitors to check their reflections in mirrors before they leave, to prevent the unwitting departure-by-piggyback of the hothouse room’s star attractions.

Music-savvy older kids and teens will get their kicks and guitar licks at the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum (877-367-7361; www.empsfm.org). The building’s design inspired a lot of debate—many Seattleites compare Frank O. Gehry’s striking building to wadded-up Christmas wrap—but the interior presents numerous opportunities for interactive excitement. Here, young rockers can pay homage to the Fender Stratocaster Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock, learn to play drums or piano in a (thankfully) soundproof room, or become a full-fledged lead singer in the “On Stage” activity, complete with smoke, stage lighting, and thousands of adoring fans.

Families with more time to explore can play “chicken” with the outdoors International Fountain (outfitted with more than 150 nozzles and jets), watch a play at Seattle Children’s Theatre (206-443-0807; www.sct.org), or catch Seattle’s women’s professional basketball team, the Seattle Storm (206-217-WNBA; www.wnba.com/storm) at KeyArena.

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4. THE MUSEUM OF FLIGHT:

Imagination in the Air

OUTSIDE THE MUSEUM of Flight (206-764- 5720; www.museumofflight.org), a statue tells a story: A boy intently examines his model plane, while a bird sits on his shoulder. Inside, the story continues, tracing humanity’s fascination with air travel from the Wright brothers to today’s space sojourns. One of the largest air and space museums in the world, this is a great place to help young imaginations take wing.

Located on Boeing Field, just minutes from downtown Seattle, the museum captivates kids of all ages with the perfect mix of history, science, and wonder. In the six-story-tall Great Gallery, dozens of full-size biplanes, jet fighters, and prop planes hang from the ceiling, while more aircraft are scattered across the floor. My kids love the “plane-car,” a hybrid dreamed up by someone who apparently wanted complete control over his itinerary.

The children’s area offers a hot-air-balloon basket, but I like to take high-flying kid crowds to the hands-on exhibits. Kids can take off in flight simulators, climb around a passenger jetliner (without riling fellow passengers), and descend into a sound-equipped fighter plane.

Julia Rudden’s two children, Kiera, 8, and Arwen, 5, love playing in the mock air traffic control tower. “You can listen to the pilots talking to one another,” Rudden says, “and flip a lot of switches.” In the museum’s “Space: Exploring the New Frontier” exhibit, children investigate where astronauts eat, sleep, and … go to the bathroom. After all, everybody poops, even astronauts.

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5. WOODLAND PARK ZOO:

A Walk in the Wild Side

AT THIS AWARD-WINNING, 92-acre animal kingdom, families feel as though they’re plunging into the wilds of Africa, Asia, and North America. The Woodland Park Zoo (206-548- 2550; www.zoo.org) displays more than 1,100 animals in a lush landscape of some 57,000 plants, trees, and shrubs, along with plenty of play spaces for kids.

In winter and on cool days, children of all ages love the zoo’s kid-designed Zoomazium. My toddler can crawl through a nurse log or reassemble a life-size bird egg, while my daughter can scramble up a rock wall, brave glass bridges, and climb the giant fig strangler tree (less menacing than the name implies).

Outdoors, only a glass wall separates curious primates from one another in the 14,000-square-foot gorilla habitat. It’s obvious that the animals feel right at home; families get an up-close view of the gorillas playing, eating, dozing, and, well, picking their noses. (Hey, it makes my kids laugh.) Several native Northwest species populate the “Northern Trail”: giant grizzlies splash and swim in an underwater viewing area, while otters and goats trip-trap across rocky peaks.

Once you and your brood emerge outside again, the zoo’s noises hoot and howl. Our family often plays “Name That Animal” as we hear a trumpet (elephant), a screech (siamang monkey), or a roar (lion).

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6. BAINBRIDGE ISLAND:

Small-Town Life

SEATTLE MAY HAVE it all, but when it comes to convenience, the big city can’t match Bainbridge Island’s tiny town of Winslow. There are no skyscrapers here, just low-slung storefronts showcasing a way of life focused on food, art, and culture, right down to the weekly Bainbridge Island Farmers Summer Market every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Town Square, April through October.

The M/V Puyallup at Pier 52 (888-808-7977; www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries) provides an easy, inexpensive 35-minute journey from downtown Seattle to Winslow. We always snag one of the passenger ferry’s comfortable, picturewindow booths, which are perfect for a game of “I Spy” during the cruise.

At the top of Winslow’s Madison Avenue, the Kids Discovery Museum (206-855-4650; www.kidimu.org) is a compact—but packed— building with rotating exhibits. Downstairs, a basement “theater” allows kids to rifle through costumes and play with props.

Right outside, Richie’s 305 Diner (305 Madison Ave N; 206-842-5786) serves up traditional American fare in a metallic, 1950s-era diner imported from New York State. For a quick meal on the go, That’s a Some Pizza (206-842- 2292; www.thatsasome.com) provides slices for the ferry ride back. For dessert, parents can turn the kids loose to sniff out favorites: cake at Blackbird Bakery (210 Winslow Way E; 206-780-1322), a flavorful cone at Mora Iced Creamery (206-855-8822; www.moraicecream.com), or more than 28 varieties of lickable licorice at Bon Bon Candies (206-780-0199; www.bonboncandies.com).

The boutique-lined streets are steep for little legs, so strollers are a must. Calico Cat Toys (206-842-7720; www.calicocattoys.com) stacks playthings from floor to ceiling and provides a free train table, and kids can cook up trouble in the wooden kitchen at Possum’s Boutique (206-780-0611; www.possumsboutique.com) while parents shop the store’s selection.

One of the hardest decisions about spending a day on Bainbridge may be figuring out when to leave. Sunset’s a spectacular time to return, with the golden light from the west reflecting off Seattle’s buildings; but evenings on the island are special too, as the city lights up with so many twinkling lights. Either way, you can’t go wrong—something you can say for all of Seattle’s kid-friendly places to play.

 

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