Location: Bellevue Address: 410 130th Pl. S.E., Bellevue/Crossroads Acreage: 150 Spring is the perfect time of year to escape to the countryside and visit Kelsey Creek Park, an enormous green space with a working farm east of downtown Bellevue. Many kids who grow up on the Eastside remember this park fondly as a popular field… Continue reading Kelsey Creek Park
Category: kids
Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park
Location: Renton/Eastside Address: 1201 Lake Washington Blvd. N., Renton Acreage: 57 With its lakefront setting that’s hugely popular for boating and swimming, Gene Coulon Park seems like it would be destined only for summer fame. Don’t be caught in that trap: this is one of the best area parks for winter walks. The park’s long,… Continue reading Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park
132nd Square Park
Location: Kirkland/Eastside Address: 13159 132nd Ave. N.E., Kirkland Acreage: 9.76 An example of a great neighborhood park, this park drew me for a spring birthday party last year, and I have been back twice to enjoy it again. It is a square, and it sits appropriately on the corner of 132nd Ave. N.E. and N.E.… Continue reading 132nd Square Park
White Center Bike Playground/Dick Thurnau Park
Location: White Center/West Seattle Address: 11050 10th Ave. S.W. Acreage: 33.42 All it takes is some paint on a flat surface to create a fun new activity for kids on wheels. Opened in late 2016, this “bike playground” is modeled after popular ones in Europe that help teach kids how to ride their bikes in… Continue reading White Center Bike Playground/Dick Thurnau Park
North Transfer Station
Location: North Seattle/Wallingford/Fremont Address: Woodlawn Ave. N. and N. 35th St. Acreage: ~1.1 I bet you’ve never seen a dump this fancy. The North Transfer Station, as it prefers to be known, has undergone a giant ($108 million) renovation. The building is supposedly top-of-the-line with reduced odor and more capacity. But, check out the park… Continue reading North Transfer Station
Google Playground and Cross Kirkland Corridor
Location: Kirkland/Eastside Address: 7th Ave. S. and 5th Pl. S., Kirkland (between Google Buildings B and D) Acreage: ~ 3.0 I’ve been on a new mission to find cool examples of public-private partnerships that result in public spaces. Did you know that Google’s Kirkland campus has a park at its heart? Opened in 2015, the… Continue reading Google Playground and Cross Kirkland Corridor
Lake Sammamish State Park
Location: Issaquah/Sammamish Address: 2000 N.W. Sammamish Rd., Issaquah Acreage: 512 It doesn’t matter if you live on the Eastside or in Seattle, if you haven’t been to Lake Sammamish State Park you should schedule a trip. This huge recreation area manages to strike a careful balance between people and nature. Ballfields and popular swimming beaches… Continue reading Lake Sammamish State Park
Lewis Creek Park
Location: Bellevue/Eastside Address: 5808 Lakemont Blvd. S.E., Bellevue Acreage: 55 With most of its acres protected as forest and wetland, this hilltop park in the Eastgate/Coal Creek area is fun to explore even in rainy weather. A beautiful Visitors Center (open Wed.-Sun. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.) has comfy chairs and big windows that look… Continue reading Lewis Creek Park