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Seattle - Seattle Center

Space Needle

The Seattle Center is many things in one - iconic landmark Space Needle, hands-on music and pop-culture EMP Museum (which looks like a wavy guitar in bright colors), fabulous playground next door, glowing Chihuly Garden and Glass, science and children's museums, grass to run around, indoor food court, and a musical fountain where kids can play and get wet in the summer months.

    Space Needle – Ride to the sky, 600ft up to the top the Space Needle for spectacular views of Seattle, Mt. Rainier to the south and snow covered peaks on the Olympic Peninsula to the west (free telescopes). At nighttime, the Seattle waterfront is ringed in a necklace of lights, ships are lit up, and ferries are bright little beacons flickering in the darkness. The observation deck is open air, so if you go at night, bring sweaters.
      Tip: Free admission and no waiting in lines with Seattle CityPass.
  Seattle Center Playground – Fabulous "artists at play" playground with a music theme. Kids can play on sound swings and sound fence, toss pebbles to make gongs ring, turn wheels to generate a wind chime, talk to each other through pipes, and run all over the climbing tower and slides.
  MoPOP - Museum of Pop Culture – This is a hands-on museum (formerly EMP Museum) that’s all about popular music, movies and video games. Jimi Hendrix grew up in Seattle, and galleries are chock full of his guitars.
    In Sound Lab, kids can pick up instruments to play keyboard, drums, or electric guitar, mix sounds and play DJ.
      Other galleries have artifacts from science fiction and fantasy movies - swords from Lord of the Rings, costumes and weapons from Harry Potter, Alien, Terminator, Star Wars, and more.
      Tip: Free admission with Seattle CityPass.
  Ride the Monorail – Take a short, speedy ride on the Monorail, zooming high above the streets from Seattle Center to Westlake Center. The monorail goes right through the EMP Museum and is the speediest way to go downtown. If you sit right up front, you can watch the driver drive, and the driver might let the kids open the doors at the end of the ride.
  Chihuly Garden and Glass – Pacific Northwest artist Dale Chihuly creates glowing artworks in glass. This indoor and outdoor museum is filled with his unique creations – sculpture with sea creatures and waves, a Persian ceiling, floating boats filled with glass balls, a glasshouse of blooming flowers. In summer, we stepped outside to find a live garden combining flowers with glass sculptures. Any time of year, this is a must see!
      Read our blog post: "Chihuly Garden and Glass"
    International Fountain – A musical fountain that’s perfect on a warm day. The fountain plays in time with the music (the music changes), kids can run down the slope, in and out of the fountain, and they may get wet. (Bring swimsuit or a change of clothes.)
  Pacific Science Center – On a rainy day, head inside to the butterfly house with free flying butterflies, tropical plants and a toasty warm environment. Check out animatronic dinosaurs and robotic insects, plus live insects and reptiles, small saltwater touch tank with sea anemones, hands-on activities with magnets, plus toddler play area, and two IMAX theaters. In good weather, kids will have fun with the Water Works outdoors.
      Tip: Free admission with Seattle CityPass.
    ArmoryHere’s where you you’ll find an inside food court with pizza, sandwiches, hamburgers, Chinese, tacos, bagels, sweets, and ice cream.
    Seattle Children’s Theatre – Shows for toddlers to teens, such as puppets for the littlest ones or zombies for teens, musicals and more. Click here for the schedule.
    Seattle Children’s Museum – A museum for little kids, mazes and levers to push and pull in Cog City, try on clothes in the Global Village, build a fort or clubhouse, play with trains, serve up food, create art projects, climb through a stump, slide down a glacier in the Mountain.
    DuPen Fountain – In summer, this is place to come with toddlers – charming fountain for little ones to wade and play in the shallow water. Picnic tables too. Fountain is located next to the Key Arena.
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