Woodland Park Zoo

Seattle's public zoo, the Woodland Park Zoo is located just south and west of Greenlake, at the intersection of Fremont, Ballard, and Greenlake.

While it's not the largest zoo in the US, the Woodland Park Zoo has done a good job of providing a habitat for a wide variety of animals in an urban, pacific northwest setting. When we last visited, the giraffes and penguins both seemed to be out and about despite the cool-ish weather. The hippos seemed pretty content to just lay on the ground, though when we went by the second time, one had mysteriously slid into the water...

Seattle Aquarium

Located along the waterfront behind Pike Place Market, the Seattle Aquarium is actually a collection of buildings built on a pier over Puget Sound. Inside the main entry building, they have a typical selection of tropical and semi-tropical acquatic creatures. (An octopus, jellyfish, and a number of interesting-looking fish in ~30 or so tanks)

An outdoor area and the second building host the aquarium's pacific-northwest related exhibits. Those exhibits include birds, seals, otters, and the like outdoors, and an underwater section devoted to fish native to the Puget Sound. An afternoon-visit sort of length, it's also a popular spot for school trips.

Pacific Science Center (and IMAX)

The southwest corner of the Seattle Center hosts a kid-friendly science museum and IMAX screen, though adults may also enjoy a lot of the material presented. The featured exhibit seems to change seasonally, for Feb-May 9 2010 it seems to be a series about human travel to Mars. Permanent exhibits include a butterfly house, robot insects, 3D technology and a planetarium, among others.

The IMAX screen shows a mix of current movies and science films including 3D films. As a warning, popular films will sell out in advance on the opening weekend.

Exhibit information