12 Best Sights in Seattle, Washington

Come here to get a dose of the PNW's wild beauty without leaving the city. Located on Magnolia Bluff, northwest of Downtown (and across the Chittenden Locks by foot from Ballard), 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 2 miles of protected beaches. The North Beach Trail, which takes you along the shore to the lighthouse, is a must, and the South Bluff Trail has views as far south as Mt. Rainier.

The park has several entrances. If you want to stop at the Learning 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, 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 it's easier to combine a park day with an exploration of Ballard or Fremont than with a busy Downtown itinerary.

Far from being an eyesore, the hulking remains of an old 1907 gas plant actually lend quirky character to the otherwise open, hilly, 20-acre park. Get a great view of Downtown Seattle while seaplanes rise up from the south shore of Lake Union; the best vantage point is from the zodiac sculpture at the top of the very steep Kite Hill, so be sure to wear appropriate walking shoes. This is a great spot for couples and families alike; the enormous and modern playground has rope climbing structures, a variety of swings, and a padded floor. Crowds throng to picnic and enjoy outdoor summer concerts, movies, and the July 4th fireworks display over Lake Union. Gas Works can easily be reached on foot from Fremont, via the waterfront Burke-Gilman Trail.

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 concerts by top bands ( www.marymoorlive.com), outdoor movies in the summer ( www.moviesatmarymoor.com), and Cirque du Soleil shows every two years.

Marymoor has some of the best bird-watching in this largely urban area. It's possible to spot some 30 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.

In Seattle’s extensive park system, Golden Gardens is one of two main beach destinations (along with Alki Beach in West Seattle). Chilly waters throughout the year make swimming more an act of bravery than a pleasure, but in summer people come here to play in the sand—strolling, sunbathing, picnicking, thumping volleyballs. The main attraction is the view west toward the Olympic mountain range, which draws crowds in the evening for the spectacular sunset. The park has drinking water, grills, picnic tables, firepits, a playground, restrooms, and a better-than-average snack shop. There’s also a wetland area with a short loop trail where you're likely to see turtles sunning themselves. There are two dedicated parking lots that fill up quickly on summer evenings and weekends.

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.

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 is the home of the Museum of History & Industry and the Center for Wooden Boats, and also has a model boat pond, a boardwalk, a small beach, and a spray area for kids. Its Historic Ships Wharf serves as the dock for several classic old boats that are sometimes open for tours, and sometimes go cruising.

Along the neighborhood's southwest edge, near the Fauntleroy ferry terminal, Lincoln Park sets acres of old forests, rocky beaches, waterfront trails, picnic tables, and a historic saltwater pool against views of Puget Sound. A renovated playground with a nautical theme at the south part of the park is a must-stop with kids. At the forested north end, there's also a wading pool, another playground, and kid-sized zip line. Since 2023, the park's beach has been home to a giant troll sculpture "Bruun Idun," made of recycled materials and one of six unique trolls in western Washington and Portland, Oregon by artist Thomas Dambo. It's a 15 minute walk from the south parking lot to see the 16-foot troll playing her flute for the orcas. Colman Pool is a Seattle landmark you won't want to miss in summer. The saltwater pool is located on the water toward the north end of the park. Public swims often sell out on nice days, so get there early.

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.

This 45-acre expanse, sitting at highest point of Capitol Hill, is Seattle's most elegant park. Famed landscape architects the Olmsted Brothers contributed to the 1904 design, and you can feel their influence in everything from the flowerbeds to the lily ponds to the old-school streetlights—and, more than anything, in the sweeping, carefully framed view to the west, which takes in the cityscape, Elliott Bay, and the Olympic Mountains. 

The park is a great place to stroll or jog, have a picnic, let the kids loose on the playground, or take in a summer concert at the amphitheater. For the fullest experience, plan on going into the park's three distinctive structures. The most prominent is the Seattle Asian Art Museum. Nearby, you can climb inside a 75-foot-tall brick water tower, dating from 1906. Views from its observation deck are even better than those from the ground. The third building, the Victorian-style Volunteer Park Conservatory, also merits an extended visit. Its magnificent collection of tropical plants is divided into five adjoining greenhouses: the Bromeliad House, the Palm House, the Fern House, the Seasonal Display House, and the Cactus House. If you're in Seattle on a dreary winter day, this is the place to go to beat the doldrums.

This 350-acre park three miles northeast of the University District is mainly used by locals, who come here to jog on the trails, launch boats onto Lake Washington, and let their dogs run free in Seattle’s largest off-leash area. Several unique characteristics can make it worth a visit. From the 1920s through the ‘70s, the park was a naval air base; if you’re interested in aeronautics history or architecture, check out the historic district, where the base’s art deco and Colonial Revival buildings from the ‘30s and ‘40s remain (now repurposed in various ways, including a roller derby arena). If you’re a dog lover, you can find joy watching happy pups swim at the off-leash dog beach. And grunge rock fans like to make a pilgrimage to the park’s northern corner, where, when the breeze is blowing in the right direction, you can hear the Sound Garden that inspired the iconic Seattle band’s name. (The instillation is part of a neighboring NOAA facility that’s not open to the public.)