Free Thinking: Downtown Seattle and Environs050

What's free for kids and families in downtown Seattle, Pioneer Square, and the International District?

Downtown visitors can take a free ride between 6am and 7pm on any Metro Transit bus in Metro's Ride Free Area, which extends from Sixth Avenue to the waterfront and from Battery Street to S Jackson Street. Bus bike racks are not in use in the Ride Free Area during Ride Free hours.

The Seattle Art Museum offers free admission all day long on the first Thursday of each month and teens (ages 13 to 19) get in free from 5pm to 9pm on the second Friday each month. These evenings usually include live performances and art activities for teens. Even kids who aren't interested in visiting the galleries are likely to enjoy passing by the museum to check out the giant Hammering Man sculpture outside.

It's always free to visit Olympic Sculpture Park and free monthly workshops allow kids ages 12 and under to explore the park, learn about art, and create projects to take home. These workshops require advance registration; check our calendar or the Seattle Art Museum website for details.

A free lunchtime concert series is held year-round at Seattle City Hall, with performances in genres ranging from blues to pop to opera.

Westlake Park, in the heart of downtown, features a nice fountain, free wi-fi (login using seattlewifi as the SSID), prime people watching, and street performers of all kinds. Free concerts are held in the park during the summer.

No trip downtown is complete without a visit to the enormous and colorful Seattle Central Library. The children's area includes a good selection of toys for both younger and older children, lots of computers stocked with educational games, and, of course, plenty of books. Ongoing events at the Central Library include toddler storytimes on Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:30am and a preschool storytime on Thursdays at 10:30am.

The International District/Chinatown Branch offers homework help for kids each Monday through Thursday during the school year from 4pm-7pm. A preschool storytime is held each Thursday at 10:30am, followed by a Mandarin Chinese storytime at 11am.

The Wing Luke Asian Museum offers free admission on the first Thursday and third Saturday of each month. Free Family Day programs with art workshops and other activities are also held on the third Saturday of each month.

Admission is free at the Klondike Gold Rush Unit, which features interactive exhibits that bring visitors back in time to the gold fields in the late 19th century. There aren't many programs scheduled during the school year, but kids' activities are sometimes offered during the summer.

Know of more free stuff, events, and activities for kids and families around downtown Seattle? Add a comment below and we'll get right on it!