9 Supercool Tree Houses, Forts and Lookouts Around Seattle to Explore With Kids

Stunning Fort Worden Historical State Park, once a military fort, boasts more than two miles of saltwater shoreline, historic buildings and miles of trails, some of which lead to battery structures. Set your young explorers loose on Artillery Hill’s trail system. Fun fact: You can stay overnight at Fort Worden!

Highlights include being able to walk the dank, unlit tunnels of 12 former batteries. These batteries served as emplacements for guns that once protected the entrance to Puget Sound and the naval shipyard at Bremerton.

“The Fort, along with Forts Casey and Flagler, were constructed between 1897 and 1905. The guns were removed from the forts beginning in World War I and never replaced. All three forts were decommissioned by 1953, having never fired a gun in anger,” said Tim Caldwell, Fort Worden’s guest services representative.

Tips: Trail maps are available at the Commons building on the Fort Worden campus. Use caution when climbing the stairs of the gun emplacements, since many lack bannisters or hand rails. Bring a flashlight to explore the fun but very dark and twisty tunnels. There are open areas in front of most of the gun emplacements that lead to the bluff overlooking the Strait of Juan d Fuca and Puget Sound.

Info: Note that you need a daily or annual Discover Pass for parking, as this is a state park.

Don’t miss: Memory’s Vault, an area on Artillery Hill that features pillars of poetry written by Sam Hamill; the poems speak of the fort’s sights, sounds, history and weather. The charming town of Port Townsend is always worth a visit. Or venture to Fort Flagler State Park on the other side of Port Townsend Bay on Marrowstone Island, about a 30-minute drive away. Fort Flagler also has gun emplacements to explore, along with a 1905 military hospital and plenty of beach for building forts.

^{Top image credit: Jim Culp/Flickr CC}

Next stop: TreeHouse Point