Looking out over the modern yachts in the Shilshole Bay Marina is this magnificent statue of the Icelandic explorer and 'discoverer' of America, Leif Erikson, surrounded by a stone circle. The statue is an important reminder of Seattle's (and Ballard's) Nordic heritage: the city claims more Icelandic Americans than anywhere else in the US.
Leif Erikson Statue
Ballard & Discovery Park
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
5.74 MILES
A cavalcade of noise, smells, personalities, banter and urban theater sprinkled liberally around a spatially challenged waterside strip, Pike Place Market…
4.83 MILES
The Museum of Pop Culture (formerly EMP, the "Experience Music Project") is an inspired marriage between super-modern architecture and legendary rock-and…
12.24 MILES
Even people with absolutely no interest in aviation have been known to blink in astonishment at Seattle's Museum of Flight, which takes visitors on a…
1.47 MILES
Hard to beat on a sunny spring day, this former military installation has been transformed into a wild coastal park, laced with walking trails and…
4.97 MILES
This ingenious feat of urban planning is an offshoot of the Seattle Art Museum and it bears the same strong eye for design and curation. There are dozens…
4.81 MILES
Opened in 2012 and reinforcing Seattle’s position as a leading city of the arts, this exquisite exposition of the life and work of dynamic local sculptor…
4.83 MILES
This streamlined, modern-before-its-time tower built for the 1962 World’s Fair has been the city’s defining symbol for more than 50 years. The needle…
0.98 MILES
Seattle shimmers like an impressionist painting on sunny days at the Hiram M Chittenden Locks. Here, the fresh waters of Lake Washington and Lake Union…
Nearby Ballard & Discovery Park attractions
0.06 MILES
The Shilshole Bay Marina, about 2 miles northwest of the Hiram M Chittenden Locks along Seaview Ave NW, offers pleasant views across Puget Sound framed by…
0.41 MILES
Rising above Golden Gardens on 34th Ave is sinuous Sunset Hill Park, a prime perch for dramatic sunsets and long views.
0.74 MILES
Golden Gardens Park, established in 1904 by Harry W Treat, is a lovely 95-acre beach park with sandy beaches north of Shilshole Bay Marina. There are…
4. Hiram M Chittenden Locks Visitor Center
0.95 MILES
In Carl English Jr Botanical Gardens on the north side of Hiram M Chittenden Locks is this visitor center containing a small museum documenting the…
5. Carl English Jr Botanical Gardens
0.98 MILES
On the northern bank of Hiram M Chittenden Locks is this charming arboretum and specimen garden. Trails wind through gardens filled with flowers and…
6. Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center
0.98 MILES
Inside Discovery Park you'll find this cultural center that displays a permanent collection of Native American artwork, special exhibitions and hosts…
0.98 MILES
Reason alone to come to Ballard – if the culinary scene and waterside parks weren’t enough – is this delightful surprise of a museum dedicated to Nordic…
0.98 MILES
Seattle shimmers like an impressionist painting on sunny days at the Hiram M Chittenden Locks. Here, the fresh waters of Lake Washington and Lake Union…