The Best Sight in Ballard, Seattle

Also known as "Ballard Locks," these are an important passage in the 8-mile Lake Washington Ship Canal that connects Puget Sound to freshwater Lake Washington. Every year, tens of thousands of vessels, from kayaks to yachts to commercial ships, pass through the two locks. The main reason for visiting here is to see them in operation, draining and refilling like giant bathtubs. The visitor center has displays and videos and offers free tours May through September at 2 pm on days when the center is open.

The adjacent 7-acre Carl S. English Botanical Gardens are a lovely place to picnic or just relax. Various musical performances, from jazz bands to chamber music, serenade visitors on summer weekends. And you can watch determined salmon climbing a 21-step fish ladder en route to their freshwater spawning grounds. (You won't be alone; look for seals in the water and herons in the trees, all hoping for a salmon meal.)