Showing 1-12 of 12 results
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Danny Woo International District Community Gardens
The Danny Woo International District Community Gardens are a 1.5-acre plot reserved for about 120 older and low-income International District residents, who grow a profusion of vegetables and fruit trees. Visitors can wander along the gravel paths and admire both the tidy gardens and the Seattle skyline, as well as good views of Elliott Bay. Unfortunately, while you take in the view you'll have about 17 lanes of I-5 traffic right at your back.
Read more about Danny Woo International District Community Gardens
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Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center
In 1977, Native American groups laid claim to the land in this area, and 7 hectares (17 acres) of parkland were decreed Native American land on which now stands the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, a community center for local Native Americans. Discovery Park has over 11km (7mi) of hiking trails, several of which lead to the Daybreak Star Center. Except for a small art gallery, there are few facilities for outside visitors.
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Fishermen's Terminal
Seattle's fishing fleet resides at Fishermen's Terminal, in a wide recess in the ship canal called Salmon Bay on the south side of the Ballard Bridge. Fishermen's Terminal is a popular moorage spot because the facility is in freshwater, above the Chittenden Locks. Freshwater is much less corrosive to boats than saltwater.
It's great fun to wander the piers, watching crews unload their catch, clean boats and repair nets.
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Gas Works Park
Urban reclamation has no greater monument in Seattle than Gas Works Park. The former power station here produced gas for heating and lighting from 1906 to 1956. The gas works was thereafter understandably considered an eyesore and an environmental menace. But the park's beautiful location - with stellar views of downtown over Lake Union - induced the city government to convert the former industrial site into a public park in 1975.
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Golden Gardens Park
Golden Gardens Park, established in 1904 by Harry W Treat, is a lovely 38 hectare (95-acre) beach park with sandy beaches. There are picnic facilities, restrooms, basketball hoops, volleyball nets, gangs of Canadian geese, lots of parking and plenty of space to get away from all the activity. Rising above Golden Gardens is Sunset Hill Park (NW 77th St and 34th Ave), a prime perch for dramatic sunsets and long views.
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Kerry Park
This is where to go if you want to get postcard-perfect photos of the Seattle skyline, Mt Rainier and the Space Needle. Kerry Park, along the stroll-friendly and prestigious Highland Drive, has one of the best views in town. It's a magical vista, especially at night or sunset. Going a little further along W Highland Dr will take you to the lesser-known Betty Bowen Park, an excellent spot for views across Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains.
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Klondike Gold Rush National Park
Seattle's seminal position as the outfitting and transportation hub for the Alaskan and Yukon Gold Rush is recognized at Klondike Gold Rush National Park, one of the USA's few indoor national historical parks. Exhibits, photos and news clippings give an idea of how much gear, food and true grit were necessary to stake a claim in the Klondike. Gold panning is demonstrated by park rangers, and you can view a slide presentation about the gold rush.
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Louisa Boren Lookout
Just outside the Volunteer Park boundaries, the Louisa Boren Lookout provides one of the best views over the university and Union Bay. The small park is named after the longest-surviving member of the party that founded Seattle in 1851.
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Olympic Sculpture Park
Hovering over train tracks in an unlikely oasis between the water and busy Elliott Ave is the brand-new, 3.5-hectare (8.5-acre), 85-million-dollar Olympic Sculpture Park. Worth a visit just for its views of the Olympic Mountains over Elliott Bay, it's still in that awkward youthful phase - many of the planned vegetation has yet to fill in, etc - but it has a lot of potential.
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Shilshole Bay Marina
The Shilshole Bay Marina, just over 3km (2mi) west of the locks along Seaview Ave, offers nice views across Puget Sound and, as Seattle's primary sailboat moorage, a glittery collection of boats. Inside the marina, you can rent sailboats or take classes at Windworks.
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Victor Steinbrueck Park
When you've had enough of the market and its crowds, wander out the end of the North Arcade and cross Western Ave to Victor Steinbrueck Park, a grassy area designed in 1982 by Steinbrueck and Richard Haag. You'll find benches, a couple of totem poles designed by Quinault tribe member Marvin Oliver, a few shuffling vagrants and great views over the Waterfront and Elliott Bay. Rallies and political demonstrations are often held here.
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Woodland Park Zoo
In Woodland Park, up the hill from Green Lake Park, the Woodland Park Zoo is one of Seattle's greatest tourist attractions, consistently rated as one of the top 10 zoos in the country. It was one of the first in the nation to free animals from their restrictive cages in favor of ecosystem enclosures, where animals from similar environments share large spaces designed to replicate their natural surroundings.
Showing 1-12 of 12 results
