10 Things to Do With Kids Around Seattle The Last Days of Summer 2020

Update Aug. 6, 2020: The City of Seattle has opened four Seattle beaches — with lifeguards! These are: Madison Park Beach, Magnuson Park Beach, Pritchard Island Beach (all on Lake Washington) and West Green Lake (by the Bathhouse Theater, not the community center.) Check lifeguard hours on the swimming beaches page. All other Seattle Parks and Recreation beaches will remain closed for the remainder of the season.

Other swimming beaches around King County remain closed due to high bacteria levels. These are: Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park and Madrona Beach (on Lake Washington, and Lake Wilderness Beach in Maple Valley.

Lots of our usual places for a refreshing splash with kids are closed this summer: outdoor pools, spray parks and wading pools. Thanks, pandemic. But we still have our lakes (and Puget Sound if you're a polar bear). We rounded up some great Seattle-area lake-swimming spots for your crew, on Lake Washington, Lake Sammamish and more.

Seattle Parks initially announced it would provide lifeguards at five Seattle beaches this summer, starting July 1, but they postponed this a couple of times, and opened four city beaches with lifeguards in early August. Parks staff strongly recommend against swimming where lifeguards are not present, though our eyes on the ground indicate people are doing this anyway. Definitely keep water safety top of mind wherever you swim, even in a backyard kiddie pool.

If you're up for a bit more adventure, we've also got a selection of awesome swimming holes for families around Washington, or hikes to mountain lakes.

Or just cool off in your yard with a DIY water-play set up.