12 Incredible Destination Libraries Around Seattle and Beyond
Photo:
Elisabeth C. Miller Library. Photo credit: JiaYing Grygiel
8. Elisabeth C. Miller Library
Find it: 3501 N.E. 41st St., Seattle
It’s the library no one knows about, and the nicest people work there. I heard that tip from a children’s librarian, and I had to check out the Elisabeth C. Miller Library at the Center for Urban Horticulture.
The Miller Library is a horticulture library and is a great resource for anyone who likes plants and nature. Each month the library offers a virtural children’s story time. Stop by the library to pick up an activity kit that follows the theme of that month's story for some creative fun at home.
And yes, it has a children’s section, a sunny nook with more than 700 kids’ books. Topics are wide-ranging: bees, garden animals, wildlife, flower and vegetable gardens, forests, seeds, weather and climate, birds and composting. The book spines are color-coded for age appropriateness.
Anyone can register to check out books at the Miller Library. The library is free and open to the public. There is even a free parking lot.
Day trip: After book time, a hike is in order. Look for five display gardens around the building campus, including a fragrance garden. My kids also love the Yesler Swamp boardwalk trail, which is a 15-minute loop popular with bird-watchers, just one trail among 74 acres of nature trails. For lunch, University Village is a two-minute drive away, making it the closest place to get food — hello, Din Tai Fung and Molly Moon’s!
