Weekender: Top Family Events for Seattle and the Eastside

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It's our first July weekend and a holiday on Tuesday; are you making a four-day weekend out of it? Perhaps your adventures are all mapped out; if not, we've got great ideas for inspecting fire trucks, wandering through nature-filled parks, building toy boats and lots more. For Independence Day, we've got these favorite fireworks tips and Fourth fests, from our readers, and our grand ol' list of Fourth of July events for 2017. Happy Fourth!

• Climb aboard some big rigs and chat with firefighters and other emergency responders at Kids Safety Day (Friday).
• Join an amazing butterfly migration watching The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies FREE (Friday).
• Enjoy a sweet combo of bluegrass and ice cream at Magnuson Park (Friday).
• Make a wish at the Seattle Japanese Garden's Tanabata Festival (Saturday).
• Venture out to a local park for a terrific and FREE family nature walk (Saturday–Sunday).
• Paddle in for maritime fun at the Lake Union Wodden Boat Festival (Saturday–Tuesday).
• How do orangutans celebrate the Fourth of July? Find out (Saturday–Sunday).
• Get inspired to grow your own food at a tour of neighborhood edible gardens (Saturday).
• Visit the mini donkeys at this enchanting historic farm (Saturday–Sunday).
• Dive in to fin-tastic shark activities, including touching some little sharks, at Tacoma's Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (Saturday–Sunday).
• Celebrate the Fourth swimming for FREE at one of Tacoma's terrific outdoor pools (Tuesday).
• Play tourist over the weekend and wander through the expanded Pike Place Market; its new MarketFront's grand opening is Thursday, June 29.

Need more ideas? You're sure to find boatloads of fun in our list of 58 free or cheap things to do this summer. Splash around at a super-fun spray park, chill out on a cool family bike ride through a tunnel or gather up summer's berry bounty at a local U-pick berry farm. And check out our full family fun calendar for more activities every day of the week.