Edmonds Beach & Park
The Pacific Northwest is filled with many opportunities to get your kids out and active on a budget. At the top of that list are the many parks we have throughout the Northwest. These include National Parks, State Parks, Neighborhood Parks, Water Parks, Lakes, Skate Parks and more! Lets face it though, not all parks are created equal. Not every family is looking for the same thing in a park outing, and different parks appeal to different ages. Some are all day outings, and some are perfect for a short outing.
Be sure to check out our Park Reviews page here for inspiration on what parks you can visit in the NW, and get some more detailed info when planning a day of frugal park fun for your family.
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The Marina in Edmonds
Highlights: (Favorite aspects of the park)
We make multiple trips out to the Edmonds Beach and Park each summer. It is so beautiful, and there is a full days worth of activities, so its worth it even if you have to travel a bit (and you could even hop the ferry over to downtown Kingston too). There are two beaches, parks, marina, board walk, restaurants, shops and a small downtown area with a historic theater to boot! One of my favorite things is that its a walking city, so you can park the car and walk for the day if you like.
Review:
One of the things I like best about visiting Edmonds Beach, is that it makes a great day trip, as there are multiple spots to enjoy.
Photo credit: Edmondswa.gov
There is a park uptown called the Edmonds City Park, and is located off Third Ave. S. between Howell St. and Pine St. This is the bigger park, if your looking for primarily park fun (it also includes a spray park). I walk to this park with my kids (but I love to walk, and we have a home base to rest at in Edmonds, as we have family that lives there). If you are down on the waterfront you may want to drive up here if you have little ones with you.
This beach and park my kids love to play at is the Marina Beach. It has sand, a playground and lots of kids swimming in the Puget Sound so it can work for all ages. Because its the Sound, swimming is best suited for those that can swim well but little ones can play on the shore line.
You can park at this beach, or park in downtown Edmonds and walk over (its a bit of a walk, but we love it). We often stop and watch boats being launched, smell flowers, get ice cream and more on our walk over! If you are walking you get to cross this fun bridge over the marina to enter the park!
This is the new park structure at the Marina Beach.
There are also the Brackett’s Landing North and South beaches, near the ferry terminal. This spot is well known with divers (as there is an underwater park for divers here) and makes for nice strolls along the water too.
You can spend a good portion of your day playing on the beaches down at the Edmonds waterfront.
Plenty of spots to stop and smell the flowers along the way. They take very good care of the waterfront and the downtown area, so its a clean and beautiful city to walk through!
After being down on the water, we like to head up to the small downtown area. There is an old fashion style candy store up there, a small historic theater that often has movies the kids enjoy (and provides a cool break in the day).
This is the sandbox out in front of Anthony’s Beach Cafe
Recommended eating spots nearby:
I have many favorite eating spots here! Here are a couple highlights:
Girardis – this is an Italian restaurant with a very popular Happy Hour. The Happy hour has extended hours, and you can eat at it with the kids. There is outdoor dining, and prices start at under $5. We have done their Happy Hours many times over the years and are big fans. Due to popularity their prices have increased some recently, but its still a great spot. Dinners are pricier, but you can often find them on Groupon if your looking for something special. This spot is in uptown Edmonds, so a bit of a walk from the beach.
The Beach Cafe below Anthonys. This is an Anthony’s restaurant. The prices are better then Anthony’s and there is outdoor seating overlooking the Marina. Plus, there is a great sand box that my kids love to play in there.
They recently opened a spuds down by the art museum (not too far from the beach and boardwalk) if you love their fish and chips. If you visit there, there is also a honey shop right around the corner that has the best honey candy I have ever tasted (it was awesome)!
The Edmonds Bakery is my favorite spot for a sweet treat. It has not changed much since I was a little girl, but their doughnuts are amazing! There is also a good old fashioned candy store up the street if your looking for a spot that the kids can pick something special out.
The Rusty Pelican is a super popular local spot for breakfast and lunch. They do get very busy, but you can order boxed lunches and take them down to the beach to eat as a picnic! You do have to call ahead 24 hours in advance to order those, so this is one you will want to plan for.
Edmonds is full of dining options, those are just a few of my families favorites. Rick Steves (the travel guy) has a great list of many more here.
You can visit the small downtown area for candy shops, restaurants and more. There are these fun murals throughout town you can spot too, in various alleys.
Location:
Edmonds is approximately 14 miles North of Seattle, and is also the location of the Edmonds / Kingston Ferry Terminal.
Additional Tips:
Want to visit Edmonds and Kingston. Take a ferry across to Kingston for around $7 round trip if you walk on. Downtown Kingston is small, but cute. It has a great Crepe shop, an amazing Gelato shop (my daughter said it was the best banana ice cream she has ever had) and a few other restaurants and shops in the immediate walking area. The ferry trip is around 40 minutes round trip, and I would say you could explore the town in an hour or two easily (depending on if you stop to eat somewhere).
There are also trains that run through if you have a train lover with you!
If you decide you want to make it an overnight trip, it just happens that my aunt owns what I think is the best spot in all of Edmonds to stay (I am not being partial here – it really is AMAZING)! She rents 1 and 2 bedroom suites, right off the waterfront with views of the water, ferry and mountains!
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Edmonds Beach & Park Review – Great Day Trip in The NW is a post from Thrifty NW Mom