7 fun Seattle nature centers for kids to explore and learn

My family loves making day trips out of exploring nearby nature centers. These mini-museums invite visitors to explore Washington’s environment, and many enchanting wonders. Explore marine life, discover the origins of your drinking water, or track bird migration at a local refuge. Learn valuable lessons about being responsible stewards of our land and waterways. With interactive exhibits, scavenger hunts, art displays and plenty of hands-on activities, families will find these centers an engaging way to spend the afternoon.

Here are some of our favorite nature centers around the Seattle area.

Hiram Chittenden Ballard Locks

Take the trails: Stroll the paths at Carl S. English Botanical Garden to find the grassy hill facing the locks — a popular place for kids to roll down.
Cost: Free
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Oct 1, 2024-April 30, 2025) Closed Monday/Tuesday
Location: 3015 NW 54th St., Seattle.

The Ballard Locks is a fantastic, pet-friendly place to watch boats of all sizes pass from the freshwater harbor to the tidal waters of Puget Sound. In the summer months, you can also watch salmon climb a water ladder on their epic journey to spawning grounds. The visitor center and museum explore the Locks’ history through videos and installations.

Aerial view of the Locks. (Image courtesy US Army Corps of Engineers)

Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

Take the trails: The refuge has four miles of mostly boardwalk trails that move through varied landscapes, from the forest to the river and pond.
Cost: $3/for adults, 16 and under: Free, use the America the Beautiful Pass
Hours: Wednesday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Visitor Center)
Location: 100 Brown Farm Road NE, Olympia

Take your flock to Olympia’s Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, which attracts more than 250 species of birds, seven species of amphibians and tons of other wildlife. Interactive stations and placards reveal a wealth of information about the delta, watershed, and animal habitat. This center is what many birds on their north and south migration use as a refuge to feed and rest before continuing their flight. Check out binoculars from the Norm Dicks Visitor Center to see wildlife up close. Here is more information about which wildlife you can expect throughout the different seasons.

Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk at sunrise (Image: Steve Russell)

The Breazeale Interpretive Center/Padilla Bay

Take the trails: A spiral staircase leads to a rocky beach or take the Padilla Bay Shore Trail, one mile south of the center, for grand views of the San Juan Islands, Mt. Baker, and the Cascades.
Cost: Free
Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Location: 10441 Bayview Edison Road, Mount Vernon.

Located in Skagit County, the pet-friendly Breazeale Interpretive Center is a mini-aquarium that packs a punch. Exhibits tell the tale of Padilla Bay estuary and its intertidal mudflats. Large tanks hold seastars, urchins, and various fish. Touch tanks are a plus for kids. Don’t miss the hands-on room: sort shells and rocks, identify bones, read, play games, and more.

Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. (Image courtesy State of Washington Department of Ecology)

Brightwater Environmental Education Center

Take the trails: The facility is surrounded by three miles of trails
Cost: Free
Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: 22505 WA-9, Woodinville

Where does poop go? It’s a question that every curious child wants to know, and the answer is at this pet-friendly wastewater treatment facility and education center. Interactive stations teach kids about water conservation and how the treatment facility separates wastewater into clean and reclaimed water.

Brightwater Treatment Plant. (Image courtesy King County.gov)

Cedar River Watershed Education Center

Take the trails: For an easy walk, follow the paved path from the Center to the shore of Rattlesnake Lake
Cost: Free
Hours: Thursday-Friday, 12-5 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Location: 17905 Cedar Falls Road SE, North Bend

This pet-friendly education center is all about the city’s drinking water. Listen for the rhythmic beats of water hitting the collection of drumheads created by local artist Dan Corson. Grab a blue ping-pong ball and get ready to experience a day in the life of a water droplet.

Cedar River Watershed Treatment Center. (Image courtesy Seattle Public Utilities)

Highline College MaST Center

Take the trails: Walk the beach at low tide. MaST divers often recover animals from the Sound, so be on the lookout as you walk on the shore.
Cost: FREE
Hours: Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: 28203 Redondo Beach Drive S, Des Moines

Gobies, greenlings, sculpins, gunnels, sea stars, crabs, and snails, too. You’ll find them at this marine biology center and aquarium, where a 38-foot gray whale skeleton greets you at the door. There are more than 250 native Puget Sound marine species in the Center’s tanks of marine life and hands-on exhibits.

(Image courtesy of MaST Discovery Center)

Tacoma Nature Center

Cost: FREE
Hours: Everyday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: 1919 S Tyler St., Tacoma

The Tacoma Nature Center is on a 70-acre preserve surrounding Snake Lake and offers something for everyone. Engaging activities include family walks, easy trails, and a fantastic playground. Exhibits host local wildlife like frogs, turtles, and bugs. Interactive areas teach how to build a wetland and its importance to our environment. The reading nook provides a quiet space, while the log-shaped tunnel calls for kids with a lot of energy to climb and scurry through, which is especially great on rainy days.