Where to go with kids when it's hot around Seattle
Seattle only tops 85°F a dozen or so days a year, and most houses have no air conditioning, so a hot day is a reason to get out, not stay in. There are three options: get in the water, find a spray park, or find shade. This list has all three.
Lake beaches come first: Idylwood in Redmond, Juanita Beach in Kirkland and Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah have shallow water and lifeguards. Spray parks are free and effortless: Crossroads and Downtown Park in Bellevue, Sammamish Commons, and Forest Park in Everett. For a walk, head into the trees at Tradition Lake or Coal Creek Falls, both under heavy canopy, and the sea breeze at Golden Gardens and Alki runs ten degrees cooler than the lakes.
- 40 places
- 22 free
- 36 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
40 places
Drive times from Bellevue
Bellevue Downtown Park & Inspiration Playground
5.0Bellevue · 5 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Small free park lot (often full); Bellevue Square garage free for the first 3 hours
Bellevue Square Kids Cove
5.0Bellevue · 5 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Mall garage free for the first 3 hours
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)
Ride the Link 2 Line
5.0Bellevue · 5 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free at the South Bellevue station park and ride; Bellevue Downtown station is walkable
KidsQuest Children's Museum
5.0Bellevue · 5 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free in the Bellevue Library garage (the museum is next door)
Crossroads Park spray park
5.0Bellevue · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot
Grass Lawn Park
5.0Redmond · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot
Luther Burbank Park
5.0Mercer Island · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot
Funtastic Playtorium
5.0Bellevue · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free at the Factoria mall
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
Sammamish Commons spray park
5.0Sammamish · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free at the City Hall lot
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
Seattle Monorail
5.0Seattle · 25 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Garages around Westlake about $15-25/day; or the Seattle Center garage
Seattle Aquarium
5.0Seattle · 25 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$$ · Parking: Waterfront garages about $15-25; 10-minute walk from Symphony light rail station
Seattle Children's Museum
5.0Seattle · 25 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Seattle Center garage about $15-25/day
Remlinger Farms
5.0Carnation · 30 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Free large lot
Forest Park Animal Farm and spray park
5.0Everett · 35 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot
Imagine Children's Museum
5.0Everett · 35 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Metered street parking or nearby garages (the museum validates for a discount)
Children's Museum of Tacoma
5.0Tacoma · 45 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Nearby metered street parking / museum district garages
Gold Creek Pond Loop
5.0Snoqualmie Pass · 55 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Northwest Forest Pass required at the trailhead ($5/day); a Sno-Park permit instead in winter
Lake Hills Library kids' area
4.0Bellevue · 10 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot
Tradition Lake Loop (Tiger Mountain)
4.0Issaquah · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: High Point trailhead; Discover Pass required ($10/day or $30/year)
Kirkland Library kids' area
4.0Kirkland · 15 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free underground garage / Peter Kirk Park lot
Issaquah Library kids' area
4.0Issaquah · 15 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot
Museum of Flight
4.0Tukwila · 20 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Free lot
Seattle Center & Artists at Play playground
4.0Seattle · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Seattle Center garage about $15-25/day; metered street parking on weekends
Seattle Central Library children's center
4.0Seattle · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Library garage about $7/hour (cheaper on Sundays); 5-minute walk from Pioneer Square light rail station
Pacific Science Center
4.0Seattle · 25 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Seattle Center garage about $15-25/day
Burke Museum of Natural History
4.0Seattle · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: UW campus lots about $5-8 on weekends
Dash Point State Park
4.0Federal Way · 40 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: State park lot, Discover Pass required
Coal Creek Falls (Cougar Mountain)
3.0Newcastle · 15 min drive
2 h · carrier recommended
Free · Parking: Free at the Red Town trailhead, tight after 9am on weekends
Twin Falls Trail (Olallie State Park)
3.0North Bend · 40 min drive
2.5 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: State park lot, Discover Pass required
Franklin Falls
3.0Snoqualmie Pass · 50 min drive
2 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: Northwest Forest Pass required at the trailhead; arrive before 9am on weekends
💡 Good to know
- Beach lots fill by 11am on hot summer weekends; arrive before 10. The lakes don't warm up until July.
- Spray parks generally run from late May to early September; bring swimsuits, towels and sunscreen.