Best Things to Do With Kids on the Seattle Waterfront

Play hometown tourist at the Seattle Waterfront

Seattle is a city that people from all over the world come to visit. Our temperate climate is becoming even more of a draw now that other parts of the country, and world, are experiencing extreme heat. I’ve never found a more perfect place to fully appreciate the city’s cool sea air than along the Seattle Waterfront. 

My family loves exploring the 1.3-mile-long Seattle Waterfront for an exciting and easy day of fun. Some things are free — the views of Puget Sound and the Olympics, watching ferries and container ships on Elliott Bay — and all of it is family-friendly! (And Pier 58 will be home to a new marine-themed playground, hopefully by summer 2025.)

To make getting to each attraction easier, the free Waterfront Shuttle is back for summer 2024. The shuttle runs daily, every 15 minutes from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., through Sept. 2, 2024. (It’s possible the shuttle will be extended through September, check the website for updates.)  

Pick one end to start your waterfront adventure: the Olympic Sculpture Park to the north, or the Washington State Ferries Colman Dock to the south. Bring a stroller and stash water bottles, sunscreen and an extra layer just in case and you’re ready to start exploring.

Now, let’s get going on a Seattle Waterfront adventure. Click the arrow above the image on each page, or the link at the bottom, to scroll through all our fabulous family destinations. Or, jump to the Seattle Waterfront feature you are ready to explore today: 

• Argosy Cruises
• Seattle Aquarium
• The Seattle Great Wheel
• Ye Olde Curiosity Shop
• Ivar’s Fish Bar
• Olympic Sculpture Park

First stop: Argosy Cruises

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2020. It was updated in July 2024 by ParentMap’s associate editor, Kari Hanson, and again in October 2024 by ParentMap’s family fun editor, Meredith Charaba. New details were added, including information about the opening of the Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion and Seattle Waterfront’s Overlook Walk.

Argosy Cruises

Find it: 1101 Alaskan Way, Pier 55

Get your bearings by starting with a scenic Harbor Cruise, a one-hour boat ride narrated by the captain and crew. This is the easiest, most accessible of Argosy’s boat tours, and it loops around Elliott Bay. Learn about the city while you enjoy the breeze coming off the salt water and panoramic views of the downtown skyline and the mountains.

“Once you get on a boat and it backs out, the engine rumbling, it’s a totally different view,” said Tim Ratcliffe, Argosy’s director of island and marine operations. “You see the city in a different light as you see it from a distance. It’s kind of a quick game-changer. Give yourself a few to get away.”

For Ratcliffe, getting his feet off the dirt and onto a boat is like taking a vacation from downtown Seattle. So, whenever he’s on a tour, he always tries to stay outside to enjoy the scenery.

“That’s relaxing to me, getting those long, pretty views on a sunny day,” said Ratcliffe. “I always get lost in the mountain views. Views of Mount Rainier, the Brothers or Mount Baker on a clear morning. What really draws me is that I can look out at the Olympics, and I know where Chief Sealth had a camp. Where Vancouver came through. Those views are exactly the same as they had.”

Argosy’s Locks Cruise takes families through the famous Ballard Locks and promises “over 120 years of Seattle history in 120 minutes.”

Pro tip: Washington state residents receive a discount on cruise tickets.

Next stop: Seattle Aquarium

Seattle Aquarium

Find it: 1483 Alaskan Way, Pier 59

The aquarium is so much friendlier to toddlers than a zoo because you can see all the exhibits up close. Seattle Aquarium, the nation’s ninth largest, includes marine mammals, an underwater dome and a 120,000-gallon “Windows on Washington” exhibit. The giant Pacific octopus and the sea lions are our favorites. Fun fact: The water in Pacific Northwest exhibits is pumped in straight from Elliott Bay, right under your feet.

Visitors can check out the Caring Cove play area and meet a giant octopus. During late spring and summer, spot aquarium critters in the wild during free, low-tide beach walks at many Puget Sound beaches and parks.

On Aug. 29 the new, and highly anticipated, Ocean Pavilion opened. Focusing on the Indo-Pacific Ocean and Coral Triangle, the expansion of the Seattle Aquarium emphasizes the interconnectedness of our waters. There is plenty to explore — see if you can spot Indo-Pacific leopard sharks, eagle rays, anemones and coral on your visit.

The Ocean Pavilion has a public rooftop, part of Seattle’s Overlook Walk. The walkway opens on Oct. 4 and gives visitors a direct route from the waterfront aquarium to Pike Place Market. Let the kids climb and slide on Bluff Walk, enjoy the garden of native plants and public artwork, and take in the waterfront views.

Next stop: The Seattle Great Wheel

The Seattle Great Wheel

Find it: 1301 Alaskan Way, Pier 57

It’s hard to miss it: the giant Ferris wheel called The Seattle Great Wheel, jutting out onto Elliott Bay. Constructed in 2012, the Great Wheel quickly became as iconic to the Seattle cityscape as the Space Needle. It’s the largest observation wheel on the West Coast. Each ride in an enclosed gondola takes you three revolutions around and gives you views of the city and the water. Go at sunset and the view will really knock your socks off.

Wallet looking empty? Enjoy the Great Wheel’s light show displays for free, typically every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. The 500,000 LED lights beam festive colors for holidays and special occasions, such as blue and green for the Seattle Sounders.

Next stop: Ye Olde Curiosity Shop

Ye Olde Curiosity Shop

Find it: 1001 Alaskan Way, Pier 54

It’s fun to browse the shops and galleries along the waterfront, and the quirkiest of them all is Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. Where else can you see a taxidermy four-legged hen, a walrus skull with three tusks or seven shrunken heads from the Amazon? Ye Olde Curiosity Shop has been hawking curios and souvenirs on the waterfront since 1899, when Seattle was still a city filled with lumberjacks and wannabe gold diggers.

The shop occasionally varies its hours; check the Facebook page for any updates.

Next stop: Ivar’s Fish Bar

Ivar’s Fish Bar

Find it: 1001 Alaskan Way, Pier 54

Fast, hot and delicious food — that’s pretty much the trifecta for parents with hungry children. Ivar’s is a Seattle institution and its Pier 54 Fish Bar is a must-visit. Order some food to go at the walk-up counter (we highly recommend the cod fish and chips and clam chowder) and treat the family to an alfresco meal on one of the piers. You’ll be licking up the crumbs — and the seagulls will be happy to catch anything you miss.

Next stop: Olympic Sculpture Park

Olympic Sculpture Park

Find it: 2901 Western Ave.

Maybe on your Harbor Cruise you noticed a park with a zigzag path? And a giant red sculpture? That’s the Olympic Sculpture Park on the north end of the waterfront, named for the beautiful mountain range to the west. Wander among sculptures by world-class artists (Alexander Calder, Louise Bourgeois, Richard Serra) and even explore a pocket beach.

Every hour on the hour, a bell chimes and the Father and Son water fountain reverses. Take the walkway over the railroad tracks, where transportation-obsessed kids will love that you can watch train, car, plane and boat traffic all from the same vantage point.

The park is open dawn to dusk daily, and it is always free. The pavilion is open Sunday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.