Five-year-old Mary Rosa (left) and her big sister, Kate, 9, check out the flora and fauna at Mercer Slough Nature Park, Lake Washington’s largest remaining wetland.
Madeline Seitzler, left, and Charlotte Bach follow a rooster at Kelsey Creek Farm park in Bellevue.
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Other Cool Eastside Attractions
Remlinger Farms – What began as a roadside produce stand more than 30 years ago has grown into a full-fledged market, restaurant, U-pick fields, and the closest thing the Eastside has to an amusement park for children. More than 25 rides and attractions make up the Country Fair Fun Park, including a kid-sized roller coaster, pony rides and a mini-steam train that rolls alongside the Tolt River. 32610 N.E. 32nd St., Carnation. Open daily through September 1, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Open weekends Sept. 6 through Oct. 26, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Children and adults $11; seniors $9; children (12 months and under) free. Admission higher during Fall Harvest Festival. 425-333-4135; www.remlingerfarms.com.
Luther Burbank Park – An old brick dormitory still stands as evidence of the many children who have visited this piece of land through the years. The site of a school for delinquent youth from 1905 to 1966, kids used to be schooled in academics and farming here. Today, kids come here to play. At 77 acres, the waterfront park has incredible Lake Washington views, trails, a boat dock and fishing pier, a sandy beach perfect for tots, a fun “earth sculpture” with a fountain that runs all summer and a unique playground. 2040 84th Ave. S.E., Mercer Island. Lifeguards on duty daily through Labor Day, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 206-275-7609; www.mercergov.org.
Snoqualmie Falls – No Eastside tourist guide would be complete without mentioning Snoqualmie Falls. Did you know they are 100 feet higher than Niagara Falls? At 276 feet, the breathtaking falls are one of the state’s most popular attractions, with more than 1.5 million visitors each year. 6501 Railroad Ave. S.E. (address for Salish Lodge above Snoqualmie Falls). Open daily, dawn to dusk. Free. www.snoqualmiefalls.com.
Northwest Railway Museum – Just one mile west of Snoqualmie Falls, this is a little museum that could. It’s housed in the original 1890 Snoqualmie Depot, a national historic site. Walk through the short railway exhibit, then buy a ticket to ride on an historic train – at the same ticket window people used more than 100 years ago. The 70-minute, five-mile ride runs through the Upper Snoqualmie Valley to North Bend. All aboard! 38625 S.E. King Street, Snoqualmie. Museum open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Trains depart Snoqualmie on Saturdays and Sundays, 11:01 a.m., 12:31 p.m., 2:01 p.m., 3:31 p.m. and 4:11 p.m. Regular train rides canceled July 10-12, July 17-19 for special “Day Out with Thomas” event. Tickets, $18. Event is extremely popular; advance purchase highly recommended. Museum admission free. Train tickets: adults $10; children $7; seniors $9. 425-888-3030; www.trainmuseum.org.
KidsQuest Children’s Museum – Raining outside? The KidsQuest Children’s Museum inside Factoria Mall is a perfect place for rainy day fun with your kids up to age 10. Popular exhibits include a tree house and a pipe-fountain water table where it’s OK to get wet. The museum hosts special themed weeks throughout the summer. 4091 Factoria Mall S.E., Bellevue. Tuesday through Thursday, Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sundays, noon to 5 p.m. Open Mondays June 22 through Aug. 31, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed July 4. Kids and adults $7. Fridays free, 5 to 8 p.m. only. 425-637-8100; www.kidsquestmuseum.org.
Juanita Bay Park – Sightings of western painted turtles sunning themselves on wetland logs are almost a sure thing on a summer day at Juanita Bay Park. The 110-acre park hosts interpretive trails and boardwalks. Volunteer rangers offer free one-hour tours the first Sunday of each month at 1 p.m. 2201 Market St., Kirkland. Open daily, dawn until dusk. 425-587-3300.
Out-of-town tourists often skip over the Eastside in favor of popular attractions in Seattle. When planning your own local family fun this summer, resist the urge to follow the same well-beaten path. Stay east of the bridge to reconnect with nature, discover unique historical treasures, and score some tasty treats.
You’ll be surprised how easy it is on the busy Eastside to feel a thousand miles away from the hustle and bustle of life. Once covered with old-growth forests, the area still has a surprisingly strong connection to nature, making it a great place to enjoy the outdoors.
Mercer Slough Nature Park Just past the office parks south of downtown, urban Bellevue gives way to the Mercer Slough Nature Park. At 320 acres, it’s Lake Washington’s largest remaining wetland and an important refuge for a wide variety of wildlife, including salmon. With five miles of walking trails and a four-mile water trail, it’s also a nice refuge for humans.
The park – named after Eastside pioneer Aaron Mercer, who was the first to settle and farm here in 1869 – is an integral part of local history. The slough, a slow-moving body of water that connects to Lake Washington and Kelsey Creek, was exposed in 1916 when the lake dropped nine feet with the opening of the ship canal.
Start your visit at the new Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center. Pick up a trail map, then wander onto the viewing platform to see over the slough to Bellevue’s skyscrapers.
The .8-mile Bellefield’s Loop Trail is good for children and jogging strollers. With a little luck, you’ll spy great blue herons, pileated woodpeckers, and ducks as you walk through wetland forests and meadows. Families with older children may wish to explore the park by water. (See below for information on guided canoe tours.)
IF YOU GO Where: Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center, 1625 118th Ave. S.E., Bellevue. When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; closed holidays. Free guided ranger walks are held Saturdays through Labor Day, 2 to 3 p.m. Free 30-minute ranger talks are held the first and third Sunday of each month, 2:30 p.m. Free nature movies (with popcorn!) last Friday of each month, 5 p.m. Cost: Visits and most ranger programs, free. Some programs require preregistration and a fee. Contact: 425-452-2565; www.bellevuewa.gov/mseec.htm. Guided canoe tours: Bellevue Park Rangers lead canoe trips on the slough Saturdays, May to September, 9 a.m. to noon. Preregister at 425-452-6885; Bellevue residents $12, nonresidents $14. Trips leave from Enatai Beach Park, 3519 108th Ave. S.E., Bellevue. Historic Mercer Slough Blueberry Farm: 2380 Bellevue Way S.E. Produce stand open daily mid-April through October, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. U-pick blueberry fields open mid-July through early September, depending on availability.
Kelsey Creek Park Sitting atop the hill at Kelsey Creek Park with picturesque barns, a log cabin, and the trees in full leaf hiding the surrounding neighborhood, this park makes it easy to put modern-day Bellevue out of your mind for a peaceful moment. Only the distant roar of traffic on Interstate 405 gives the true time and place away.
The park is a former 1940s dairy farm. Horses, cows, bunnies, chickens and other animals still live here as part of a working farm now owned and operated by the City of Bellevue. The park also boasts nature trails, one of the best toddler playgrounds around, and an 1880s-era log cabin, which the Eastside Heritage Center opens for viewing on several summer weekends.
As you drive to Kelsey Creek Park, take note of the Wilburton train trestle. Built in 1904 to support the booming forest and coal industries, the trestle was an engineering feat of its time at nearly 100 feet high and 975 feet long.
IF YOU GO Where:410 130th Place S.E., Bellevue When: Farm animals are available for viewing daily, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Cost: Free. Contact: 425-452-7688; www.bellevuewa.gov/kelsey_creek_park.htm. Fraser Cabin Heritage Programs: Saturdays, July 18, Aug. 15, Sept. 19; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Boehm’s Candies and Triple XXX Satisfy the sweet tooth of every family member with a visit to two quirky and fun Issaquah tourist spots in the same block – Boehm’s Candies and Triple XXX Root Beer Drive-in.
Housed in a Swiss chalet, Boehm’s Candies was started by native Austrian Julius Boehm and a friend after he skied over the Alps to escape Nazi Germany during World War II. Take the self-guided “window” tour or sign up for a 45-minute guided tour to learn more about Boehm, his chalet home and his factory. Reserve a weekday tour when the factory is abuzz with workers dipping chocolates the old-fashioned way – by hand. Can you say free samples?
Save room for another treat at Triple XXX Root Beer down the street. The 1950s-style diner is one of only two Triple XXX drive-ins still operating (the other one is in Indiana). While the actual “drive-in” is long gone, you can still slide into a shiny red and white booth inside, pop some coins into the tableside mini-jukebox and order up a tall frosty mug of root beer. The Triple XXX often hosts vintage car shows. Check its Web site if you’d like your visit to coincide with – or avoid – one.
IF YOU GO Where: Boehm’s Candies, 255 N.E. Gilman Blvd., Issaquah When: Guided tours offered Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m. Self-guided window tours during candy shop hours Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Please note: Candy is made only on weekdays. Cost: $3 per person. Contact: 425-392-6652; www.boehmscandies.com.
Where: Triple XXX, 98 N.E. Gilman Blvd., Issaquah When: Open daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Contact: 425-392-1266; www.triplexrootbeer.com.
Cedar River Watershed Education Center Do you know where your drinking water comes from? (Before it comes out of your faucet, that is.) How about the sound a drop of water makes when hitting a drum? Learn – and hear – the answers at the Cedar River Watershed Education Center above Rattlesnake Lake near North Bend.
Opened in 2001, the center is right outside the gated 90,000-acre Cedar River Watershed, which provides drinking water to nearly 70 percent of the greater Seattle area. A model of green building practices with breathtaking views, it’s an excellent stop in its own right, or as a launching point to explore nearby trails.
Inside, children and parents will enjoy the hands-on “Water is Magic” exhibit. When you’re finished, borrow a children’s explorer backpack – stocked with a compass, binoculars, bug collectors, a map and compass – and hit a trail. The 1.5 mile Rattlesnake Lake Trail is particularly good for families with small children. Don’t forget to linger at the musical rain drum court before you leave.
IF YOU GO Where: 19901 Cedar Falls Road S.E., North Bend. Drive Interstate 90 east toward North Bend. Take exit 32 and turn right on 436th Avenue S.E. The center is three and a half miles down the road. When: Open Tuesday through Sunday from April through October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday from November through March, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost: Free Contact: 206-733-9421; www.seattle.gov/util/crwec. Cedar River Watershed Institute: Offers educational walks and programs for children and families. Cost $5 to $15. Visit Web site for schedule.
South 47 Farm and Theno’s Dairy Busy South 47 is one of many farms keeping the Eastside tradition of farming alive and well. They do a great job of hooking in future generations with weekly programs. Kids learn where food really comes from and they get to pick their own veggies to take home. Does this mean they’ll try ‘em? Maybe not, but you won’t need to ask them twice to try the ice cream at Theno’s Dairy on the corner opposite the farm. It may not look it from the outside, but Theno’s has been a hot place to cool off for 65 years. Stop here after the farm for a generous scoop. Moo-licious.
IF YOU GO Where: South 47 Farm, 13651 Redmond-Woodinville Road N.E., Redmond When: Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Cost: Free to visit farm. Farm education:“Farm Tots” (children 5 and under) meets Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, through Oct. 30, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and again Fridays, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Cost $7. “Farm Kids” (elementary-age kids) meets Thursdays through Aug. 27, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Cost $7. Contact: 425-869-9777; www.south47farm.com.
Where: Theno’s Dairy, 12248 Woodinville-Redmond Road N.E., Redmond When: Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. throughout summer. Cost: Kid’s scoop, $2.35 Contact: 425-885-2339
Julie Deutscher is a Web editor and writer for Seattle’s Child and an Eastside mother of two.
Head's Up: Repairs on the westbound lanes of the I-90 floating bridge begin Sunday, July 5 and will continue for two or three weeks. Depending on where you live, this might not be the best time to visit the Eastside. Backups could stretch all the way from Issaquah to Seattle. Avoid it if you can. If you must travel I-90, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/i90/homerhadleybridgerepair for tips and updates before you head out.
