I realized on a recent trip to Seattle that my heart belongs there.  I also realized that Seattle with kids is the best! While I live in the most beautiful place on earth, I am originally from Seattle.  We hadn’t been there in 8 years, so it was time to take the kids up there for a visit. Immediately, I remembered why I love Seattle so much, my family is there and I just felt at home. We forgot how fun Seattle was with kids.

We had six days to do all the things.  My hubs has never been able to join me because of his work.  Because he tagged along, I decided to find activities that would appeal to him and the girls.  They decided on the Museum of Flight, Seattle Center along with Pikes, and the Boeing Factory Tour.  Can I just say, I am a perfect planner because everyone loved all three. We had the perfect combination of adult and kid activities.

Downtown Seattle

Seattle Center

Our first day there we decided to go to Seattle Center because they were experiencing decent weather for the better part of the day.  I was so glad that we decided to do this because it worked out perfectly.  It was cool and sunny in the morning, but started to drizzle by the late afternoon while we were at Pike’s Place Market. My kids absolutely loved the International Fountains, the Artists at Play Park, and going up the Space Needle. Mr. B decided to coax the girls into the fountain, which I wasn’t happy about at first.  In the end the girl loved it.  They were giggling and laughing despite being wet and cold.  I wasn’t thrilled, but realized later they loved it.  The Artists Play Park was reminiscent of the parks in Germany and Vienna, my kids raced to the top of the ropes and enjoyed the enormous slides. The Seattle Center is the perfect place to start with the kids.

Space Needle

From there we went to the top of the Space Needle.  This was the most expensive activity that we did, but the views from the top are worth it.  We could see Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker, downtown Seattle, and across the ocean.  If it’s a clear day, I recommend doing it.  They’ve recently renovated the bottom floor, it now has a glass floor.  I am deathly afraid of heights, but we’ve been teaching our kids that you have to be willing to try things. I bit my lip and sat on the floor. The kids loved getting a bird’s eye view of Seattle.

Pike’s Place

We drove over to Pike’s Place and walked through there just as it was starting to drizzle.  What kid doesn’t love going to Seattle and watching them throw fish? They enjoyed a sample of pretty much everything.  You cannot miss the fresh flowers they smell amazing.  Then we walked down to the water.  A trip to Seattle isn’t complete without a trip to the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.  My kids weren’t quite so sure about it, but I grew up going there so we had to make the stop.  If you haven’t been they have lots of odd items.  A few items include mummified things, totem poles, and lots of trinkets.  Such a fun area of Seattle for kids.

Museum of Flight

Have I mentioned that I am married to the biggest aviation nerd? Did I mention that I was also a nerd in college and was on the flight team.  This to say we were going to go to the Museum of Flight, I knew we would all enjoy it, and we did.  My kids loved all of the static displays, although we were all disappointed that the upstairs of the 747 was closed off.  We spent hours there learning about the space program, tons of different aircraft, how the air traffic control towers work, and seeing static displays.  Their uncle paid for the kids to fly a fighter jet simulator.  The older two flew themselves and we watched as they rolled themselves repeatedly, and almost threw up.  Miss Minion flew with my uncle and they didn’t have quite the harrowing experience.  Overall a wonderful museum for all aviation lovers.

Boeing Factory Tour

My grandfather was a long time Boeing employee who worked on lots of extremely cool projects-think the shuttle program.  We decided we would take him with us, as he’d never gone.  My nerdy husband and my grandfather completely geeked out over the airplanes.  The kids and I thought it was really cool too.  My kids decided we must fly a 787 one day to see the stars in the ceiling!  My husband flies a Boeing aircraft so he really enjoyed watching them build the planes-be forewarned no cellphones, purses, basically nothing in your hands.  The building is massive, the largest in the world, which made the gigantic planes look relatively small.  Another great tour for the aviation aficionado and a fun activity to do with kids while in Seattle. 

Outdoor Time

We simply hiked and enjoyed the outdoors our last day there.  It sprinkled on us, but overall it was a beautiful day.  We went to Dash Point State Park, which is a park I grew up going to.  We also hit up Steele Lake park and let the kids play for awhile. What kid doesn’t love hiking? And hiking in Seattle with kids is a must do for families.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about our trip, if you haven’t been to Seattle it is a must do for the family. Seattle is the perfect place to visit with your kids.  There are so many great places to go.  As a kid, I loved the Science Center, the Children’s Museum, the Point Defiance Zoo, Lake Washington, Mt Rainier, Snoqualmie Falls, and so many other places.