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Seattle Activities

Seattle is full of fun for babies and toddlers, kids and adults. But until you become a parent, you might not know where all the cool places are until you try one. Inspired by the success of our Snohomish County Activities page, we’ve added more info for parents in Seattle. 

Animals

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    Beaches

    Seattle Parks and Recreation has a beach listing with info on lifeguards and swim lessons. Find Green Lake, Madison Park, Madrona Park, Matthews Beach Park, Mount Baker Park, Pritchard Island Beach, Seward Park and Magnuson Park beaches.

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    Biking

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    Classes

    Many of the activities listed on this page also offer classes for kids. 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's, develop specific skills or learn something new.

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      Consignment

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        Farmer’s Markets

        Babies and toddlers can learn so much at a farmers market, including colors and all their fruits and veggies.

        Headed out of town? Find more markets in Washington at the State Farmers Market Association.

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        Gardens

        See also Parks and the Walks sections for more ways to experience nature.

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          Indoor Play

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            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 and free museum passes you can print from your public library. Where possible, links are to family or kid-related programs and info.

            Want more museums? Wikipedia has a list of museums in Washington State.

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            Parks & Playgrounds

            Seattle has more than 400 parks and open spaces, large and small – even over the freeway!

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              Recreation Guides

              And surrounding areas have great guides too:

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                Research

                The Early Childhood Cognition Lab at the University of Washington conducts studies on infants and how they develop an understanding of the social world. They investigate the development of early social and moral cognition and behavior. Some of the topics focused on may include sharing, fairness and reciprocity. Parents and their children are invited to the lab for short, child-friendly studies that may use looking tasks and interactive tasks in which infants’ and children’s behavior is measured, and physiological responses (such as pupil dilation) and brain responses (e.g., EEG). Find out more about their research and ways to participate on their website.

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                Story Times

                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.  Seattle Public Library has specific story times for babies, toddlers, preschoolers and even pajama story time! Try different libraries for fun, or seek out story time in a second language you speak at home. Other play activities, crafts and summer events are hosted at SPL too.

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                  Swimming

                  Summer or winter, babies love water! Check for parent/baby classes or swim/play schedules.

                  Public Pools

                  Private Pools

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                    Walks & Hikes

                    See also the Parks section for more great places to walk.

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                      Wading Pools and Sprayparks

                      Call it a feature, a pad, a park, a pool – places that spray water to cool you down.

                      • Check opening days and details for Seattle Wading Pools and Sprayparks,- including Beacon Hill Playground Wading Pool, Beacon Mountain Spraypark, Bitter Lake Playfield Wading Pool, Cal Anderson Park Wading Pool, Dahl Playfield Wading Pool, Delridge Playfield Wading Pool, East Queen Anne Playground Wading Pool, E.C. Hughes Playground Wading Pool, Georgetown Playfield Spraypark, Gilman Playground Wading Pool, Green Lake Park Wading Pool, Hiawatha Playfield Wading Pool, Highland Park Playground Spraypark, John C. Little, Sr. Spraypark, Judkins Spraypark, Lake Union Spraypark, Lincoln Park Wading Pool, Magnuson Park Wading Pool, Miller Playfield Spraypark, Northacres Spraypark, Peppi's Playground Wading Pool, Powell Barnett Wading Pool, Soundview Playfield Wading Pool, South Park Playground Wading Pool, Van Asselt Playground Wading Pool, View Ridge Playfield Wading Pool, Volunteer Park Wading Pool, Wallingford Playfield Wading Pool.

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                        Other Fun Outings

                        • Ballard Locks - so much to do here with little ones, including watching the boats and locks, exploring the grounds and garden, seeing the fish ladder, and running up and down those wavey hills
                        • University Village – shopping and restaurants and plenty of outdoor seating, plus a small playground, fountains and sculptures in this outdoor mall
                        • UW Quad Cherry Trees - a beautiful springtime tradition in Seattle

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