For a nice sunny day activity, there's nothing like a quick drive (20 minutes from Seattle) to downtown Edmonds. At the foot of downtown just to the north of the Ferry landing is Brackett's... More

For a nice sunny day activity, there's nothing like a quick drive (20 minutes from Seattle) to downtown Edmonds. At the foot of downtown just to the north of the Ferry landing is Brackett's Landing, which has a delightful beach. For families with kids, this is the best day around. Drive up and park in the handy parking lot (although parking slots can be sparce on a busy day) and unload your buckets of sand toys and sunscreen and life is good. Better yet what's a blast is when the trains come by just behind you--every 4 year olds dream come true is to watch a real train go by. Also the kids will love watching the divers and their gear, who use the park as launching point for the underwater diving park just offshore. After a couple hours on the shore, wander up the street to your choice of great casual eateries in downtown Edmonds (by the way Rick Steeves lives here, we once saw him strolling around town). Earlier today we went to La Palma, a nice family run Mexican restaurant right on the main corner. We also picked up a chunck of stinky creamy french cheese from the Resident Cheesemonger, a great cheese shop also on the main drag. For families with a couple kids, this is a the easiest, most fun outing around. Edmonds is a very friendly town and they love visitors! This summer they'll have a Jazz Festival over Memorial Day and also they have a great 4th of July parade that we went to a couple of years ago!
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