Seattle Family Vacations

"I never noticed it before, but you're right, all the playgrounds look like they came right out of REI."

So said a local when visiting with us on a recent trip to Seattle, where outdoors isn't a place, it is a way of life, and kids learn to climb almost as soon as they can crawl. You think I'm kidding? The Seattle Times tally of the Top Playgrounds even has a section titled "Best for Climbers."

So it might seem a little odd that Seattle is also famously the city of slackers and grunge music, of slumping around for hours in coffee shops and visiting the Sup Pop record label store. For families, the mix creates an all interests all-ages show day and night, with rock climbing in the morning -- try Discovery Park and its view of the Sound as well as snow-covered mountain tops - and rock and roll in the afternoon - stroll through the Experience Music Project, ending with interactive rock and roll shows put on by the kids on the top floor. Of course, before you head out for the day you'll want to go take your chances of getting hit by a flying fish at Pike Place Market.