We used to live in Seattle and LOVED it there! So, when my husband said he was going on a business trip to Seattle and we had airplane miles to use, I jumped at the chance to go. This was our first time visiting Seattle with kids and it was really fun being back!

One thing we miss about living in this beautiful city is the never-ending good restaurants and food available. When planning our 3-day trip back to Seattle with kids, I made sure to fill our schedule with great restaurants.

FYI, our two little kids are 3 and a half and 17 months. (This trip would have been very different without them.)

This post basically follows our itinerary, but I shuffled around some activities. (Because we were locals, we skipped some of the touristy stuff like the Space Needle, the aquarium, etc. this time and visited a few old friends instead. You probably won’t be seeing our friends, so I shuffled our actual itinerary around to help make your itinerary more smooth.) The days below will share some cool food to try and things to do in Seattle with kids.

Day 1 in Seattle with Kids (1/2 Day–Evening)

Our flight got in at 3pm, so by the time we got our rental car and were nearing our AirBnb, it was almost 5pm.

AirBnb in Wallingford Neighborhood

Because we have a rental car to help us get around easily with the kids and their carseats, an Airbnb with parking was essential.

This one bedroom worked perfectly for us because they had a pack ‘n play and a high chair for our baby to use. And our toddler could fit in the king sized bed with us. When the kids went to bed, we were able to hang out in the living room and join them once we were ready to go to bed too. I recommend this place and liked the modern, clean feel that was still kid-friendly.

Paseo Caribbean Food for Dinner

After picking up our rental car but before heading to our AirBnb in the Wallingford neighborhood, we made a quick stop by Paseo Caribbean Food (or just “Paseo” as the locals call it) at their Fremont location and picked up 2 #1’s and a side of rice and beans to go. Jake and I each ate a sandwich and the kids ate the rice and beans and stole bites from us.

They claim to have the best sandwich in Seattle and it’s no joke. Absolutely get their #1. The Caribbean Roast. It is SOOO good, we were mmmming our way through every bite. What makes it so good? Tender roasted pulled pork shoulder, big caramelized onions, delicious aioli, romaine, and herbs all on a hearty baguette. You will be messy by the end of it, so don’t even try to keep your fingers and face clean–just embrace it and enjoy!

I’m sad to say, we snarfed our food down before we thought to get a picture, but it’s the taste that matters anyway. Here’s a pic from their website.

Archie McPhee Novelty Store

On our way to dessert, we walked past Archie McPhee, a crazy novelty store, and had to go inside. The kids were entertained and so were we with all the weird assortment of stuff. There were masks, hard-to-find candies, funny cards, weird odds and ends, and the biggest rubber chicken in the world.

We let the kids each pick out a toy and they were happy about their plastic reptile selections. (My son picked a snake and my daughter picked a frog.)

Molly Moon’s Ice Cream for Dessert

Even though it’s coat weather, we went to Molly Moon’s Ice Cream for dessert. I love their twist on the classics. I got the cookie dough flavor and it had an oatmeal cookie base. The others got chocolate. Btw, we have learned that we never need more than a kid scoop (which adults are also allowed to get here).

Fainting Goat is another great ice cream shop. If this and Molly Moon’s were equidistant from our AirBnb, we probably would have picked Fainting Goat. (FYI, there’s also a Fremont location.)

Day 2 in Seattle with Kids

TNT Taqueria for Breakfast

To start off the day, we did a quick drive to TNT Taqueria for breakfast and it was fantastic! If you’re in the area, then you should go here! We ordered a breakfast burrito and two churro to share between the four of us. (The burritos are so big it was enough for us to split.) Wow the burrito is the best breakfast burrito I have ever had, and the churros were really delicious too. When we left, I was sad I didn’t know about this place when we lived here in Seattle!

Pike Place Market

After dropping my husband off for work, the kids and I headed to Pike Place Market because it is my favorite touristy thing to do in Seattle. There’s the gum wall under the market (remember to bring gum to add!), cheap and beautiful flowers, a vast variety of great food, Seattle souvenirs, and great people watching. It’s an absolute must! For us, it easily turns into a delicious food fest! Here are our favorite food spots…

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese has my favorite cheese in the world. If you love sharp cheeses you must try their Flagship cheese. My husband is also a big fan of their cheese curds. You can sample both near the back! (We’ve done this plenty of times.) And what’s really fun is watching them make cheese. There are big windows that let you see the process. If you’re a cheesy mac ‘n cheese fan, then make sure you get a cup of that too.

Check out the first Starbucks. Yes, like the original Starbucks is on the same side of the street as Beecher’s. We don’t drink coffee (What?! You lived in Seattle and you don’t drink coffee? Yep, it’s true.) so we never actually buy anything, but if you do then you should get a cup!

Head into the market and grab some fruit from Sosio’s Fruit & Produce. They hand out samples of different fruits (if you want to sample something just ask! They have always been very happy to oblige) and everything is good. This visit we got firm and juicy green grapes, ripe raspberries, and a nice plumb. The kids and adults love it.

For a Seattle experience, head down to Pike Place Fish Co. to see them toss the fish (which they only do when someone orders one). Honestly, I’ve never bought a fish there so I can’t speak to that, but the fish toss tradition is fun to see.

If you or the kids like honey, Sunny Honey Company has different flavors of honey sticks for 50 cents each. We always let the kids pick one out. It’s really close to the fish toss, so worth finding.

The best greek yogurt on the planet is the lemon curd greek yogurt from Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt. I couldn’t help but buy a small container of it. They are located across the cobblestone street on the other end of the market from Starbuck’s. If you want to try it first, they always have samples you can try before committing. But you will commit. If you don’t believe me, believe the 5-star review (with over 1600 reviewers) on yelp.

The best place to eat lunch near Pike Place Market is Pike Place Chowder in Post Alley, which is the first alley before the main Pike Place Market cobblestone road. Unfortunately they weren’t open yet and our parking time was expiring so we couldn’t eat there this trip, but we picked up enough munchies in the market to tide us through to the next thing. If you want lunch and can make it here, I definitely recommend the clam chowder bread bowls!

The Space Needle & the Seattle Center

The Space Needle–Seattle’s most iconic building–is in a section of the city called the Seattle Center. I’ll be honest, parking will likely be expensive and/or tough to find, but if you’re set on seeing this main part of the city then just go for it. We didn’t visit any of the Seattle Center during this trip, but if it’s your first time in Seattle then you’ll probably want to.

The Seattle Center has a bunch of really cool stuff; especially with kids you’ll likely need to pick only one or two things that are most interesting to you and then save the others for another time. Options include: the Space Needle (an iconic observation tower built for the World Fair in 1962), Chihuly Garden and Glass (a museum with incredible glass rooms by the famous glass artist Chihuly), the Pacific Science Center (really cool for kids–there’s an IMAX theater, butterfly green house, and many educational-but-fun rooms to play in), an outdoor splash fountain, etc.

There are also events often held at the Seattle Center so do a quick google search and make sure things aren’t going to be too crazy or not up your alley on the day you’re planning to go.

Gas Works Park for a City View

If you have time and want to see a beautiful view of the city, then head to Gas Works Park. We almost went to the Seattle Center (where the Space Needle is) but didn’t want to pay an arm and a leg for parking this time around. So, we headed to Gas Works park where we could get a good pic of the city (unfortunately my toddler was grumpy for our pic) and the kids could run around. They also have a fun kids playground with gorgeous views of the Puget Sound and city in the background.

Xi’an Noodles for Dinner

Oh my goodness, I’m mad I didn’t know about this place while we lived in Seattle. Xi’an Noodles is not your average Chinese-but-actually-super-Americanized restaurant. It is an authentic, hole-in-the-wall place that surpassed my expectations. We ordered the garlic cucumber salad, the spicy cumin lamb hand-ripped noddle dish, and the stewed pork hand-ripped noodle dish. Highly recommend!

Day 3 in Seattle with Kids

Mighty-O Donuts for Breakfast

Mighty-O Donuts has a few locations around Seattle, but we like their Wallingford spot. (Parking is easy and free.) If you like cakey donuts, then you will love these. There are many different flavors/kinds to choose from. We got a half-dozen mix of different flavors and cut them up in fourth so we could all try each one. Every one I tried was good. A big perk of this place was a little kids corner. My kids played with toys at a kid table at the side-back of the shop while we munched, so we didn’t feel like we were disturbing people.

Woodland Park Zoo

When we lived in Seattle, absolutely we got a season pass to the Woodland Park Zoo. I didn’t love paying full price to get in this visit because with one adult, one toddler, and a baby it was a little over ~$30 if I remember correctly. But it was totally worth it to revisit.

Our favorite animals to see are the otters and bears. They are right next to each other–the otters are SO fun diving and sailing through the water right in front of you, and the bears are huge and usually lounging around in their cave which you can see. I even saw a bear swimming once. The gorillas are also great because they’re always visible. There’s nothing worse than walking across to zoo to see an animal that you can’t actually see because it’s hiding behind a bush or rock.

If you have kids, definitely hit up the Zoomazium, an indoor educational play space. There is a baby zone, plenty of climbing stuff for toddlers, a nursing corner, puzzles, blocks, fossils, etc. This place is a great place to take a break from the walking, especially during rainy or cold weather.

Food FYI: I made the mistake of buying lunch at the zoo this time–something I never did during the years we lived here with a season pass. The food was expensive and not that great, so I recommend bringing food into the zoo with you if you’re staying for lunch. I was, however, glad they offered little cartons of milk for the kids.

Ballard Neighborhood

After our baby’s afternoon nap, we headed to our old stomping grounds: Ballard. Here are our favorite things to do with our little kids (we were able to fit most of them in during our afternoon visit):

The Ballard Library is especially good for rainy or cold days when you want to play inside for a bit. There is a kids’ corner with giant building blocks, magnet tiles, computers, and of course books. The set up is great at keeping the kids corralled.

Sweet Mickey’s candy shop is just a block away from the library and has a great selection of candies. Their bulk section is nice for kids and adults getting to pick out what they like. Tip: They let you sample stuff so feel free to try before you buy. There are picnic benches outside and the shop is right next to a skate park and splash pad (during the summer).

If you need groceries, QFC is on the other side of the building as Sweet Mickey’s and they give out free cookies and fruit to the kids.

Along one of Ballard’s main streets with cute cafes and shops is the Tall Grass Bakery. We have liked everything we’ve tried here especially their breads, and the kids love their soft knot rolls.

Ballard is the fisherman neighborhood of Seattle. With that said, it’s fun stopping by the Hiram M Chittenden Locks (and the “Salmon Ladder”). My kids love watching the water level go up and down and seeing the salmon swimming upstream. A unique learning experience that is cool for kids, especially for kids who don’t usually see boats.

If you’re after a good old fashioned park for the kids to run around, we love Salmon Bay Park. The park is pretty contained, but there is still a lot to do: swings (baby and regular), a sandbox, a merry-go-round, a climbing structure with slides and ladders, a zip-line swing, and teeter-totter type toys. By the park is a big grass area, picnic tables, and a bathroom. Tip: The sandbox has a bunch of community toys there so I recommend not bringing your own.

Frelard Pizza for Dinner

Frelard Pizza is a fantastic place to go out for dinner if you’ve got young kids. This is the only restaurant we remember in Seattle that has a kids play corner. Honestly, the wait to get your pizza feels pretty long, but the pizza is fresh and really good. While you’re waiting for the food, your kids can run play in the kids corner where they have a small-but-dedicated space for kids to play with toys. Good food for the adults, good play for the kids. It’s a win-win. FYI, we went with the Ballard Bridge which is a great meaty pizza.

Amazing Thai Cuisine for 2nd Dinner (Gasp!)

Yep, right here I’m admitting that we had a second dinner 🙂 We hired a babysitter after the kids were in bed to take advantage of our last night in the city. And we opted for more food! Amazing Thai Cuisine really was amazing. I was craving Pad Thai and my husband wanted curry… there were no regrets!

Day 4 in Seattle with Kids (1/2 Day–Morning)

Biscuit and Bean for Breakfast

Our last day in Seattle was a good one. We started it off with a fantastic breakfast at Biscuit and Bean, one of our favorite breakfast places in the city. I can’t comment on the coffee since we’ve never had it, but they serve incredible biscuits and gravy and biscuit sandwiches. Just real-deal, done-right, comfort food.

Ferry Ride to Bainbridge

To get a well-rounded experience of Seattle, take a ferry ride to the quaint Bainbridge Island village. The ferry ride provides beautiful views of the city and the water–that alone is worth the trip. While you’re on Bainbridge, stop by Mora’s Iced Creamery for delicious ice cream. And of course window shop the cute stores along the main road. We’ve loved every trip to Bainbridge we’ve taken.

Other Trip Ideas for Visiting Seattle with Kids

Discovery Park for Low-Key Hiking

If you’ve got more time and you are okay with beautiful scenery and easy trail hiking, then head to Discovery Park. It feels like you’ve completely escaped the city even though it’s really close by. The lush green trees are gorgeous, there are beautiful views of the water, and there’s even a cute lighthouse to take pictures by. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it there this trip, but it’s our favorite active thing to do in Seattle, so I had to add it to this list for your sake. (Check out a whole post I did about it here.)

Green Lake Park

On a nice day, Green Lake Park is a gem of Seattle where you’ll see dog walkers, swimmers, and people lounging in hammocks. This lovely lake is about 3 miles around and there is a walking/biking trail surrounding it. Also at Greek Lake Park are picnic benches, a playground, a baseball diamond, outdoor basketball courts, a beach, diving boards, paddle boats, and more. Restaurants are nearby or you can bring food and picnic outside. If you’ve got little ones like we do, bring swimming suits and head to the wading pool just for kids.

Well, that concludes our 3 Day Trip to Seattle with kids! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. We hope you enjoy your trip to our favorite U.S. city!

Pin for Later–Trip to Seattle with Kids

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