Join the young professionals of South Lake Union who visit Lake Union Park during their lunch hour. With seaplanes taking off and landing all day on the lake in front of the park and the Space Needle standing sentry above it, the park is an iconic part of Pacific Northwest life.
Start your visit with a few hours at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI). The museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the region in an engaging manner. Permanent exhibits include the Bezos Center for Innovation, the Maritime Seattle exhibit and True Northwest: The Seattle Journey. MOHAI’s café on the first floor offers some of the best lake views in the park.
Move on to The Center for Wooden Boats, an interactive maritime museum that shows off the Pacific Northwest’s small-craft history. Feel the oars of a pulling boat, learn to splice a line and take part in traditional dugout canoe carving. Free public rides in the center’s sailboats and its 100-year-old steamboat, the National Historic Landmark vessel S.S. Virginia V, are available on Sunday afternoons.
Alternatively, rent a classic small wooden boat and row or sail on Lake Union. This is a great way to see the many houseboats lining the lakeshore and get a look at some of the glamorous yachts often moored here.
If you have kids, find the play structure just east of the park, join story time on the historic Arthur Foss tugboat, sail a racing yacht on the model boat pond or cool off at the spray park.
Travel to Lake Union Park by car, on foot or via the South Lake Union Line streetcar. Purchase a single ride ticket or day pass at any of the streetcar stations. The ride from downtown Seattle to Lake Union Park takes 13 minutes. If driving, park at the AGC lot, where MOHAI visitors pay a flat all-day rate. Several other private and city-owned parking lots are nearby as well.
