76. Woodland Park Zoo Rose Garden
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: Free of charge since opening in 1924, the rose garden at the park boasts 280 varieties of roses in one of the best growing habitats in the world.
77. Fun Forest Amusement Park
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (206) 728-1586
Address: 305 Harrison St. (Central)
Description: Located in the Seattle Center campus, this old-fashioned, carnival-style amusement park lies at the crossroads of the Space Needle, monorail, and Experience Music Project. The 19 rides include a carousel and roller coaster, and the entertainment pavilion offers a multitude of prize games, laser tag, mini-golf, climbing wall, and a full video arcade. There’s a “kiddie ride” area for tots, as well as a huge inflatable castle with obstacle course and an inflatable super slide. All rides and games are ticket-based, meaning that you can spend a little money, or a lot. If it’s hot, head on over to the International Fountain afterward, a popular place for kids to dart through the dancing waters. Fun Forest is open daily year-round.
78. Funtasia Family Fun Park
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (425) 775-2174
Address: 7217 220th St. SW (Edmonds)
Description: Funtasia is a seven-acre indoor/outdoor family fun park, located in Edmonds about a half-hour drive north of Seattle. Indoors more than 25,000 square feet of fun offer an adventure-themed miniature golf course, laser tag, bumper cars, state-of-the-art video games, and a restaurant, Cafe Funtasia. Outside are gas-powered go-karts, bumper boats with water cannons, a pirate-themed miniature golf course, and the largest nine-station batting cage in Washington state. There is also a 4,000 square-foot play land for the youngest children. The park is open daily, with extended hours on Fri and Sat nights.
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 36201 Enchanted Pkwy. South (Federal Way
80. Gameworks
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (206) 521-0952
Address: 1511 7th Ave. (Central)
Description: The downtown Seattle location was the first site of this entertainment company cofounded by Steven Spielberg. Operated by SEGA, GameWorks offers an overwhelming arcade of interactive play designed to challenge the skills. Simulators and non-video games like pool and darts are also available. A restaurant serves basic fare such as salads, burgers, pizza, sandwiches, and hot dogs, making GameWorks a complete destination for kids.
81. Seattle Waterfront Arcade
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (206) 903-1081
Address: 1301 Alaskan Way (Central)
Description: The location at Pier 57 can’t be beat, and the philosophy here is that nobody is too old to be a kid. This arcade has a wide variety of games and stays current with the latest technology and video game entertainment. Classics like air hockey, basket shooting, crane machines, Skee-Ball, and photo booths are found here—there’s even a fortune-telling machine! All games are played by purchasing tickets, so the total expenditure can vary widely.
82. Fremont Troll
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Description: This is one of Seattle’s more bizarre attractions, located appropriately enough in the wonderfully wacky neighborhood of Fremont. It’s a whimsical, huge sculpture of a troll crushing a real Volkswagen Beetle; the troll lives, as all trolls do, under the bridge. He was created in 1990 by four local artists, as a project for the Fremont Arts Council, and is made of steel and wire covered with concrete. It’s fine to crawl and climb all over the troll, and you’ll also see plenty of chalk and paint graffiti. The sculpture makes one of the more interesting photo backdrops you’re likely to find. FYI: Very small children may find the troll a little scary. Free.
83. Seattle Architecture Foundation
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (206) 667-9184
Address: 1333 5th Ave.
Description: For a great way to get up close and personal with Seattle landmarks, take advantage of the family tour Eye Spy Seattle, offered by the Seattle Architecture Foundation. Discover a kid’s-eye view of architecture and design downtown. Tour stops include the 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle Central Library, and the Rainier Tower. Tours are two hours long and generally begin at 10 a.m. on Sat. This activity-driven tour and interactive experience is best suited for children ages 5 to 10, and siblings are welcome. Strollers are not recommended on this tour given the amount of stairs. Check the Web site for upcoming tour dates.
84. Seattle Monorail
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (206) 905-2620
Address: 370 Thomas St. (Central)
Description: This is a quick but fun ride that kids will enjoy. The monorail was built for the 1962 World’s Fair and provides a great view of the city along its elevated platform. Trains depart every ten minutes, making the 1-mile, two-minute trip between the stations at Seattle Center and Westlake Center Mall, at 5th and Pine Street.
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
86. All Purpose Pizza
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (206) 324-8646
Address: 2901 S. Jackson St. (Central)
Description: Not only do most kids love pizza, but they really love All Purpose because of the play kitchen in the restaurant. While parents wait for the pizza, their kids can play with pizza dough, rolling pins, and other toys in full view of the adults.
87. Chinook’S
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (206) 283-4665
Address: 1900 W. Nickerson St. (Central)
Description: Located on Salmon Bay in Fishermen’s Terminal, Chinook’s is a casual seafood restaurant with an interesting location that hundreds of fishing vessels have called home since the early 1900s. It is a fun family dining establishment on the water, with complimentary vehicle and boat parking. The outside deck is a great place to eat during nice weather and provides even more sightseeing for the kids as the boats go by.
88. Dick’S Drive-In
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (206) 285-5155
Address: 500 Queen Anne Ave. North (Central)
Description: This place is heaps of old-timey fun, as well as a cheap place to bring a big family. Dick’s is a drive-in burger joint straight out of American Graffiti, although walk-up windows and sit-down booths are also available. The hamburgers are made with quality, never-frozen beef and the milkshakes are to die for—never machine-made, but hand dipped and whipped. The fries are sliced daily from whole potatoes and fried in 100 percent vegetable oil. It’s not exactly health food, but it’s fast food made with good ingredients by hand—and I dare you to find a burger like this in any restaurant for less than $3. Dick’s has been around since 1954 and has four other locations in addition to the Queen Anne restaurant.
89. Eats Market Café
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (206) 933-1200
Address: 2600 SW Barton St. (South)
Description: Voted Best Family-Friendly Dining on Citysearch for several years, Eats is run by the husband-and-wife duo of Evan Handler and Toby Matasar, both culinary school grads who like to say they were born as foodies. The couple opened Eats to provide a neighborhood bakery and cafe that offers homemade, seasonal comfort foods in a casual, relaxing environment. Desserts are fabulous and varied, from the delectable baked goods you may expect, to kid-pleasing root beer floats and ice cream sandwiches.
90. 5 Spot
City: Seattle, WA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Address: 1502 Queen Anne Ave. North (Central)
Description: This retro diner-style restaurant in the historic Queen Anne neighborhood services flavorful home cooking with an inspired presentation; it’s far more than a basic cafe, and the adults in the group will like it much more than a lot of family dining establishments. The renovated 1912 building is decorated with fun kitsch from all over the United States. The menu also comes from around the country, from the Texas Longhorn burger to Louisiana Cajun dishes to New England fish-and-chips.