Are you taking a trip to Seattle? If so then you are going to love these fun and Free Things to Do in Seattle! I love finding free things to do in places we visit because it is a great way to stretch the vacation budget!
Like most cities, getting out and exploring in Seattle can be expensive. For us it is always important to add a few free activities to the travel plans. In most cities you will be able to find quite a few free and cheap things to do, and find things like free things to do in Seattle with kids will help stretch the budget. If you are planning a trip to Seattle in the near future, these are some great free things to do in Seattle.
Free Things to Do in Seattle
My kids have been working on making bucket lists for all the places they want to travel to. Included in just about every bucket list they have made has been a list of the free things to do in that city. I have to say that makes me one happy mom, because that means they are learning how to stretch a buck! I have to say the kids found some really awesome Free Things to Do in Seattle With Kids and I had to share them with you guys!
To help save money on your trips be sure to check out ways to save money on day trips with kids. These tips can also be used when you are traveling to new places. And if you are working on exploring be sure to check out how to have an inexpensive vacation.
Free Things to Do in Seattle with Kids
Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market is one of the most iconic places in the city of Seattle. Everything the kids read said this is the IT place to visit. Taking a visit to Park Place market is free.
Now you might be tempted to try some tasty eats, or to do some shopping, (according to what we found while looking up information about it), but there is plenty to see just walking around. The kids told me that everything they read said this is a place that everyone wants to visit when they take a trip to Seattle.
You can find all of the information about it here.
Olympic Sculpture Park
Named for the Olympic Mountains that call Washington home, the Olympic Sculpture Park is an
extension of the Seattle Art Museum. The park is filled with sculptures, large sculptures, that visitors can check out and explore. It is located in one of the most scenic sections of the city. This make it a popular spot for Seattle residents and tourists to picnic, play, and enjoy the view of the Sound.
While it costs money to visit the Seattle Art Museum (except for the first Thursday of each month), Olympic Sculpture Park is totally free to do! Plus they also offer a 60 minute tour that is also free! During the tour you will learn about the landscape design, site history, and selected sculptures while exploring the park’s dynamic spaces.
Tour times and topics vary throughout the year so be sure to check out the schedule while you are doing your trip planning. You can find all of the information about it here.
Ballard Locks
Life by the water always leads to being able to take advantage of activities and sites that you wouldn’t get the chance to see do anywhere else, especially when you are in Seattle. The Ballard Locks, is a complex of locks at the west end of Salmon Bay, in Seattle, Washington’s. This awesome location gives lots of fun free stuff to do in Seattle.
While boats travel thru The Ballard Locks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week visitors can visit from 7am to 9pm. While visiting you will see boats traveling thru, and see large ships & small boats up close and personal.
Depending on the time of year, you will get to see the Salmon migration. Each year from mid-Jun until September, the Salmon (3 different types) make their migration thru the Ballard Locks.
If you are visiting Seattle from April thru October, you can add touring the Ballard visitor center/museum and historic admin building to your list of free things to do in Seattle. They have a free walking tour of the Ballard Locks, that starts at the Visitors center and lasts about 60 minutes. Then from there head on over to the the world class botanical garden and take a stroll.
See more information here.
Center for Wooden Boats
When you are visiting an area near water, there tends to be a lot of things to do and see that involve boats. The Center for Wooden boats if another boat and water centered free things to do in Seattle activity.
The center is dedicated to the preservation of the crafts, history, and interest of individuals in wooden boats. While visiting the Center for Wooden boats, there is an entire fleet of wooden boats for you to view and learn about.
If you are looking to make the trip even more exciting, they offer a free public sail every Sunday from 11am-3pm and free Pond Boat Sailing on Saturdays and Sundays.
See more information here.
Kelsey Creek Farm
If you and the kids love animals, head out and check out Kelsey Creek Farm. There is no entrance fee and depending on when you visit the farm there are special free events that are going on sometimes. There is also a playground that is perfect for the kids to play on.
See more information here.
FREE Museums in Seattle
Frye Art Museum
There are several art museums in Seattle, and most have very limited free days or hours in the evening that you can visit for free. However there is a great museum to check out that is perfect for adding to your list of free things to do in Seattle. The Frye Art Museum!
This museum was created to display the the private collection of the Frye’s and is large enough that the items on display are regularly rotated in order to display new items for guests to see with each visit.
The Frye museum is free for guests daily! You can explore the museum on your own or you can take a free tour. Just about daily, they have free one-hour interactive tours of the Museum’s exhibitions. These tours are led by trained gallery guides on Tuesday–Sunday at 1 pm and Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 11:30 am.
Get more information here.
Children’s Museums in Seattle
There are plenty of Children’s museums to check out when you are visiting Seattle. Many of them also offer select days where admission is free. You can plan your trip around the free days, to get the most out of your budget when you are in Seattle. I will also note that the prices of admission on the days that are not free are very budget friendly for the most part. So even if you can not go on a free day, many of these museums fall under a cheap thing to do in Seattle.
The Museum of Flight is free on the first Thursday of the month from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and kids 4 and younger are always free. Get more information here.
The MOHAI Museum offers free admission for children under age 14. Get more information here.
The Kids Discovery Museum offers free admission on the first Thursday of the month from 10am to 4pm. Get more information here.
The Imagine Children’s Museum offers free admission on the third Friday of each month from 5:30-9pm. Get more information here.
The Seattle Art Museum offers free admission for anyone 12 and under all the time. Plus everyone can get free admission from 10am-9pm on the first Thursday of each month. Get more information here.
The Northwest African American Museum offers free admission to children under 3 all the time and every first Thursday of the month from 11 am.-7 pm. Get more information here.
The Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience offers free admission to children under 3 all the time and every first Thursday of the month from 1o am.-8 pm. Get more information here.
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