We had the wonderful experience of spending 48 hours in Seattle with our 2-year-old toddler. Seattle has so much to offer for families. It was pretty amazing. This article is about fun, toddler activities in Seattle.
Surprisingly, Seattle is very family-friendly. It’s probably one of the most family-friendly cities that I’ve ever visited. My toddler definitely enjoyed all of the new sights and sounds of a different city.
If you’re planning to visit and sightsee in Seattle for a weekend, I recommend staying near the city center. We stayed in a hotel that overlooked Lake Union, so all of our activities were within a 5-10 minute drive.
Unless your toddler is used to walking a lot, take a stroller for all of your activities. We bought a tiny, lightweight stroller for this trip. It was great in packed places like Pike Place Market and the boardwalk.
Without further ado, here are toddler-friendly activities in Seattle.
- Additional reading: Summer activities that are fun and exciting for toddlers
Lake Union Park
We just happened to stay at a hotel across the street from Lake Union Park. Although hanging out at Lake Union was not on our original agenda, we strolled through it to get to Duke’s Chowder House.
There was plenty to see for our toddler, including geese, ducks, a bridge, boats, and water sports. We stopped at a cute, wooden playground, which my toddler loved.
If you’re looking for a low-key, relaxing outing or a picnic, this park offers wonderful views of Lake Union. There are also restaurants along the shore.
Space Needle
I was a little afraid to take my toddler to the top of the Space Needle. What if she threw a tantrum on the elevator or at the top when we couldn’t easily come down?
Well, everything turned out fine like it usually does. There were a lot of other toddlers at the Space Needle, so it was great. The only bummer was that we couldn’t take our stroller to the top, so we took turns carrying her when she got tired.
When we were at the top of the Space Needle, we spotted the “Artists At Play” playground within Seattle Center and decided to check it out.
“Artists At Play” Playground
This playground is a free, interactive space for all ages. Created by artists, the interactive play space includes a 30-foot climbing tower, a labyrinth, musical instruments, and sound swings. (Source)
There was plenty to excite for my toddler, including musical instruments, climbing, and a slide. We ended up spending a good chunk of time here before we left to find some lunch.
In my opinion, this is one of the best toddler activities in Seattle.
Pike Place Market
This famous public market did not disappoint. There’s so much to see in such a small space. Our toddler enjoyed the sights, sounds, and smells as we strolled through the market area.
We were able to do a little shopping from local vendors and sample fresh food, including oysters, sourdough bread, shrimp skewers, and chocolate chip cookies.
I was awed by the labyrinth-like feel of the market, with narrow alleyways and hidden staircases. There aren’t very many elevators, so we had to lift and carry the stroller up and down staircases a few times.
I definitely recommend finding the famous Gum Wall and adding some gum to it.
Olympic Sculpture Park
The Olympic Sculpture Park is a free park in downtown Seattle that showcases modern and contemporary sculptures across 9-acres of land. The sculptures are massive and breathtaking. There are also stunning views of Mt. Rainier and the Puget Sound from the park.
The park has a wide rock path that winds throughout the sculptures and down toward the Puget Sound. My toddler ended up walking most of it, but we took the stroller just in case.
At the end of the path, you will find the Elliot Bay Trail, which leads directly to Pocket Beach. Be careful on Elliot Bay Trail as there are many runners and bikers during the day.
Pocket Beach
This adorable little beach is right off Elliot Bay Trail near the Olympic Sculpture Park. Grab a seat on the logs or driftwood and enjoy wonderful views of the Puget Sound.
This is a great beach for toddler rock play. My toddler can spend hours throwing pebbles into the water. After she spent some time throwing rocks with another toddler, we left and explored the Elliot Bay Trail a little more.
You can definitely spend an entire afternoon in this area of Seattle. Don’t forget to catch the sunset!
Waterfront
Go and experience the hustle and bustle atmosphere on the piers and waterfront. There’s a lot of people, shops, and activity, so you’ll definitely want to take a stroller for your toddler.
We found an arcade, ice cream, and a horse carousel on Pier 57, which also houses the Seattle Great Wheel. We then grabbed some oyster shooters from an oyster bar and fish and chips from Ivar’s Seafood Bar.
If we had extra time in Seattle, I would have liked to go to the Seattle Aquarium right on the waterfront. I’ve heard it’s one of the top toddler activities in Seattle.
Chihuly Garden and Glass
Although this might not be the typical toddler-friendly outing, you cannot miss this art museum in Seattle. It’s a must.
This art museum showcases Dale Chihuly’s glass works. The Seattle exhibition includes eight galleries, a glasshouse, and a glass garden. (Source) The glass art is stunning, awe-inspiring, and quite magical.
We opted to keep our toddler in the stroller during the entire visit. She didn’t mind as there was a lot to see.
Final thoughts on toddler activities in Seattle
Looking back, we actually did quite a lot in Seattle for the amount of time we were there. In fact, we were barely in our hotel room during the day.
Seattle truly surprised me as being a very family-friendly city in every aspect. Wherever we went, there were tons of families with children, so we fit right in and it was all very welcoming.
Everyone in Seattle is so friendly. We noticed that random passersby would spark conversations with us or comment on our toddler. This type of friendly culture doesn’t exist in other areas of the United States, so that was a plus.
Hope you enjoyed this article on toddler activities in Seattle!
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