Eastside Activities
We hear from PEPS families about their favorite Eastside fun spots – and the Eastside, with all its cities, communities and neighborhoods there is a lot of fun! Here are some activities for parents and babies on the Eastside. Let us know your favorite place for babies and tots at peps@peps.org.
Animals
- Cougar Mountain Zoo - lemurs and cougars and reindeer and more
- Farrel-McWhirter Riding School – Redmond Parks & Recreation operate year-found horseback riding instruction (or tots over age 2 and half and camps for older kids. Many other facilities on the Eastside offer riding classes and camps.
- Fox Hollow Farm - has events and activities with animals
- Kelsey Creek Farm - owned by the City of Bellevue and operated by the Parks and Community Services Department, this park is open to the public and also offers camps and events
- Issaquah Salmon Hatchery - see exhibits and salmon at the hatchery
- Meadowbrook Farm
Beaches
Biking
- Cascade Bicycle Club Family info
- EvergreenHealth offers bike helmet safety in conjunction with Safe Kids Eastside
- Pedalheads, Bellevue locations - offers bike classes for toddlers
- Sammamish River Trail
- TrailLink from Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has rated paths in our state with helpful details on difficulty and riding surface
- WSDOT has Washington State bike maps
Classes
Many of the activities listed on this page also offer classes for kids – such as all the city recreation guides (in the Parks section below), which offer many reasonably priced classes for all ages.
Classes are a great way to connect with other parents and kids, do something fun with your child, pursue a passion of yours or your child, develop specific skills or to learn something new!
- Cooperative Preschools
- Gotta Dance, Redmond
- Itsy Bitsy Yoga at Blossoming Yogis
- Kindermusik - search for one near you
- The Musik Nest, Issaquah
- Messy Hands Studio, Woodinville
- Northshore Cooperative Preschool
- Northwest Aerials, Kirkland - Wiggle Worms class for walking – 35 months
- ParentMap Classes & Activities - classes category
- ParentMap Camps & Classes directory - or search by keyword for directory listings
- Play-Well Northwest Activity Center, Kirkland – LEGO and engineering play
- Redmond Coop Preschool
- Redmond Toddler Group
- Seattle’s Child has a directory of classes and camps for kids
- Sunshine Music Together
- Woodinville Coop Preschool
- Woodinville Toddler Group
Consignment
- CruzinKidz, Woodinville
- Forget Me Not Consignments, Juanita
- Majesty Shop, Redmond
- Revolve Consignment, Issaquah
- Small Threads, Issaquah
- TB Consign, Duvall
Farmer’s Markets
Babies and toddlers can learn so much at a farmers market, including colors and all their fruits and veggies.
- Bellevue
- Carnation
- Crossroads
- Duvall
- Issaquah
- Mercer Island
- Kirkland
- Redmond
- Sammamish
- Si Valley
- Woodinville
Headed out of town? Find more markets in Washington at the State Farmers Market Association.
Gardens
See also Parks and the Walks sections for more nature.
- Bellevue Botanical Garden
- Bellevue Demonstration Garden, Master Gardeners
- Cedar River Watershed Education Center - operated by the Seattle Public Utilities has nature walks, story time and events for all ages like Wondering about Wildlife
Hiking & Walks
- Bellevue Trails
- Hike It Baby has local groups and opportunities
- Redmond Trails
- Sammamish Walks - blog and resources for walks in Sammamish
- Snoqualmie Trails
- Yarrow Bay Wetlands
- Trails in King County Parks is a great resource for the trails that connect our region, including urban, suburban and back country trails
- Trails.com has a searchable map of hikes
- Woodinville Public Art Walk
Where is your favorite walk on the Eastside? Let us know at peps@peps.org. (See also the Parks section below.)
Indoor Play
Most drop-in play spaces have a fee. Check age limits and other details.
- Advantage Gymnastics Academy, Woodinville - check for free baby gym class
- Adventure Kids Playcare, Bellevue and Issaquah locations – drop-in care
- Bellevue Community Centers in Crossroads, Highland, North Bellevue and South Bellevue - check for parent and tot drop in play
- Bellevue Mall play area, free
- Funtastic Playtorium, Factoria
- Giggle Jungle, Redmond Town Center
- Great Play Interactive Gym for Kids , Redmond
- Issaquah Community Center - open play times available
- KidzBounce, Issaquah
- The Nest, Woodinville
- North Kirkland Community Center, Kirkland – drop-in playground
- Pump It Up, Kirkland
- Redmond Parks - open play times available
- Sno-Valley Indoor Playground, Snoqualmie
- Wiggleworks, Bellevue
Museums
Museums can be a time to wander in a beautiful space or to learn something new or both. Check out free days at museums, too. When possible, links are to family or kid-related programs and info.
- Bellevue Arts Museum
- Eastside Heritage Center
- Issaquah History Museums - including the Issaquah Trolley and Depot, and the Town Hall with 2-cell concrete jail
- KidsQuest Children’s Museum
- Kirkland Arts Center - with activities for families and kids
- Northwest Railway Museum - including Thomas & Friends
Want more museums? Wikipedia has a list of museums in Washington State.
Parks & Playgrounds
The Eastside has parks and nature in abundance, drawing visitors from all over the region to enjoy the outdoors. There are so many great parks – what’s your favorite? Tell us at peps@peps.org.
- Bellevue Downtown Park
- Bellevue Parks
- Bothell Parks
- Bridle Trails State Park - parking pass required
- Carnation Parks
- City of Medina Parks
- Duvall Parks
- Google Park on the Cross Kirkland Corridor
- Kenmore Parks
- Kirkland Parks
- Issaquah Parks
- Lake Sammamish State Park - trails, biking, swimming, large popular playground at this state park; parking pass required
- Lewis Creek Park, Bellevue
- Marymoor Regional Park
- Mercer Island Parks
- Newcastle Beach Park - beach, playground and more
- Newcastle Parks and list of Historical Monuments
- North Bend Parks
- Redmond Parks
- St. Edwards State Park - trails, biking, large popular playground at this state park; parking pass required
- Sammamish Parks
- Squak Mountain State Park - parking pass required
- Snoqualmie Parks
- Wetherill Nature Preserve
- Woodinville Parks
Recreation Guides
Many cities on the Eastside have great classes for babies, tots, kids and parents! Most will allow non-residents to take classes as well – so look around and find a birding walk, rock hunts for kids, pottery classes and camps of all kinds. These pages often link to pdf versions of the guides.
- Bellevue
- Bothell
- Kirkland
- Issaquah
- Mercer Island
- Redmond
- Sammamish
- Si View
- King County - online info, but also check out their seasonal guides to programs and classes
Story Times
The King County Library System serves all of the Eastside, with the exception of Yarrow Point and Hunts Point. Story times at libraries are open to all, whether you have a library card or live in the neighborhood or not. Story time is a great free outing with babies. They will often include a short arts & crafts activity. Try different libraries for fun, or seek out story time in a second language you speak at home.
Other story time opportunities:
- Barnes and Noble store-locator - locations include Bellevue, Crossroads, Issaquah, and Woodinville, with story times for kids and babies
- Island Books - Mercer Island
- University Bookstore at Bellevue
Swimming
Summer or winter, babies love water! Check for parent/baby classes or swim/play schedules.
Public Pools
- Bellevue Aquatic Center – Bellevue, indoor
- Julius Boehm Pool – Kirkland, indoor, reopening in summer 2015
- Peter Kirk Pool - Kirkland, outdoor
- Mary Wayte Pool - Mercer Island, indoor
- Redmond Pool - Redmond, indoor
- Si View Aquatics
Private Pools
- 7Cs Swim School
- Angelfish Swimming
- Bellevue YMCA
- Northshore YMCA
- Sammamish YMCA
- Sunsational Swim School
- Tiger Mountain Aquatics
- Waterbabies
- Wave Swim School
Private pools are often non-profit membership clubs that provide lessons and recreational swimming, as well as youth swim teams. They may be indoor, outdoor, or both, and may offer wading pools for tots and lake swimming as well.
On the Eastside, some of these neighborhood private pools include Aqua Club, Bellevue Club, Cascade Swim Edgebrook Swim and Tennis, Fairwood Gold and Country Club, Gold Creek, High Woodlands, Juantica aqauticsKingsgate, Klahanie, Mercer Island Beach Club, Mercer Island Country Club, Mercerwood Shore Club, Newport Hills Swim and Tennis, Newport Yacht Club, Norwood Swim Club, Overlakte Golf and Contry Club, Phantom Lake Bath and Tennis, Sammamish Club, Samena Swim, Somerset Rec Club, Strattonwood, Tam o’Shanter Gold and Country Club, TCP Snoqualmie Ridge, Triangle Pool, Woodridge Swim Club.
Athletic clubs such as Gold’s Gym, Columbia Athletic Club and Pro Club also often have pools for members. Stroum Jewish Community Center also has an aquatics program and a location on Mercer Island.
Water Play
- Crossroads Park - Bellevue
- Sammamish Commons - Sammamish
Other Fun Outings
- Camlan Medieval Village in Carnation has feasts and festivals
- Meadowbrook Farm
- Remlinger Farms
- Stop by the pet store and watch the fish
Document Actions