Showing posts with label Parks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parks. Show all posts

Friday, 8 July 2011

Kerry Park in Seattle, Washington

Kerry Park is possibly the most recognizable destination in Seattle, though most visitors wouldn’t realize it ahead of time. If you’re looking for a place with incredible views of the Seattle skyline, this is it. Located in the Queen Anne neighborhood, Kerry Park has sweeping views of the Space Needle, downtown, Elliott Bay, and (on a clear day) Mount Rainier. Most postcard photos of the city are taken from this area, and during the sunny summer months there is almost no better place in all of Seattle to plan a picnic.

Beyond the summer, there is one other time when Kerry Park Seattle is especially popular. On New Years Eve, local residents from the Queen Anne neighborhood bundle up in plenty of layers and head to the park to watch fireworks over the Seattle skyline. This neighborhood is also known for its excellent restaurants and bars, so you could easily make a night of your visit to Kerry Park.

The most striking feature from Kerry Park is undoubtedly the view of the Space Needle. If you take the time to visit this attraction and go up to the observation deck, it is incredible to see it from the different perspective of the park. In 1927 the park was donated to the city by Mr. and Mrs. Albert Kerry so that everyone could enjoy the spectacular view. While views are breathtaking at many times of day, visitors are most attracted to sunset when the buildings are all glowing in the evening light.

Kerry Park Seattle is so beautiful that you shouldn’t be surprised to see a wedding or photographs of a bride and groom taking place. While there are other popular parks throughout the city, including Discovery Park and Golden Gardens, both locals and residents alike have a certain affinity for the park on top of Queen Anne Hill that sheds a new light on a familiar skyline.

Golden Gardens in Seattle, Washington

Golden Gardens is located in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, right on the shores of Puget Sound, which makes it unique among the city’s parks. From the beauty of Discovery Park to the leisure opportunities near Green Lake, you could easily spend an entire trip just exploring the green spaces of the city, but if you’re visiting in the summer, be sure to head for Golden Gardens. Both locals and visitors enjoy this park for its incredible views, hiking, and sunbathing—it’s one of the best beaches in Seattle.

These sandy shores are the perfect spot for a bit of sunbathing in the summer or planning a family picnic. There are covered areas with picnic tables and charcoal grills that you can reserve if you want to spend the full day here, and if you have a competitive spirit, you might be tempted to join in on one of the beach volleyball games. For a little quiet time, cast your line off the pier and enjoy fishing in this beautiful park.

Golden Gardens also has great opportunities for fitness. Whether you choose to hike along the rugged coastline or jog along forest trails, you can many options for breaking a sweat. There is also a boat launch here for visitors who might be interesting in a boating excursion on Puget Sound; the park is located very close to the Shilshole Marina. Opening hours of the park are from 6 am to 11:30 pm, so whenever you want to get a breath of fresh air, this is the perfect place.

Just like most beaches in Seattle, Golden Gardens is relatively easy to reach. If you choose to bring your rental car, there is parking available—do keep in mind, however, that parking can be scarce on the sunniest days of the year and over the weekends. If you’d rather not worry about parking, another options is taking advantage of local transportation and hopping a bus to the park. While there are many beautiful places in Seattle to watch the sun set, this park should definitely be towards the top of that list.

Discovery Park in Seattle, Washington

Discovery Park is beloved among travelers who love to seek out green spaces while on vacation. Located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, northwest of downtown and Seattle Center, this is the largest public park in the city, covering 534 acres. Whether you’re an avid birdwatcher or just looking for a place in Seattle to get in a morning jog, Discovery Park will be the perfect spot. First-time visitors to Seattle will soon learn that this is a city that takes its parks seriously. Green space and being conscious of the environment is something Seattle is known for across the country. Once you see the beauty of Discovery Park Seattle, you’ll understand why.

One reason travelers—especially families—love Discovery Park is for its wildlife. While the birds are incredible and diverse, with more than 200 species spotted in the park, the real wildlife attraction is harbor seals and sea lions. Calling the bay home, these incredible creatures are fascinating to see in their natural environment. The best way to enjoy Discovery Park Seattle is to hike the Loop Trail which includes forest, meadows, and offers incredible views of Puget Sound. The park is also known for its beaches, which are perfect for a picnic on a sunny day.

Discovery Park is also popular for locals and visitors with a fitness focus. The park offers almost twelve miles of walking trails. If you hate jogging in a circle, this is the park in Seattle for you. It also contains some beautiful historic attractions that you might encounter on a jog, including the West Point Lighthouse. Both for leisure and fitness, this park is a beautiful place to spend a few hours during a visit to Seattle. Don’t leave without seeing the dramatic sea cliffs—they are definitely a highlight of this destination.

Seattle is full of urban pleasures, from museums to fine dining to two giant sports stadiums. However, a trip to this city might not be complete without experiencing the natural side of the city. A visit to Discovery Park Seattle allows you to take in all the different local landscapes. From a hike through the fragrant forest to sinking your toes into the sand on the beach, this park offers many pleasures of the great outdoors. If you’re traveling on a budget and looking for free things to do in Seattle, you can’t beat a visit to Discovery Park. The Magnolia neighborhood also has great restaurants, many of which are budget-friendly, so you can pick up a cheap lunch at the local Greek deli or sandwich shop and bring it out the park for a picnic.

While Seattle is known for its rain, that doesn’t stop locals from enjoying Mother Nature. If your idea of a trip to Seattle is filled with sunshine, plan your trip during the summer months. This season is also when Seattle offers a wide range of festivals and events. Not only will you have the excellent weather to enjoy a bike ride through Discovery Park, but you can also go to a food festival, go kayaking on the lake, or explore the Woodland Park Zoo. While Seattle is a great destination at any time of the year, it really shines during the summer months when attractions like Discovery Park are at their peak.

Volunteer Park in Seattle, Washington

Volunteer Park is the perfect destination if you want to maximize your time during a trip to Seattle and see more than one type of attraction in any given day. This can be difficult to do in some cases, if you want to explore both green space and the urban attractions in the area, but travelers who love art as well as the great outdoors will be delighted to know that Volunteer Park Seattle and the Asian Art Museum are located right next to each other in the heart of the city.

While some parks in Seattle are worth a day all to themselves, such as Seward Park in South Seattle or the vast spaces in Discovery Park, it is easy to include a short visit to Volunteer Park during your trip. This 48-acre park was originally planned to be a cemetery (which is now located on an adjacent plot of land), but it became a public park in 1887. Its name honors the volunteers of the Spanish-American War.

There are a few attractive features of Volunteer Park Seattle including a conservatory, a water tower with an observation deck, and one unusual art deco building that is home to the Asian Art Museum. There are also statues and sculptures that make a walk through the park especially nice. On a sunny day, you will find many families enjoying the meadows and making use of the tables for a family picnic. As it’s located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, Volunteer Park is also close to many terrific local and budget-friendly restaurants.

Many parks in Seattle offer a view of the skyline, and Volunteer Park is no exception. Like most views, the famous Space Needle is prominently featured. If you happen to be visiting Seattle during the summer, the park also hosts many free outdoor concerts and theater events. These free events are a great way to stretch a budget during a trip to Seattle.

Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington

For over 100 years, the Woodland Park Zoo has been a famous part of the Emerald City and strolling through its acres of beautiful exhibits is considered one of the best Seattle activities.

Supporting conservation and education, this Seattle zoo also participates in animal rescue and efforts towards rehabilitating and rescuing endangered species. Set in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood of Seattle, near Green Lake and Fremont, the Zoo is part of Woodland Park. The area that was split up into Woodland Park and the Woodland Park Zoo once covered an area of 188 acres. A Boston firm called the Olmstead Brothers then began the process of designing the new public Seattle parks.

A short drive north from downtown Seattle, the Woodland Park Zoo Seattle is considered one of the best on the globe. It is filled with authentic habitat that allows the animal to have the most comfort and a pleasant setting for them to live. Woodland Park and the Seattle Zoo are both open daily. The park is free but the there is an entrance fee for the zoo.

At the Woodland Park Zoo, you need to spend at least four to six hours to fully take in all the exhibits and displays. Over one million visitors visit the Seattle Zoo every year. There are over 300 animals on display, and there are over 65 acres of excellent naturalistic exhibits and habitat recreations. Snow leopards, wild dogs, giraffes, and hippos will awe you when you see them in their natural settings at the Woodland Park Zoo Seattle.

The Woodland Park Zoo hosts a number of fun events around holiday like the Bunny Bounce in the spring or the lavish annual themed benefit Jungle Party. Also, two Sumatran tiger cubs were born at the Zoo recently, part of a successful breeding program at the Woodland Park Zoo Seattle.

There is an African Savanna exhibit at the Seattle zoo that has a recreation of an African Village. Other award winning exhibits include the Tropical Rain Forest exhibit, the Elephant Forest, and the Northern Trail exhibit.

If you want to have an experience you won't find anywhere else in the country, a visit to the Woodland Park Zoo will impress and delight you. Adults are children alike love to come to the zoo again and again.

Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle, Washington

Visiting the Park
Admission: Free
Park Hours:
Oct-Apr: 7 am - 6 pm
May-Sep: 7 am - 9 pm

Combining the artistic skills of critically acclaimed sculptors with the natural beauty that Seattle has always been known for, Olympic Sculpture Park is nine acres of some of the most notable artwork in the city. From Alexander Calder’s award-winning Eagle to Louise Bourgeois’ semi-controversial Father and Son, the Seattle Art Museum Sculpture Park has spared no expense in rewarding visitors with preeminent examples of modern art. Though Seattle has long been on the forefront of the music and (occasionally) literary scenes, it’s largely been ignored as a notable art town. But that may no longer be the case now, as the park is now one of the largest urban art spaces in all of America.

The grounds on which the Olympic Sculpture Park Seattle were not always so sought after – used as an oil depot for much of the past, this waterfront plot in Elliott Bay was long considered an eyesore. The railroad tracks, now such an integral part of Teresita Fernandez’s “Seattle Cloud Cover,” did little to help the area’s reputation. Years of clean up, however, have culminated into the opening of the Seattle Art Museum Sculpture Park, capitalizing on the advantages of the region – the waters of Puget Sound and the distant Olympic Mountains make a perfect backdrop for the sculptures on display. The layout of the Sculpture Park Seattle accentuates this by placing small groves of trees and plants, along with a handful of trails throughout, even a beach that will, considering the city’s temperamental weather through most seasons, rarely get much use.

But it’s really the art that will keep visitors coming. The free admission will also help. Many of the works in the Olympic Sculpture Park have been displayed from New York to Paris. And the Seattle Art Museum plans to keep the park in a permanent state of flux – few of the pieces are permanent, and new works are already being commissioned to be added to the Sculpture Park Seattle. The current lineup is pretty outstanding as it is, featuring some of the most recognized contemporary sculptors in the country, like Richard Serra (his piece, “Wake” is alarming in its immensity) and Alexander Calder, to smaller, local artists like Roy McMakin (who’s “Love and Loss” will convert more than a few fans), the Seattle Art Museum Sculpture Park seeks to show how a sculpture’s setting can bring new meaning to the work. And the park itself is a giant step forward for the city of Seattle, adding yet another sparkling attraction to its bustling downtown district.

Seattle Parks, Washington

Mountains, forests and scenic bodies of water surround the Emerald City. Seattle parks highlight the natural beauty and scenic vistas of this part of the Pacific Northwest. From the exotic animals at the Woodland Park Zoo to learning about the history of Seattle parks in an old water tower in Volunteer Park, going to a public park is one of the most popular Seattle activities.

One of the biggest and most impressive Seattle Parks is Discovery Park. There about 12 miles of hiking trails in Discovery Park, making it the largest public park area in the city. There is an Indian cultural center on the grounds with commanding views of Puget Sound. The shoreline of Discovery Park awards you with pristine beaches and unmatched views of the glacial peaks of the Olympic Peninsula. There is an Army base on the park"s grounds, but it doesn't interfere with the Seattle activities enjoyed by visitors to the park.

To the south, and also on the waterfront is Myrtle Edwards Park. This is a less crowded alternative to the busy weekends around Green Lake. There are two separate paths at Myrtle Edwards, one for bicyclists and the other for pedestrians. This is also the setting for the most popular Seattle activities in the summer. The grassy fields right next to the Puget Sound are a great place to enjoy the Fourth of July fireworks show.

Green Lake is one of the busiest Seattle parks. It is a lovely 2.8-mile path around Green Lake. You will see bicyclists, dog walkers, and city residents enjoying outdoor Seattle activities that help give the area its reputation for having an especially fit population.

Surrounded by water, Montlake is one of the most scenic parks in the city. There is a trail along the water, which takes you by Portage Bay and the Yacht Club's Marina. Being right on the water, Montlake is known for its canoeing, fishing and waterfront views. Just relaxing and watching the boats come and go is one of the most enjoyable Seattle activities, and Montlake Park is a great place to do this.

Aside from great Seattle Parks, if you visit Redmond you will find a one-of-a-kind park, with an off-leash area for dogs. There is a rock climbing wall and an indoor cycling arena at Marymoor Park in Redmond. Boating, fishing, and other Seattle activities can be enjoyed far from the bustle of the big city. There are great architectural features at Marymoor Park like the Dutch windmill and the Clise Mansion, which houses a museum about Marymoor and the area. This park is great for bird watching and hiking on its scenic trails.

Gas Works Park overlooks Lake Union, and has unique mechanical structures that are part of Seattle's industrial past. Gasworks is popular with dog lovers as well, and has great views of Seattle and the lake. Gasworks is one of the few areas around the lake that is not commercially developed, so you can enjoy open views of the lake without the eyesore of condos.