Best Family-Friendly Areas To Stay In Seattle

After a few friends asked me for my recommendations for the Best Family-Friendly Areas To Stay In Seattle, my friend suggested I write a post on my favorite neighborhoods.

Downtown Seattle is great when traveling solo, with your partner, or even on a group trip but there aren’t a lot of family-friendly activities downtown. Besides the wheel, the pier, and the aquarium, downtown is lacking parks, playgrounds, and (in honesty) the safety a family is looking for when their kids are playing.

Hence this post! I’m hoping it provides you with a short intro to each area and in the future, I’ll try and write an individual post to help give you more insight into the neighbor itself. 😊

Table of Contents

Best Family-Friendly Areas To Stay In Seattle

Seattle is made up of many different neighborhoods surrounding downtown. You’ll notice there aren’t a lot of parks or children downtown because there are no schools downtown. We literally have a higher dog population than kiddos in the business/shopping district. The areas with more parks, play structures, and family-friendly neighborhoods are the places near schools.

As I’m biased, I’ll start with my favorite neighborhood…

Family Friendly Neighborhoods Seattle — Queen Anne, Seattle

Queen Anne

What Queen Anne has to offer:

Kerry Park (the popular view spot of the city)
Very family-friendly environment
Easy to get to downtown via bus & close to the city center (Space Needle)

Queen Anne has many parks with play structures and grassed lawns to run around (try: West Queen Anne Playfield, Bayview-Kinnear Park, Bhy Kracke Park & East Queen Anne Playground & Wading Pool). St Anne’s Catholic School also has a playground open after hours as well as John Hays & Queen Anne Elementary.

For more kid-friendly fun, the Queen Anne Pool/Aquatic Center is open all year and we have a great library that has weird hours but is perfect for a rainy day.

We also have a few of Seattle’s specialties right in the neighborhood! A Molly Moon’s Ice Cream Shop (which always has a vegan option), Top Shop Donuts, Macrina Bakery, and a Bounty Kitchen. You also don’t need to walk far to get a great cup of coffee or groceries because we have Trader Joe’s, Safeway & Bartell’s right at the top of the hill.

I recommend checking out Airbnb for comfortable houses and condos to rent.

The View at Ella Bailey Park Seattle — Picnic at Ella Bailey Park, Seattle, WA

Southeast Magnolia

What Magnolia has to offer:

Incredible views of the water & city
Family-friendly environment
Quaint safe & walkable neighborhood

Magnolia, especially southeast Magnolia, is a great place to stay in Seattle if you have a car. The bus does go through this neighborhood but more frequently during commuter times. With that said, it has everything you need for a great stay in Seattle and some amazing parks with epic views. (Check out: Ella Bailey Park & Magnolia Playfield)

A local favorite area is McGraw Street which has everything you could possibly need! An independent bookshop, multiple kid-friendly restaurants (including Soprano’s Pizza & Pasta, El Ranchon & Queen Margherita Pizzeria).

If you’re into urban hiking, biking, walking, etc. you need to go to Discovery Park on the Northside of Magnolia. Is a great place to get out and roam on a beautiful Seattle summer day.

Airbnb offers great houses/condos around that area. There aren’t any hotels.

Madison Park

What Madison Park has to offer:

A small beach town vibe in a big city
Super family-friendly & safe
Home to the Washington State Park Arboretum, University of Washington Botanical Gardens, Broadmoor Golf Club & Seattle Japanese Garden

The only problem with Madison Park is it’s hard to get to without a car. There is a bus but it comes every 45mins to an hour. That said, staying there is worth it. It’s darling, quaint, and everything you’d expect from a well-maintained family-friendly community.

My favorite beachside park is Madison Park Beach which is right next to Madison Park (which has a playground) and Madison Park tennis courts. Another great park is Madison Park North Beach which is perfect on a spring or summer day.

E. Madison Street offers everything you need. It has Scoop de Jour Ice Creamery (ice cream & kid-friendly food), Bert’s Red Apple Market, The Independent Pizzeria, Arosa Café (known for Belgian Liege snack waffles) & Belle Epicurean Bakery.

Again, Airbnb is your best site to find a place.

West Seattle

What West Seattle has to offer:

Alki Beach (man-made) with incredible city & water views
Under-rated restaurants & bars
Family-friendly environment & tons of activities

Though it’s tough to get in and out of West Seattle during rush hour (especially since the bridge is blocked off til 2023), it offers the West Seattle Water Taxi which takes you directly to downtown Seattle. Everyone loves ferries and water taxi rides!

Since West Seattle is so big and predominantly occupied by families, it’s a great spot for a vacation. They have fantastic parks and playgrounds. (See: Hiawatha Playfield (playground), Alki Beach Park (beach volleyball & sand), Ercolini Park, & Alki Playground and Whale Tail Park). There’s also West Seattle Bowl, urban hiking around Schmitz Preserve Park & West Seattle Art Nest.

Seattle specialties in the area: Cupcake Royale, A la Mode Pies, Coastline Burgers West Seattle, Ma’ono, Cactus Alki Beach (on the water) & Duke’s Seafood (on the water).

The best accommodations would be Airbnb and The Grove West Seattle Inn.

Other Neighborhoods

Other options that are easy to get to but you might feel more alert and are less family-friendly:

Greenlake – this area is being cleaned up but you might feel uncomfortable walking around the lake at night. That said the lake itself is great during the day for family outings and walks. The east outskirts of the lake are more family-friendly and you’ll want to get an Airbnb.
Capitol Hill – known for its nightlife.
Wallingford – a really cute area but the main streets that run along it are dangerous so unless you are tucked into a house with a yard, I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s not as walkable of an area.
Ballard – another area that’s being cleaned up. Especially on Main street and the park near the library. Great for date night but less family-friendly. If you do need to stay in the area, try a little northeast of the Ballard high school or even in Phinney Ridge area, near the zoo!

Hope you have a fantastic stay in Seattle!