Hello Summer, it feels like we’ve waited so long for you and every year you are so fleeting. Summer can also be tres expensive and I’m always looking for fun and free things to do in Seattle and close by. Seattle in summer feels pretty perfect.
Free Waterfront Shuttle
The Free Seattle Waterfront Shuttle is back and it runs until September. Shuttles hold about 20 people and run every 15-20 minutes or so. Make sure you check the schedule.
Borrow a boat at Center for Wooden Boats (or try to anyways)
We used to go down and write our names on a list to get on a free public sail. It sounds like this summer they won’t be doing this but will have free peapod boat rentals which sound pretty cool. I tried to book but when I did they are all booked up. I still might wander down if I’m in the area to see if they have people who didn’t make their bookings. And I’ll keep trying through their link.
Book Bingo with Seattle Public Library is a long-standing Seattle summer tradition
Can we get more free than the Seattle Public Library? I have been reading more lately and just downloaded my book bingo card from the Seattle Public Library. I’ll still be trying to use the free space to get my line in, but I’m going to get my teenager avid readers to join in so we have a big of a family competition. SPL also has a Museum Pass program where you can sign out memberships at local museums for free entry. These are really popular and often go quickly so make sure you look for the date you plan to go far in advance.
Free Museums with Seattle Free First Thursday
I always look for the Free day at museums when we travel and in Seattle our free day is the first Thursday of the month. Not all museums participate, so you should check before you go but Museum of Flight, Burke Museum, Mohai, Seattle Art Museum and Asian Art Museum and more. And if you get a Seattle membership you get to go free for a whole year. This year we have memberships to Seattle Mohai, Woodland Park Zoo, Pacific Science Center and Seattle Art Museum and all of these also help with free and discounted admissions to other museums when we travel.
Plant Camp and the Seattle Sphere in South Lake Union
Plant Camp happens on every other Wednesday until September and it’s a free planting craft put on by South Lake union but I haven’t been even been able to get a time yet to try it they “sell out” very quickly usually posted to the South Lake Union instagram. The same goes for getting into the Seattle Spheres lately as well, but it’s always worth a try. South Lake Union usually has something going on and if I hear of anything I’ll be posting it here too.
Thursday evening concerts at Olympic Sculpture Park with SAM in July starting July 13th
The Olympic sculpture park is one of my favorite places to bike ride and on Thursdays in July there is even more of a reason to get there with Summer at SAM. Starting July 13 there will be free live music from 6-8 pm on Thursdays and it’s such a great place to spend a summer night.
Of course I’ll keep adding to this list. There are always free things happening in Seattle in summer along with some pretty cool free festivals too. And please feel free to send me a message through email or through instagram if you have something to add to this list as well.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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