10 Best Things to Do With Kids at Seattle’s Discovery Park

My family enjoys inspecting the stately old buildings in Discovery Park’s historic district. Find the old barracks, chapel, school, gym and other structures. They’re all boarded up, sadly, but you can try to peek through the windows and imagine the goings-on in the days of early Fort Lawton, which opened here as a military base in 1900.

Along California Avenue, you’ll spot historic homes that have been remodeled and are now privately owned (so no peeking in the windows here). These homes are on an island of private property within the park, and these lucky homeowners have some of the best views in the entire city.

Fun fact: You’ll also see a radar tower in this area that looks like it has an enormous volleyball sitting on top of it.

Find it: The closest parking lot to the historic buildings is the south parking lot. This area is also where you’ll find wide-open meadows suitable for all kinds of play.

Next stop: parade grounds