Weekender: Family Fun Ideas for Seattle, the Eastside and South Sound

I'm looking into our future, and I'm seeing a lot of mud. I like being outside enough that I don't actually mind the rain, and can usually get my crew to go with me... but all the resulting muddy shoes and wet feet and dripping jackets? That stuff I can live without (because during pandemic remote “school” is when I have time to do more laundry... sigh). Whether you want to march forth into the mud (perhaps to free parks or the pumpkin patch?) or cozy up indoors (for virtual fun with parrots or firefighters?), check our list of top picks for family fun this weekend, inside and out. Enjoy!

10 ideas for family fun this weekend and beyond:

1. Ride up a hill or to a little free library during the remaining days of Bike Everywhere Week, then complete your Bingo card to enter to win a prize (through Sunday).
2. Learn cooking tips from Italian chefs and sign up to play all-ages Bingo Italiano on Zoom this weekend as the annual Italian Festival goes virtual (Friday–Saturday).
3. Join a free, virtual, interactive play exploring social justice, community dialog, the coming election and race relations. Audience participation is encouraged (Sept. 25–Oct. 4).
4. Keep your tootsies mud-free while touring 21 Acres Farm and learning about farming in the Sammamish Valley — the tour is via Zoom (Saturday).
5. Tune in for a virtual edition of Fire Day with Fire Chief Scoggins, firefighters reading stories, videos, safety tips and crafts (Saturday).
6. Pick up a craft kit at Job Carr Cabin and find out what kind of "device" kids used for their homework 150 years ago (Saturday).
7. Rain, schmain! Don't let the drizzle keep you cooped up indoors. It's a free day at both state and national parks so suit up your crew and head outside (Saturday).
8. Get a taste of the beloved St. Demetrios Greek Festival by ordering some super tasty treats to pick up for your fam (Saturday–Sunday).
9. Learn all about parrots and hear from parrot experts from all over the world during 2020's weeklong virtual Seattle Parrot Expo (Sept. 26–Oct. 3).
10. We are digging the story walk trend and a kitty-riffic new one has popped up at the Des Moines library; other story walks continue around town as well (ongoing).

More any-time fun ideas:

• Find your perfect pumpkin using our list of pumpkin patches for Seattle- and Eastside-area families, or our list of pumpkin patches for South Sound-area families.
• We wrote up this list for smoke, but now it's rain that has folks looking for somewhere to go with kids indoors.
• Pick an orchard that looks good to you (and confirm it's open before you go), then head out to pick a bushel of our state's awesome apples!
• Wear your jackets and have the trail to yourself on wide, kid-friendly hiking trails, these less-traveled walking paths for families or best-bet alternatives to popular local trails.

Our family fun calendar now features great virtual events alongside returning in-person events! There are plenty of engaging activities to fill your days with fun. If you do go out, please stay safe — which includes mandatory wearing of face coverings in public spaces.