There’s something magical about spotting a sculpture tucked into a garden, a mural stretching along a transit line, or a whimsical bench in a small-town square. Around Seattle and the Eastside, public art is everywhere — and exploring it with kids can turn a regular walk into an imaginative adventure. Whether your family is already hooked on art walks or just getting started, these routes offer fun, free ways to experience creativity in action. And if you’re looking for one more downtown route with a view, don’t miss our family-friendly Seattle waterfront art walk.
The SODO Track has transformed the transit corridor in Seattle’s SODO district into a wonderful 2-mile art walk or ride. As you move along this free and accessible urban art gallery, kids will be introduced to more than 60 artists from 20 countries in side-by-side murals. The SODO Track spans 5th Avenue South between Royal Brougham Way and Spokane Street.
Seattle Urban Art Tour. Travel by foot and streetcar to examine tremendously varied street art, from graffiti, tags, and “sticker bombs” to elaborate spray paint, brush work, and stencil pieces.
Art walk through Bellevue Botanical Garden, where a meandering path leads to the stone “Friendship Circle,” a sculpture called “Night Blooming” offers a sparkly light effect when you crouch through the door to the interior and look up, and kids can search for sculptures of an owl, rabbit, frog, and a stone chair resembling a throne in the forest. Open daily from dawn to dusk at 12001 Main St., Bellevue.
Enjoy a small town art walk in Duvall. Look up, down, and all around on a family walk along Duvall’s Main Street, where you’ll find a variety of public artworks ranging from carved art panels attached to the lampposts and swimming salmon carved into a crosswalk to artful benches with local scenes, painted murals, and large sculpture installations.
Kirkland sculptures for the kid in all of us: Whimsical is the word that describes many sculptures installed around downtown Kirkland. Start your walk at the library and loop around Marina Park and the shopping core to find several sculptures of animals, a carousel horse, children jumping for joy, and the city’s landmark cow and dog sculpture, often decorated to celebrate holidays, seasons, and sports teams.
Get the map! The City of Seattle is chock-full of public art. You’ll find commissioned pieces of art in almost every neighborhood, some easily found, others requiring a little hunt. Consider this summer art project (or a project to be completed over a couple of summers): Find every piece of public art the city has to offer. All you need is the Seattle Public Art Map, created by Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture and 4 Culture.
Traditional gallery artwalks
Art walks were originally a way to get neighbors out to see the artworks of local artists in nearby galleries and businesses. Many of the pieces you’ll see are museum-worthy, so consider a traditional art walk a visit to the museum without the fee! It’s a great way to explore the city, with official art walks in:
- Pioneer Square
- Central District
- Capitol Hill
- West Seattle
- Belltown
- Greenwood
- Ballard
- Georgetown
- Uptown
- Hillman City
- White Center
- University District
- Downtown Seattle
For details on these great gallery and business district art walks in Seattle, go to seattleartwalks.com.
