Seattle Area Adventure: Play & Eat in Seward Park

Summer is back in Seattle! At least it was on this particular day.  Wanting to take advantage of the sunny, warm weather, and not wanting to heat up our non-air conditioned house anymore by turning on the oven, we recently headed over to our neighborhood to the southeast, Seward Park.

The first order of business was dinner.  Always after a good deal, we decided to check out a {new-to-us} burger joint that I discovered in our entertainment book: Bent Burgers.  After driving and walking by dozens of times, I was curious about the place.  Also, the coupon was “buy one burger, get one free”.  I was obviously sold.

With plenty of room on the back patio, we scoped out a spot, and headed to the counter to order.  There are plenty of choices, but it’s not overwhelming.  I went with the old standby: the cheeseburger, and Slaed ordered his go-to: the mushroom swiss.  We rounded out the meal with 2 beers, and an order to yam fries.

Bergen brought his own goodies, and chowed down while we waited for our burgers to arrive.

Bent Burger is family-friendly.  They had a highchair for Bergen, plenty of parking space for strollers, and even a special kids menu. The patio is a perfect place to enjoy the sun, but provided us with plenty of shade at the same time. We are still Seattlites after all, right?  We saw many happy kids coming in and out with their parents, and what I really loved was that they didn’t arrive in their cars.  Truly a neighborhood hangout.

Wondering about those burgers? Bergen was too.

These babies were served to us by friendly staff, were made to order, and came out promptly.  Mine was piled with fixings including perfectly melted cheese, crispy lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and their tangy “bent sauce”.  The burgers are not super fancy, and not super greasy like a typical fast food joint.  They’re just right.

Pleasantly pleased, and full of burger goodness, we ventured down the hill to the park.  This park makes me feel lucky to live in Seattle surrounded by such natural beauty.

What I love about Seward Park:

• It’s a peninsula bounded by Lake Washington
• Old Growth Forest
• Stunning views of Mount Rainier
• 2.4 mile multi-use trail
• Plenty of space for swimming & “beach” play
• Hiking trails
• Playground complete with smaller scale play structure and zipline

On this particular evening, Bergen had just one thing in mind.  With no line at the baby swings, he hopped aboard, and took in the view of Lake Washington.  Mount Rainier was not making an appearance, unfortunately too hazy, but when we are given clear skies, it’s quite a sight.

After Bergen had had enough swinging, he cruised over to the play area that is just his size, well almost just his size.  This mini play structure is designed for kids ages 2 to 5 years.  The ground here is the new bouncy material.  We love this because there is nothing he can put in his mouth, which is the case with mulch and gravel at many other playgrounds.  We started to notice though that Bergen was crab walking instead of his usual full speed ahead crawling style.  When I got down on his level for a closer look, I realize he was avoiding the rough texture on this soft little knees.  Smart guy.

After some climbing and sliding, we gave the knees a break, and wandered over to the big open field, and beach front area.  I loved watching the kids jumping in and out of the water, diving off the platform, and just being happy and free.  Once Slaed let Bergen off of his shoulders, he made a beeline for the water’s edge.  Seriously, if I hadn’t stopped him (by the end of his shirt), he would have crawled right into the water! He was so determined.  We were wishing we had packed swimming gear.

We were hoping to top this beautiful evening off perfectly with an “Obama” cone (chocolate and vanilla twist) from the ice cream truck that frequents the park.  Unfortunately for us, he was no where to be found! Must have had a busy day, and I’m okay with that because I know we’ll be back very soon…

Info to Know:

• Seward Park (5895 Lake Washington Blvd. South Seattle, 98118) is open from 6 am to 11 pm.
• Check out the Seward Park Environmental & Audubon Center for programs, hikes, tours, and much more.  I know we will be attending the next Toddler Tales and Trails program.  There are plenty of options for bigger kids and adults too! I’m thinking a birding hike is in our near future too.
• The park has great picnic shelters that can be reserved for a small fee.  Fun option for birthday parties and family gatherings!
• More highlights include a clay studio, tennis courts, and 2 active bald eagle nests!

This post is part of “Photo Friday” on Delicious Baby.  Click the link to check out all the other beautiful and inspirational travel photos! After that, travel the world through Sundays in my City!

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