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

We are launching into April, flirting with temps in the 60s and reveling in a canopy of lovely cherry blossoms! As a counterpart to pale and delicate cherry blossoms, bright and sturdy tulips are also winding up for their moment in the sun: The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival begins Saturday. Plan your weekend with our foolproof picks: flowery, dragon-y and sluggy fun. Enjoy all that and go wild on the playground of the week!

10 activities for family fun this weekend:

1. Easter fun is starting to hatch with egg hunts and other activities happening around town (starting Friday).
2. Fire safety is always in style! Meet firefighters, enjoy story time with the chief and tour the equipment at a Station 37 open house (Saturday).
3. It’s a Saturday morning dance party for the tots: The Not-Its! will be rockin’ the clubhouse, and you don’t want to miss it (Saturday).
4. This may be Pierce County’s most beautiful day: The gorgeous daffodil parades make their way through four cities (Saturday).
5. Kraken games too pricey? Get an up-close view of your favorite Kraken players in action by watching an open practice, for free (Saturday).
6. What are El Toro Loco, Monster Mutt and Grave Digger doing at Lumen Field? Flying, stomping and backflipping! It’s Monster Jam! (Saturday).
7. On your way to the tulip fields, stop by a sweet petting zoo put on by a local 4-H club and meet bunnies, goats, ducks and ponies (Saturday–Sunday).
8. We’re going on a dragon hunt, we’re going to catch a big one! Join Erasmus’ hatch day scavenger hunt to search for dragons and hidden eggs (starting Saturday).
9. Ferry over to a remarkable and super kid-friendly nature preserve to explore its fantastic trails (Sunday).
10. They’re slow, they’re slimy, they’re the masters of the forest floor! Join a ranger to learn about the secret life of slugs (Sunday).
11. Bonus! Don’t miss this! It’s Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s (Monday).

More any-time outings:

• The cherry blossoms are pink and all aflutter at UW; you’ll want to frolic among the petals pretty soon.
• Tulip timing is ruled by Mother Nature. Read our tulip festival guide to plan your visit.
• Swing high and zip fast at our just-updated batch of the most adventurous playgrounds.
• When spring rains hit, head indoors to this hoppin’ new family fun venue or to this fascinating new exhibit kids will love.

Our family fun calendar features great community events — every day of the year!