Stroll a few minutes on foot to the Museum of Pop Culture, known as MOPOP, where exhibits span music, film, fashion, gaming, sci-fi and fantasy, with a focus on Seattle musicians and grunge. Music-curious kids can head to the Sound Lab and try real instruments in recording studio spaces.
Nearby, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center explains how the foundation approaches inequality in health, education and economics. Prompts posted around the exhibits ask what you would do with a foundation of your own, a question that can spark good conversations with older kids.
Let Them Play: The Fountain and Playground
The International Fountain is a bowl-shaped spray area that works as both a splash zone and a choreographed water show. Close by, the Artists at Play playground offers slides, swings, rope courses and merry-go-rounds. Both make easy places for small kids to burn off energy between indoor stops.
Museums and Theater Made for Kids
Right beside the fountain and playground, the Seattle Children's Museum invites kids to sculpt with clay or build a castle, and children under three get a separate space with a fish tank and a small slide. Catch a show at Seattle Children's Theatre, which stages original productions and adaptations of children's books, plus summer programs featuring student performances of familiar stories.
At the Pacific Science Center, gravity, space and dinosaurs become hands-on activities. Wander the butterfly garden, then settle in at the largest IMAX screen in Washington state.
Family Friendly Things to Do in Seattle by Age
The city's visitor bureau suggests planning around the ages in your group. Here is how the options sort out, with a few standouts for each stage.
Toddlers and Preschoolers
Beyond Seattle Center, head to Carkeek Park in North Seattle, known for its salmon-shaped slides. Pair it with the fountain and the Children's Museum for several low-key outings that suit short attention spans.
Elementary-Age Kids
Animals and hands-on science usually win at this age, and the aquarium and zoo, covered below, are top picks. Down on the waterfront, browse Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe, famous for oddities such as shrunken heads and a four-legged chicken, then grab ice cream nearby at Seattle Bay Creamery.
Tweens
Flip the flippers at the Seattle Pinball Museum, home to more than 50 playable machines, some dating to the 1930s, with free play included in admission. Mox Boarding House combines board games with burgers, and inside Pike Place Market, Golden Age Collectables sells vintage toys and rare comics.
For time outdoors, bike the car-free Burke-Gilman Trail, a scenic ride that passes spots like the Fremont Vintage Mall and the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard.
Teens
Sports fans can catch baseball at T-Mobile Park or soccer at Lumen Field. Active teens might rent a kayak or paddle board on Lake Union through Moss Bay Kayak, or learn climbing technique at Seattle Bouldering Project. Comic and graphic novel readers will want to visit Fantagraphics in Georgetown.
A free TeenTix pass gets teens discounted day-of-show tickets, listed at $5, at more than 100 partner arts groups around Puget Sound. Check the program's terms before you go, since details can change.
Meet the Animals, From Octopus to Arctic Foxes
Seattle Aquarium
Walk roughly five minutes from Pike Place Market to the Seattle Aquarium on Pier 59, which cares for more than 10,000 animals, including otters, seahorses and a giant Pacific octopus. The newer Ocean Pavilion holds a 360,000-gallon tank of Indo-Pacific species such as leopard sharks and spotted eagle rays, and you can see some of it from outside the building.
Woodland Park Zoo
Up in Phinney Ridge, Woodland Park Zoo puts a strong emphasis on conservation. Kids can get up close to arctic foxes, spectacled owls and boa constrictors.
Wildlife on the Water
Orcas, gray whales, humpback whales and other marine life call Puget Sound home, which makes whale watching a popular family excursion. Sightings are never guaranteed: one student group on an hour-long harbor tour saw no orcas but still enjoyed the city views and a look at Mount Rainier.
Explore Beaches, Tide Pools and Free Sunsets
Puget Sound is usually too cold for swimming, while the lakes tend to be a little warmer for a dip. The beaches still shine for relaxing, kayaking and tide-pooling, a favorite local pastime, and low tide can reveal anemones, sea urchins and other small sea creatures.
For a free evening outing, head to the waterfront near sunset. The Olympic Mountains across the Sound can light up with color, and visitors have spotted sea stars and sea lions from the docks.
More Museums for a Rainy Afternoon
When the weather turns, Seattle has a deep bench of museums to fall back on. These suit curious kids and older teens especially well.
- Burke Museum: fossils, Northwest Native art, and plant and animal collections.
- The Museum of Flight: aviation history and innovation.
- Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI): the region's story of invention, told through interactive displays.
- Seattle Art Museum: a global collection of more than 25,000 works.
- Frye Art Museum: a smaller collection spanning 19th-century, modern and contemporary art.
- Wing Luke Museum: Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander history and culture.
- National Nordic Museum: Northern European history, art and culture.
