Monday, April 23, 2012

Free Family Activities to do this Summer

This weekend was just beautiful.  I hope everyone got to spend time outside with their families.  If you are me, you were stuck trying to think of fun things to do.  I came up with this list to help others stuck like me and those that are new to the area.  This is also a great list to do with people from out of town.  It is a cheap way to give them a great tour of some of the highlights of Seattle.  Hopefully you find something new on this list that you haven't done before that you can go explore with your family.  If you haven't heard of something or want to learn more you can most likely google it or ask in the comment section and I'll help you out.

Money is tight for everyone.  Even when it isn't tight, who wants to pay upwards of $10 a person to do an activity?  Here is a list of things I've found in the Seattle area that are free and/or really cheap to do.  If they aren't free they normally just ask for a donation or a small fee like parking.  Most ideas are suitable for all ages.  Some may sound similar, but give me a break, all of these are fun and awesome ideas that I've done myself.

For this list I had summer on my mind because children are home all day and need entertaining but to be honest most of these activities can be done all year round.  You just might have to do them in the rain.


  1. Free Museum day first Thursday of every month list of museums and free days
  2. Play in the tidal pools
  3. Hike up to the ice caves
  4. Hike off the Mt. Loop Highway
  5. Go to any number of local parks to play on a playground
  6. Pack a picnic and use a grill at a local park
  7. Play in the large fountain at the Seattle Center
  8. Fly a kite (can go do it on the beach, some have competitions)
  9. Visit a local farmer's market
  10. Visit a free concert on the lake
  11. Walk around or have lunch at Pike Place Market- be sure to visit the original Starbucks and gum wall
  12. Spend weekends going to local festivals, most have free admission
  13. Visit one of the old forts (we have several just a short drive away and you can spend the day with a flashlight exploring)
  14. Walk the Centennial trail
  15. Go to the beach
  16. Visit Jetty Island, which is basically a short ferry ride to a big shallow sandy beach
  17. Visit a Seattle or local public library, many have story times and activities going on for all ages year round
  18. Visit the Ballard locks (I do believe they have a new name now)
  19. Say hi to the Fremont Troll
  20. Pay your regards to Bruce Lee- I do ask that you only go out of respect as the family does still visit the gravesite often
  21. Walk around or have lunch in the international district or chinatown
  22. Visit U-Village and let your children play with all of the fun fountains
  23. Take your dogs to one of the many dog parks
  24. Ride the ferries (some you can drive over for free and then the ferry ride back home is free)
  25. Take a tour of local wineries or breweries (not free but lots of fun for out of towners and couples to do on a nice day!)

Get out there and explore Seattle!  Most importantly have a good time doing it!  Report back and let us know how your summer adventures went.  If you find something cool that I didn't list or own a business that has something I can add let me know!






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