Memorial Day signals the beginning of summer (well not the REAL beginning, that is Kristina's birthday on June 21, don't forget to send donuts), but it is the symbolic beginning, okay? How you spend this weekend will set the stage for how your entire summer will go.
Get inspired. Bryan Adams should want to write a song about the Summer of 16. In order to help out we put together a little list of 20 things you can do over the weekend to make sure you kick off Summer 2016 the right way.
Let's do this.
Boat views are the best views.
Get out on the water.
- Rent an electric boat, grab some beers and a group of friends and spend the afternoon navigating Lake Union and Lake Washington.
- Get a workout in and enjoy the water by kayaking or paddleboarding Greenlake or Lake Union
- Insider Tip: Rent a sauna and float around Lake Union! An architectural design company, goCstudio created a floating, motorized sauna that fits six people and you can rent it for 1-2 hours for $150. See photos here and email info@gocstudio.com to book it!
Experience the great outdoors and hike.
- Lake TwentyTwo is a great, moderate hike to see a beautiful part of the PNW. It is full of interesting vegetation, waterfalls, and the lake at the top is stunning. Something for everyone!
- Poo Poo Point is a great, easy hike that won't take you too long. Plus, the top of the mountain is a big open field, perfect for a picnic and you can watch (or take our recommendation and actually take the jump!!) the Paragliding that takes off from this point.
- Wallace Falls is for all of you hikers who love the awesome water feature! There are also a few different options for how to complete this hike. We recommend making a loop from Wallace Falls to Lake Wallace.
Insider tip: At the half-mile marker, you will encounter a split in the trail. The path on the right, distinguished by a wooden gate, leads to the Woody Trail, which will take you to Wallace Falls. The left fork diverts to the old Railroad Grade that leads north to Lake Wallace. If you head to Wallace Lake look for the smiley face carved into a fallen down tree.
The tree face at Wallace Falls.
- Mailbox Peak is for people who like a challenge with a reward at the end. You will want to turn around or possibly lay down and just die. But once you reach that summit you will forget all the pain and just stare at all the beauty before you (hey, that's kind of like they describe childbirth)! Then you get to sign the bad-ass guest book in the mailbox!
Insider tip: The mailbox is filled with small tokens and items. If you want to take something from the mailbox make sure you bring something to leave in exchange!
See a show.
- Teatro Zinzanni is this amazing dinner theater by Seattle Center that for a price (which is worth it!) you can see an amazing show served with a delicious Italian meal. Right now they are showing Be Italian, which we haven't seen, but looks like a winner!
- The Naked Magic Show at the Moore Theater. We don't think we need to explain why you should want to go to this one.
- Ballard Locks has a summer concert series! Head over for the start at 2PM and enjoy a beautiful area of Seattle while listening to some classic music.
Spend some time at a festival.
- Northwest Folklife Festival at Seattle Center is an amazing, vibrant event held at Seattle Center. Come jam to fantastic indie bands, take in beautiful artwork, and SO MUCH MORE! It's awesome and if you live in Seattle you have to love learning about new things. Go fulfill your destiny!
Memorial Day and bikes go together like white on rice.
Day Trip.
- Start driving south and make your way to Mount Rainier National Park. It is a 14,000 + foot active volcano covered in wildflowers. This is basically the coolest place in the state. If you haven't been, go for the day and if you have been, well.. still go for the day!
- Memorial Day is the perfect weekend to take a trip with your friends to Woodinville Wine Country and drink your hearts out! No work Monday. Woo. Also, drink responsibly and make someone be DD. (Prep for the day with our post on How to Wine in Woodinville.)
- Leavenworth is just a little over two hours away and this little German town is always up for a good time! Hot ticket items: wine hikes at Icicle Ridge Winery, yoga retreats at the Sleeping Lady, and river rafting with Osprey Tours
Kid-Friendly Awesomeness.
- Seattle Aquarium Family Science Weekend is supposed to be geared for families, but not going to lie, that line-up makes us want to go too. Meet the octopus and diver shows? Yes, please!
- Magnuson Memorial Day Run is set up so the whole family can enjoy! Mom and Dad can run the 5K and the kiddos can participate in the 400 meter kids run! Plus Magnuson is a beautiful park to spend time at after the run as well. Pack and picnic and make a day of it!
Photo of art classes from Brooke Westlund's website.
Learn something new.
- Hipcooks (don't let the awful website turn you off) offers the best cooking classes! You can't go wrong with any of the options and you get a great experience for the cost. Also, Bonny is the best!
- Take a painting class at Brooke Westlund's gallery at Pike Place Market! Not going to lie, a lot of those paint and wine night classes seem to produce sub-par art no one would ever actually want to display. Not the case here- her classes help you produce classy, beautiful art!
Get some R & R.
- Banya 5 will quite literally evaporate the stress off of you. Go alone, leave your phone at home, and leave feeling lighter than a feather!
- Go for a float! Float Seattle is the best spot for sensory deprivation, a way to relieve stress and pain! Plus, first timers get a discount!
