Seattle Parks and Gardens

(Seattle, Washington - WA, USA)



Seattle is a pleasantly green city year round and city planners have done an excellent job of blending parks and gardens into the urban areas of downtown. Retaining its reputation as the 'Emerald City', Seattle boasts a variety of waterfront beaches, forested trails, boardwalked marshlands and green bluffs overlooking Puget Sound.

Nestled between city blocks and skirting downtown, parks and gardens are abundant and popular respites for office workers, shoppers, tourists and meandering residents alike.



Discovery Park

Address: 3801 West Government Way, Seattle, Washington WA, 98199, USA
Tel: +1 206 386 4236
Overlooking the Puget Sound, Discovery Park is Seattle's largest park. Just a 15-minute drive from downtown, the waterfront area offers beach access, grassy meadows, forested walking trails and a picturesque lighthouse. The park's Daybreak Star Arts Center hosts Native American cultural activities and art exhibits from Tuesday to Sunday, 08:30 to 17:00.
Open hours: daily - 04:30 to 23:00
Admission: free

Freeway Park

Address: 600 Seneca Street, Seattle, Washington WA, 98101, USA
Built atop the I-5 freeway and overlooking Seattle's financial district, this park features terraces, waterfalls and walls of greenery. Often frequented by shoppers and office workers, as well as visitors and locals alike, this area provides a nice and surprisingly quiet respite from the bustle of downtown.
Open hours: daily - 06:00 to 23:30
Admission: free

Gas Works Park

Address: 2101 North Northlake Way, Seattle, Washington WA, 98103, USA
Tel: +1 206 684 4075
Situated at the north end of Lake Union, Gas Works Park is a unique industrial reclamation park (one of few in the world). Centered among small green hills, a massive coal based, gas producing plant has been refurbished into a children's playground while an old boiler room is now used as a picnic space. Kite fliers flock to 'kite hill' for the breeze, while cyclists and joggers swing through the Burke-Gilman Trail that intersects the park. An extremely popular destination for Seattleites of all ages, there are also a collection of great restaurants in the area.
Open hours: daily - 04:00 to 23:30
Admission: free

Green Lake Park

Address: 7201 East Green Lake Drive, Seattle, Washington WA, 98115, USA
Tel: +1 206 684 4075
Seattle's Green Lake is surrounded by a 3 mile / 4.5 km paved footpath, frequented by joggers, cyclists, roller skaters and baby strollers. As one of the most visited areas in the city, the park offers beaches with boat rental facilities and swimming access, as well as a children's playground, bird watching zones and a variety of recreational courts and activities. The park also hosts a municipal pitch 'n' putt golf course and the Bathhouse Theater.
Open hours: daily
Admission: free

Golden Gardens

Address: 8498 Seaview Place NW, Seattle, Washington WA, 98117, USA
Tel: +1 206 684 4075
Offering excellent views of the Olympic Mountains, Golden Gardens is known locally for sunset strolls on the beach. This waterfront park also features some interesting wetland areas and is one of Seattle's best beaches, despite its frigid waters.
Open hours: daily - 06:00 to 23:30
Admission: free

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park

Address: 117 South Main Street, Seattle, Washington WA, 98104, USA
Tel: +1 206 553 7220
Highlighting Seattle's association with the gold rush of the Canadian Yukon (1897 to 1898), this National Park offers a historical glimpse into the origins of Seattle's 'riches'. Park exhibits and audiovisual and ranger programs describe how the world stampeded through the area in search of gold and assisted in shaping Seattle into the city it is today. During the summer, gold panning demonstrations and historical walking tours are offered.
Open hours: daily - 09:00 to 17:00
Admission: free

Myrtle Edwards Park

Address: 3130 Alaska Way West, Seattle, Washington WA, 98101, USA
Tel: +1 206 684 4075
Myrtle Edwards Park is an ideal resting spot at the north end of Seattle's waterfront. Featuring fantastic views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains beyond, the park offers a paved pathway and is a premier sunset destination.
Open hours: daily - 24 hours
Admission: free

Seward Park

Address: 5898 Lake Washington Boulevard, Seattle, Washington WA, 98118, USA
Tel: +1 206 684 4075
Boasting old growth forest and a sandy beach, as well as nearly 2.5 mile / 4 km of cycling and walking path, Seattle's Seward Park is an extremely popular area, especially in the summer. An amphitheater, art studio and native plant garden provide additional entertainment to this scenic destination.
Open hours: daily - 04:00 to 23:30
Admission: free

Volunteer Park

Address: 1247 15th Avenue East, Seattle, Washington WA, 98102, USA
Tel: +1 206 684 4555
Located in the Capitol Hill district, Volunteer Park is home to the Seattle Asian Art Museum, an amphitheater, and a turn of the century conservatory featuring five distinct greenhouses. Perfectly forested, this park offers hills for sunbathing or flat lands for playing Frisbee. Well known for the old water tower within the park grounds offering superb views of downtown Seattle, the Space Needle and Puget Sound, this park also borders the Lake View Cemetery where famous Seattle residents are interred.
Open hours: daily - 06:00 to 23:00
Admission: free

Washington Park Arboretum

Address: 2300 Arboretum Drive, Seattle, Washington WA, 98112, USA
Tel: +1 206 543 8800
The University of Washington handles this park which embraces over 5,500 plant species including the largest Japanese maple collection in the USA. Seattle's Washington Park Arboretum is lined with quiet wooded trails winding through marshlands and across a boardwalk providing sweeping vistas over Lake Washington. Developed in the 1930s, this park now cares for more than 139 plants on the endangered species list. Guided tours are offered from the Donald Graham Visitors Center every Sunday at 13:00.
Open hours: daily - dawn to dusk
Admission: free