Hiram Chittenden Locks
add photos3 Reviews for Hiram Chittenden Locks
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1 family found this helpful
"Fun, even without the salmon"
On a recent trip to Seattle in February, we visited the Locks to give our kids a chance to stretch their legs. While there were no salmon, we still had plenty of fun walking along the water, looking at the waterfalls created by the locks and checking out the boats. The most unexpected part was that there was a man walking around with extra loaves of bread. When we passed him, he offered us an entire loaf to feed ducks. Not sure if this is just a one-off encounter, but the ducks (and us) were certainly appreciative.
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2 families found this helpful
"Great free place to visit with kids"
The Hiram Chittendam Locks are a fabulous place to visit- and a really fun, different type of place to take your out-of-town guests. The Locks are located in the quirky town of Ballard, about a 10 minute drive from downtown Seattle.
The Locks have been operating since 1917, moving boats from the fresh water Lake Union to Puget Sound. Near the Locks is a large Botanical Garden and park, a great place to take a picnic lunch, walk around and enjoy all the pretty flower or just let your kids run free. There's also a small visitor center with lots of information on how the Locks were built.
My son has been visiting the Locks since he was just a few weeks old- he loves to watch all the different types of boats as they come in and tie up and wait for the water level to go up or down. At the Locks you get a very close-up view of the boats and how the transfer process works- it's fascinating to adults and kids.
Just past the Locks there's also a fish ladder, in salmon season you can watch the fish making their way up the fish ladder. It's an amazing thing to see up close.
And best of all, other than parking, everything at the Locks is free! Well worth the trip!
1 family found this helpful
"View Boats Salmon Jumping!"
Seeing boats passing through the locks really fascinated my 4 year old son. It was especially fun to explain how the locks held back the water and to watch the levels change as boats went throught the locks. You get a really good view of the action, just make sure you hang on to them.
Of course, there is the fun of watching the salmon jumping up the fish ladder. It takes a lot of patience for a 4 year old though but they get it and are rewarded when they see the fish flipping up the ladder. Make sure you come between July and September when the salmon traffic is especially heavy.
Check out the website for more info.
There is also a nice park and botanical gardenthat the visitors center is located in. Great for a picnic on a lazy summer day. Ballard, the Seattle neighborhood adjacent to the locks is historical and a great place to walk around.
Informative exhibit showing the live cycle of salmon which appeals to the elementary age and above.
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