8 Best Sights in Seattle, Washington

You won't find more spectacular views of Puget Sound, the Cascades, and the Olympics. Located on Magnolia Bluff, northwest of Downtown, Seattle's largest park covers 534 acres and has an amazing variety of terrain: shaded, secluded forest trails lead to meadows, saltwater beaches, sand dunes, a lighthouse, and two miles of protected beaches. The North Beach Trail, which takes you along the shore to the lighthouse, is a must-see. Head to the South Bluff Trail to get a view of Mt. Rainier. The park has several entrances—if you want to stop at the visitor center to pick up a trail map before exploring, use the main entrance at Government Way. The North Parking Lot is much closer to the North Beach Trail and to Ballard and Fremont, if you're coming from that direction. First-come, first-served beach parking passes for the disabled, elderly, and families with small children are available at the Learning Center. Note that the park is easily reached from Ballard and Fremont. It's easier to combine a park day with an exploration of those neighborhoods than with a busy Downtown itinerary.

This beautiful 342-acre park is a favorite of Seattleites, who jog, bike, and walk their dogs along the 2½-mile paved path that surrounds the lake. Beaches on both the east and west sides (around 72nd Street) have swimming rafts. Canoes, kayaks, and paddleboats can be rented (seasonally) at Green Lake Boat Rental on the eastern side of the lake. There are also basketball and tennis courts and baseball and soccer fields. A first-rate play area includes a giant sandbox, swings, slides, and all the climbing equipment a child could ever dream of—and the wading pool is a perfect spot for tots to cool off (in summer, when the temp is above 70 degrees). The park is generally packed, especially on weekends. And you'd better love dogs: the canine-to-human ratio here is just about even. Surrounding the park are lovely homes, plus a few compact commercial districts where you can grab snacks or dinner after your walk.

Adjacent to the Northwest African American Museum, Jimi Hendrix Park pays homage to one of the Central District's most famous sons. The 2½-acre park features walking paths, landscaping, interpretative signs about Hendrix's legacy, and a colorful 100-foot-long outdoor public art piece called the Shadow Wave Wall. The sculpture, which consists of undulating sections of gray and purple metal with cut-out designs, has a huge mural of the musical icon engraved at the center. A short walk from the park, the under-construction Judkins Park Station also features two large-scale public artworks of a teen Jimi Hendrix. The light rail station, the only Seattle stop on the new East Link light rail line that will connect Seattle to Bellevue and Redmond, is slated to open in winter 2024.

Follow pathways adorned by Mt. Fuji trees at this lovely hillside pocket park. The trees and a 200-year-old stone lantern were donated by Seattle's sister city of Kobe, Japan. Despite being so close to I–5, the terrace is a peaceful place to stroll and enjoy views of the city, the water, and, if you're lucky, Mt. Rainier; a few benches line the gravel paths. The herb gardens you see are part of the Danny Woo Community Gardens, tended to by neighborhood residents. Across the street from the park is the historic Panama Hotel, featured in the novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. Artifacts from the days of Japanese internment are on display, including a window on the floor showing a basement storage space containing a time capsule of unclaimed belongings.

This 12-acre green space along Lake Union's southern shore includes a model boat pond, a boardwalk, a beach where you can launch small craft like kayaks and rowboats to paddle past the houseboats, a spray area for little kids, plus the Museum of History & Industry and the Center for Wooden Boats. Several historic ships sit in the dock, and cruise options also depart from the park. A 45-minute narrated Ice Cream Cruise on the Seattle mini ferry is a family favorite on Sundays year-round (on the hour from 11 to 5; $15), with additional Saturday sailings in summer.

It's not just famous for the Marymoor Velodrome, the Pacific Northwest's sole cycling arena. This 640-acre park also has a 35-foot-high climbing rock, game fields, tennis courts, a model airplane launching area, a huge off-leash dog park, and the Pea Patch community garden. You can row on Lake Sammamish or head straight to the picnic grounds or to the Willowmoor Farm, an estate inside the park. Evenings bring Cirque du Soleil shows, concerts by top bands, and drive-in movies.

Marymoor has some of the best bird-watching in this largely urban area. It's possible to spot some 24 resident species, including great blue herons, belted kingfishers, buffleheads, short-eared and barn owls, and red-tailed hawks. Occasionally, bald eagles soar past the lakefront. The Sammamish River, which flows through the western section of the park, is an important salmon spawning stream.

Ambitious bikers can follow the Burke-Gilman Sammamish River Trail to access the park; Marymoor is just over 20 miles from Seattle, and it's a flat ride most of the way.

Seward Park, about 15 minutes from the C.D., is a relatively undiscovered gem on the shores of Lake Washington. The 300-acre park includes trails through old-growth forest, mountain views, eagles' nests, a 2½-mile biking and walking path, a native plant garden, art studio, and a small swimming beach. For an informative self-guided tour of the park, available as a printable PDF, visit  www.seattleolmsted.org/self-guided-tours. Turn your park visit into a bike tour on select summer weekends for Bicycle Weekends, when Lake Washington Boulevard (south of Mount Baker Beach to the entrance of Seward Park) is closed to motorized traffic from Friday evening to Monday morning. Check www.parkways.seattle.gov.

Also called Sand Point–Magnuson Park, this 350-acre park northeast of the University District was once an active naval air base. Evidence of the park's roots are on full display, with barracks and hangars in various stages of use and upkeep. Keep your focus on the areas toward the lake, as the paved trails are wonderful for cycling, jogging, or pushing a stroller. Leashed dogs are welcome on the trails and a gigantic off-leash area includes one of the few public beaches where pooches can swim. Farther south, on the mile-long shore, there's a swimming beach, a seasonal wading pool, and a boat launch. Innovative art is threaded through the grounds, including Fin Art (made from submarine fins, on Kite Hill) and Straight Shot (which allows visitors to experience what a surveyor does). A fabulous playground engages little ones near the north end.

Various community organizations and non-profits fill the buildings. Arena Sports is an indoor soccer facility which offers an inflatable play area for children, and Sail Sand Point rents sailboats, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards in summer.