Summer is a perfect time for family outings, but the cost of many popular activities can quickly lighten pocketbooks. When you want a day trip where you're not counting pennies, try one of these 10 free or nearly free options.
1. View some art
Several local museums offer free admission on selected nights or days (see related sidebar) but the Frye Art Museum is always free (donations welcome). If parents aren't sure how long kids will quietly gaze at paintings, the Frye is a risk-free outing. The one-floor museum is small enough to visit briefly. When kids get bored, the free parking lot is right across the street. Current exhibits include 19th century photographic landscapes from the George Eastman House; American landscape paintings; and graphic artwork from the museum's permanent collection.
For a small fee, the museum offers a Family Fun Studio on selected Sundays when parents and children ages 3 to 12 can visit art-making stations to try a variety of materials.
If kids prefer to run while viewing their art, opt for the Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition at Bellevue Downtown Park , which features outdoor artwork by 24 artists.
2. Dig into Seattle 's history
To appreciate the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Seattle 's Pioneer Square , come for the 1 p.m. gold-panning demonstration and stay long enough to catch a movie explaining the effect of the gold rush on the city's fortunes. Otherwise, the small visitor center's exhibits aren't very interactive for kids, though elementary-school children can pick up a junior ranger pamphlet and try to find answers to questions. Admission is free, but bring quarters for street parking.
3. Watch salmon and boats
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 ELLEN M. BANNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES
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Sean Bigelow, 2, and his grandmother spent some time at the fish ladder at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard during a visit from California . A visit to the locks is free. |
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Summer is a great time to visit the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, with the sockeye salmon run peaking this month and a constant stream of boats crowding into the locks. Kids love to wave to boat passengers and watch the vessels slowly sink or rise as they move through the locks.
Older children who want to better understand the process can visit the visitor center and try an interactive locks control panel where they pretend to open the gates and determine water flow. Other hands-on exhibits let kids spin wheels to match types of salmon and maneuver a ball through a maze to show all the dangers the fish face.
The biggest hit for many kids will be the fish ladder, located at the far end of the dam. The chinook arrive in August, with coho following in September. On a recent visit, one salmon looked like it was missing a bite of skin — probably the work of a sea lion, harbor seal or orca, a tour guide explained.
Families can bring a picnic to enjoy on the spacious grassy lawns or tour the botanical garden.
4. Take a sailboat ride
The Center for Wooden Boats offers free half-hour sailing jaunts on Lake Union in the museum's classic boats Sundays through September. Possible boats include the Admirable, a restored Bristol Bay gillnetter; Colleen Wagner, an Egret Sharpie; Amie, a Friendship sloop; and Puffin, a 1906 steam launch. Rides depart at 2 and 3 p.m. , but arrive early to reserve a spot.
Center docents lead tours at 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. just before the public sail. Admission to the center is free and families can look at boats along the dock or walk out to watch sailboats on the lake. It's worth coming on a Sunday so kids aren't frustrated by seeing boats but not being able to get in one. Upstairs, there's a telescope and a few boat models kids might like.
5. Visit animals
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 TOM REESE / THE SEATTLE TIMES, 2001
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A calf and bunny keep each other company at Farrel-McWirter Park in Redmond . |
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Three local parks are home to farm animals: Kelsey Creek Park in Bellevue , Farrel-McWhirter Park in Redmond and Forest Park in Everett .
Kelsey Creek 's popular farm features sheep, pigs, ponies, rabbits and chickens. It also has a nice playground for younger children, and lawns and trails for walking and picnicking.
Farrel-McWhirter's forested setting makes for a picturesque farm, home to goats, ponies, pigs, chickens and rabbits. Check out the converted silo.
Unlike the two Eastside farms, where the animals are for viewing only, the Forest Park Animal Farm is a free petting zoo where kids can feed their barnyard favorites. Come in the afternoon to catch bottle feeding about noon or take a free pony ride from 2 to 3 p.m. daily.
For another free interactive animal outing, bring carrots or lettuce to feed the rabbits at Woodland Park (the actual park, not the zoo). On a recent afternoon, some 50 rabbits hopped around to munch handouts (the bunnies are too skittish for petting, however).
6. Take a Jetty Island trip
A popular day trip is to ride the free passenger ferry over to this human-made island in Everett 's harbor. The 2-mile-long sandy beach offers shallow wading (no lifeguards on duty). Families can participate in educational programs, such as puppet shows, interpretive walks and nature crafts.
Come early for the shortest waits and first pick of return times. Bring carriers rather than strollers because island paths are sand. Carry along drinks and snacks as there are no concession stands, and don't forget hats and sunscreen, as there is no shade. The ferry drops passengers off on the east side of the island, and visitors must walk to the beach on the other side.
On nice days, ferry service over to the island may stop early if it gets too crowded.
7. Play in a fountain
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 STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES, 1998
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Seattle has three neighborhood parks with interactive water features, including Pratt Park , above. |
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Perhaps the best-known is the International Fountain at the Seattle Center . Different patterns of water shoot up from the smooth silver dome, usually accompanied by music. The cycles often end with a dramatic shoot of water straight into the air. Generally, the fountain runs 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. There's also the small Baby Whale's Tail Fountain in the sculpture garden near the Seattle Children's Theatre and the Pacific Science Center entrance.
Seattle also has three neighborhood parks with interactive water features. The most inventive is at Pratt Park ( 1800 S. Main St. ), where kids can manipulate animal-shaped water cannons. Lower Judkins Park ( 2150 S. Norman St. ) is an older spray pool with a red cement tower that shoots out water. Children can also play in the memorial fountain at Miller Playfield ( 330 19th Ave. E. , adjacent to the community center). The water at each park is turned on from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily during the summer, weather permitting.
Lynnwood has two older cement spray pools: Dalaway Park (19015 64 Ave. W.) has a lighthouse in the middle that sprays water, while North Lynnwood Park (18510 44th Ave. W.) features a dragon that blows mist out of its nose. The fountains run on a five-minute timer all day.
On the Eastside, Redmond Town Center ( 16495 N.E. 74th St. , Redmond ) offers a small fountain at the Center Street Plaza . Kids are welcome to play in the water, which shoots out at ground-level. It runs during business hours.
8. Look at the stars
Novices who don't want to fork out for a large telescope can appreciate the night sky at observatories and "star parties." Check out stars, moon and other planets at twice-monthly public sessions at the University of Washington's Campus Observatory and monthly "star parties" at Seattle's Green Lake Park and Seward Park, Shoreline's Paramount Park and Bainbridge Island's Edwin E. Ritchie Observatory.
9. Visit a destination park
Bypass your local haunts and explore one of the great destination parks outside your neighborhood. Around Seattle , families can hike trails, build sandcastles, dip toes in water or play on toy structures. State parks require a $5 parking fee but city parks are free around the area.
Day-trip worthy parks include West Seattle's Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way S.W., Seattle); North Seattle's Carkeek Park (950 N.W. Carkeek Park Road, Seattle); Sand Point Magnuson Park (7400 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle); Renton's Gene Coulon Memorial Park (1201 Lake Washington Blvd. N., Renton); and Burien's Seahurst Park (13059 16th Ave. S.W., Burien).
10. Watch a movie
Local Regal Cinema theaters, including Crossroads 8, East Valley Stadium 13, Auburn Stadium 17, Alderwood Stadium 7, Mountlake 9 and Everett 9, will play free G- and PG-rated movies at 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays through Aug. 18. The G-rated movies include "Jimmy Neutron" and "Rugrats: The Movie," while the PG-rated fare includes "Elf," "Agent Cody Banks" and "Daddy Day Care." Theaters show different movies, so check around; if one film doesn't appeal, another might. For specific listings, visit www.uatc.com/fam ily_film/index.html.
Woodinville 12 offers free children's movies at 1 p.m. Wednesdays. Upcoming films include "Hey, Arnold ," Wednesday; "Harriet the Spy," Aug. 4; and "Andre the Seal," Aug. 11.
Several outdoor cinemas offer free movies, though some are more appropriate for teens. Movies start at dusk. For younger kids, try Cinema Under the Stars at Everett 's Thornton A. Sullivan Park. There's a $1 suggested donation per person. Films will include "The Muppet Movie" July 30 and "Shrek" Aug. 6. For teens, opt for the PG-13-rated fare at the Renton Cinema on the Piazza or the Seattle Center Outdoor Cinema.
StephanieDunnewind: sdunnewind@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company
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