Outings big kids (ages 5–10) actually get excited about around Seattle
Once kids hit kindergarten, the bar changes: they want hands-on exhibits, hikes with a waterfall at the end, and a real cockpit to climb into. These places get our top rating, 5 out of 5, for 5–10 year olds, from an aviation museum to a wildlife park to Mount Rainier in summer.
Closest to the Eastside are the Museum of Flight in Tukwila and Pacific Science Center at Seattle Center; the new Ocean Pavilion tank at the Seattle Aquarium is a showstopper. Worth the drive: Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, and Northwest Trek in Eatonville, where a tram carries you through bison and elk. For hikes, pick the ones with a waterfall as the reward: Twin Falls, Franklin Falls and Coal Creek Falls. And in July and August, a day at Paradise on Mount Rainier, with wildflowers and glaciers, is something every Seattle kid should get.
- 27 places
- 14 free
- 23 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
27 places
Drive times from Bellevue
Bellevue Library kids' area
5.0Bellevue · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free underground garage
Meydenbauer Bay Park
5.0Bellevue · 5 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free park lot (small, full on weekend afternoons)
Redmond Library kids' area
5.0Redmond · 10 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot
Idylwood Beach Park
5.0Redmond · 10 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot, full after 11am on summer weekends
Juanita Bay Park
5.0Kirkland · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Market St entrance, fairly full on weekend mornings
Sammamish Library kids' area
5.0Sammamish · 15 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot
Juanita Beach Park
5.0Kirkland · 15 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot
Lake Sammamish State Park
5.0Issaquah · 15 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: State park lot, Discover Pass required
Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park
5.0Renton · 15 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free large lot
Seward Park old-growth loop
5.0Seattle · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots at the entrance and the south end of the peninsula
Saint Edward State Park
5.0Kenmore · 20 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: State park lot, Discover Pass required
Museum of Flight
5.0Tukwila · 20 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Free lot
Seattle Center & Artists at Play playground
5.0Seattle · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Seattle Center garage about $15-25/day; metered street parking on weekends
Seattle Aquarium
5.0Seattle · 25 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$$ · Parking: Waterfront garages about $15-25; 10-minute walk from Symphony light rail station
Pacific Science Center
5.0Seattle · 25 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Seattle Center garage about $15-25/day
Burke Museum of Natural History
5.0Seattle · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: UW campus lots about $5-8 on weekends
Green Lake Loop
5.0Seattle · 30 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lakeside lots (east shore / by the community center), fairly tight on weekend mornings
Alki Beach
5.0Seattle · 30 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free street parking (hard to find on weekend afternoons)
Golden Gardens beach
5.0Seattle · 35 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot (full on summer weekend afternoons)
Edmonds waterfront (Brackett's Landing + Marina Beach)
5.0Edmonds · 35 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free public lots on both sides of the ferry terminal (3-4 hour limit)
Dash Point State Park
5.0Federal Way · 40 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: State park lot, Discover Pass required
Bob's Corn & Pumpkin Farm
5.0Snohomish · 40 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$$ · Parking: Free large grass lot at the farm
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
5.0Tacoma · 45 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Free lot
Craven Farm pumpkin patch
5.0Snohomish · 45 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$$ · Parking: Free at the farm
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
5.0Eatonville · 80 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Free lot
Deception Pass State Park
5.0Oak Harbor · 95 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: State park lot, Discover Pass required; very few spots at the bridge viewpoints
Mount Rainier National Park (Paradise)
5.0Ashford · 135 min drive
5 h · carrier recommended
$$ · Parking: Park entry $30/car (valid 7 days); the Paradise lot fills before 10am on weekends
💡 Good to know
- The big museums are pricey: KCLS and Seattle Public Library both lend free museum passes, and the Museum of Flight and the Burke are free the first Thursday of each month.
- Mount Rainier may require timed-entry reservations in peak summer; check the NPS site before you go, and expect it to be 15 degrees cooler than home.