Kids, when in the rainy city of Seattle, will have a fabulous time exploring all the sights on offer, most of them being child-friendly and all-inclusive. Take a trip to the Seattle Aquarium where children can learn and be mesmerised by the exquisite displays of fish and marine life, or head over to the Woodland Park Zoo to meet some furry friends. More active children will love a day out at the Olympic National Park where glacier-capped mountains meet lush green forest where they can stretch their legs and take in a hike, walk, or even mountain bike. Children who are interested in aviation will love the Museum of Flight, and children with a penchant for the decorative should visit the Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art. On days when the rain sets in and outdoor activities with the kids are not an option, head to the Children's Museum with the little ones, while older kids will love the Experience Music Project, even if just for the zany design of the pink building.
Next to Boeing Field, south of downtown Seattle, the Museum of Flight consists of a six-story glass and steel construction, which was the original Boeing factory and used to be one of the mainstays of Seattle's economy. Inside is a collection of more than 130 aircraft, some suspended from the ceiling, including some of history's most famous airplanes. There is, for example, a replica of the Wright Brothers' first glider and the original Air Force One presidential plane used by Eisenhower. The museum covers the entire history of flight right up to the space programme. The Museum's most recent acquisitions include a British Airways Concorde, the only one on America's West Coast, and NASA's Full Fuselage Trainer. Concorde arrived in true style setting a new world record time from New York to Seattle, while NASA's FFT has been retired from use and is making its new home at the museum. Changing exhibitions are hosted and changed regularly to keep things interesting. Restoration work on various aircraft is constantly ongoing at the museum, with 2 to 4 new acquisitions every year and about twelve aircraft being worked on at any one time. The museum also contains exhibitions of aircraft photography, artefacts, and archives.
Address : 4097, 9404 East Marginal Way South
Website : www.museumofflight.org
Telephone : (206) 764 5700
Opening times : Daily 10am-5pm; open until 9pm the first Thursday of every month. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Admission : $23 adults, $14 children 5-17. Other concessions available. Online discounts available.
Wilderness lovers revel in retreating to the wild Pacific Coast with its glacier-capped mountains, magnificent stands of ancient forest, fascinating biological diversity, and wild Pacific coastline. About 95 percent of the park has been designated a wilderness reserve, which protects the unique ecosystem on the Olympic Peninsula. The park contains three major ecosystems and almost a million acres, including eight kinds of plants and 15 species of animals occurring nowhere else on earth.Fishing, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, backpacking, horse-back riding, mountain bike riding, and many more activities are all available at the park, although you will have to bring your own equipment to carry out these activities. Fishing is particularly popular, given that there are 3,000 miles of rivers and stream throughout the park, filled with many species of fish and shellfish. All visitors keen to fish should take care to pick up a booklet of the fishing regulations in place throughout the park, these are different for the river and sea areas. Hiking is very popular too, although hikers should be aware that the weather is very changeable, and dress accordingly. It's also not safe to drink water from the streams and lakes, so hikers and camper should always bring their own water. The Peninsula separates Seattle from the Pacific Ocean.
Address : 3002 Mt Angeles Road, Port Angeles
Website : www.nps.gov/olym
Telephone : (360) 565 3130
Transport : Ferry from the city, or Olympic Bus Lines and Tours services Port Angeles (main visitor centre) from downtown Seattle
Opening times : Open daily, 24-hours a day. Some roads may be closed during winter. Visitor centre hours vary throughout the year.
Admission : $25 per vehicle; $20 per motorcyclist; $10 per individual hiker or cyclist. Valid for seven days
Located on Seattle's waterfront, the Aquarium provides a window through which to see amazing sea creatures and colourful coral life of the Pacific. The aquarium contains exhibits such as touch pools with animals like sea stars and urchins from Puget Sound and Washington's outer coast. The Window on Washington Waters is a huge exhibit filled with native marine life, where dive shows take place three times daily, while the Marine Mammal exhibit features sea otters and seals viewed from both above and below the water.The Underwater Dome is one of the largest exhibits, an undersea room that provides 360 degree views of the fish and sharks as they swim. Some further exhibits available at the aquarium are Ocean Oddities, Life of a Drifter, Pacific Coral Reef, Marine Mammals, Orca Activity Center, Searching for Sixgills, and more. The aquarium hosts events on a regular basis, some of which include a Celebrate Sharks event, the Naturalist Program, parts of the Seattle Science Festival, and more.Conservation is a big focus at the aquarium, and the attendants and guides take care to educate visitors about marine conservation. The aquarium is in a part of Seattle that's full of very good restaurants, so making a day trip out of a visit to the aquarium is a good idea.
Address : 1483 Alaskan Way, Pier 59
Website : www.seattleaquarium.org
Telephone : (206) 386 4300
Transport : Waterfront Streetcar Line Bus
Opening times : Daily 9.30am-5pm, exhibits close at 6pm.
Admission : $30 adults, $20 children 4-12, free for children 3 and under. Additional fees for Argosy Harbor Cruise.
Located in the Green Lake neighbourhood of Seattle, the Woodland Park Zoo is a great place to take the kids for a day out exploring and meeting the animals. Kids can enjoy animals such as African elephants, Arctic foxes, sloth bears, and red pandas, or birds like snowy owls, parrots, Chilean flamingos, and golden eagles as well as a fantastic variety of invertebrates such as spiders and butterflies. Over 1,100 animals from more than 300 species are included in the zoo's collection.The animals' enclosures are carefully landscaped to include all kinds of interesting exotic plant life, and there is also a rose garden for peaceful strolling if the animals get to be a bit too much. A cafe attached to the rose garden provides further respite and nourishment for those making a full day of the outing. For families on holiday in Seattle, a trip to the Woodland Park Zoo is not to be missed.Occasional special events are hosted at the zoo, such as the swish annual Jungle Party aimed at raising funds through donations, and the Zoo Tunes summer concerts that runs from June to August, featuring well-known local artists every weekend, with all proceeds going to fundraising for the zoo and conservation efforts.
Address : 500 Phinney Avenue North
E-mail : [email protected]
Website : www.zoo.org
Telephone : (206) 548 2500
Opening times : Open daily 1 October to 30 April 9:30am-4pm; 1 May to September 30 9:30am-6pm. Closed 25 December.
Admission : 1 October - 31 March: $15 adults, $10 children. 1 April 1 - 30 September: $21 adults, $13 children.
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