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The museum, near Alki Beach, takes local history seriously, as it marks the location where Captain Folger steered his schooner Exact in 1851, and brought to the region the families of Seattle’s earliest pioneers, the Arthur A. Denny party. The Log House Museum lets you rediscover the history of the Duwamish Peninsula with an orientation center and exhibits that preserve the community’s legacy, speaker programs, and special events.

Mercer Island is a small affluent community off Interstate 90 near Lake Washington’s eastern shore. The lovely water-front park, on the northeastern tip of the island, offers boaters and visitors notable attractions such as tennis courts, a playground, and trails that lead to a swimming area and fishing dock. On summer Sunday afternoons, the park hosts free concerts in its amphitheater.

The nerve center of Ballard has a vast selection of stores, cafés, Scandinavian gift shops, and taverns lining both sides of the street. Although Ballard is only about 4-miles (6-km) northwest of Pike Place Market, the street’s melange of local businesses and creative signage reflects the community’s small-town personality that has remained intact since the days before Ballard officially became part of Seattle.

Relax in the hot tub while the kids frolic in the indoor pool.

The county’s most popular park, located in Redmond, maintains soccer and baseball fields, a velodrome, and an off-leash dog-training field. Dogs are free to roam and splash in water, a practice seriously discouraged or outlawed everywhere else. Park trails connect with the Sammamish River Trail, a bike route that leads to popular wineries in Woodinville.

This 300-acre park on the grounds of the largest remaining wetland on Lake Washington has a 5-mile (8-km) network of trails and esplanades. Bird-watchers flock to the Slough to view 100 species; other wildlife includes coyote, beaver, and muskrat. Activities comprise canoeing and kayaking, guided nature walks, and u-pick blueberries during the summer season.

Sightseeing between Belltown and Pioneer Square is a piece of cake, thanks to the Bus Tunnel and the Ride Free Zone (see Metro Bus Tunnel). A 1.3-mile (2-km) long tunnel reserved for buses serves thousands of riders daily. If you choose not to walk, either hop on a street level bus within the Zone (checking in with the driver, of course) or look for entrances to the five stations of the Bus Tunnel.

This social service agency helps potential laborers find temporary work.

Many children wish to fly, or fly off the handle. Either way, one way to encourage the former and stifle the latter is to take them to this museum. It also provides insightful outreach programs for school groups, families, and teachers.