Nature & Gardens in Seattle, WA
We list 10 nature & gardens across the Seattle area. Compare prices, hours and age ranges in one place, then pick the one that fits your day.
Sorted by distance from the middle of Seattle, nearest first. Those are straight-line miles, so every drive is longer than the number on the card.
View place
A botanical garden in Bellevue, Washington, open daily from sunrise to sunset at no charge. Families can walk through planted areas including a fuchsia garden with…
View place
A historic garden in Seattle designed by the Olmsted Brothers in 1915, now open to the public. Families can walk trails through woodland areas, see native trees…
View place
A botanic garden in Shoreline with native and rare plants spread across the grounds. Families can walk the trails, watch for birds, have a picnic, and let children…
View place
A 140-acre garden and forest reserve on Bainbridge Island where visitors walk maintained trails through woodlands, meadows, and designed landscapes. The grounds…
View place
A botanical garden in Federal Way combining three acres of cultivated plantings with 37 acres of native forest. Families can explore eight distinct garden areas…
View place
Lake Wilderness Arboretum is a planted garden space in Maple Valley where families can walk among trees and flowers throughout the seasons. The grounds host…
View place
A botanical garden in Federal Way holding the world's largest collection of rhododendron species. Visitors walk through gardens showcasing these plants alongside…
View place
A historic Victorian-style glasshouse at Wright Park in Tacoma that displays tropical and exotic plants. Families can walk through permanent collections of ferns…
View place
View place
Where a card says no price or no hours listed, the venue does not publish it. We would rather leave the gap than fill it with a guess. Prices come from each venue's own website, and we publish one only when the figure appears on the page we took it from. Tell us if we are missing one you know.
Free nature & gardens in Seattle
One place on this page gets you in free. That makes a short trip easy to justify on a day when nobody is sure how long they will last.
Kruckeberg Botanic Garden
Free to get in and 12 miles out.
By town
Most of these are not in Seattle proper, and the town is usually what decides whether a place is worth the trip.
Nature & Gardens in Seattle
2 of them: Washington Park Arboretum and Dunn Gardens, the closest 3 miles from the middle of Seattle and 1 with a published admission price.
Nature & Gardens in Federal Way
2 of them: PowellsWood Garden and Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, the closest 19 miles from the middle of Seattle and 2 with a published admission price.
Planning a visit
These run from 3 to 33 miles out from the middle of Seattle. Hours move with the season and with school holidays, so check the listing before you set off. If you run one of the places on this page, you can claim it for free and keep its hours and prices right.
Before you go
Grip socks. Almost every venue requires them for children and several require them for adults. Most sell them at the door for a few dollars. Bringing your own is cheaper and means you are not buying a fourth pair.
Check whether adults pay. It runs from free to full price and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you.
Weekday mornings are the toddler rush. If you want space, aim for after two on a school day. Weekend mornings are the busiest hours of the week almost everywhere.
Ninety minutes is the realistic ceiling for most children under five. There is rarely a gradual wind down. Leaving with time left on the clock is not wasted money, it is a better afternoon.
Call ahead in school holidays. Several of these venues run camps and private events that close open play with no notice on the website.
Looking somewhere else in the metro? Browse every kid-friendly place in Seattle.
Other things to do in Seattle
Nature & Gardens in nearby cities
Common questions about nature & gardens in Seattle
How many nature & gardens are there in Seattle?
We list 10 nature & gardens within 74 miles of Seattle, WA. Every one is a published listing with an address we checked.
Which nature & gardens in Seattle publish their prices?
5 of the 10 here do, and each price was checked word for word against the venue's own page before we published it. The rest do not publish one, so their card says no price listed rather than carrying a guess.
Are any nature & gardens in Seattle free?
Yes. One place gets you in free: Kruckeberg Botanic Garden.
Which nature & gardens in Seattle suit a toddler?
3 of them list an age range starting at two or under. Check the age line on each card, because a place that suits a six-year-old does not always suit a two-year-old.
How did Mini Navigators choose these nature & gardens?
We list every one we have within 74 miles of the center of Seattle. Each is a published place with an address we geocoded and checked, and the business can claim its listing to keep the hours and prices current.
Do adults have to pay?
It varies more than you would expect, from free to full price, and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you. The price on each card is what it costs to get a child in. Where a venue publishes an adult price it is on the listing, and where it does not we have left it out rather than assume.
Do I need to book ahead?
Usually not for open play, but several venues cap capacity at weekends and during school holidays, and some close open play entirely for private events. Where a venue has its own booking page, the listing links straight to it.
What should I bring?
Grip socks, a water bottle, a change of clothes for anyone under four, and a plan for leaving before the meltdown rather than after it.
What else is there to do with kids in Seattle?
Seattle has 6 categories of kid-friendly places on Mini Navigators, from playgrounds and museums to splash pads and zoos. The Seattle hub lists all of them.
Listings last checked August 21, 2026.