I only wish my son liked trains more. We stopped here after visiting the falls (my son is a huge water feature fan, so we figured it would be his favorite) and only spent a little while. The train ride on the vintage train seems like it would be heaven for a train-lover, my little guy just isn't it. Lots of other trains to climb on, look at and take pictures with.

We come here every time we visit my in-laws in Seattle and find a little something different every time. Last year when the little guy was only 4 months we got some great pics pretending to throw him like a fish. This year was a little tougher. He's 17 months now and has an independent streak so doesn't like to be carried or in the stroller all the time. The crowds can make letting him roam free a little more of a challenge. We ended up taking the stroller in but quickly abandoned it in favor of our Ergo. We had fun looking at all the veggies and fruits. We ate lunch at Peroshky, Peroshky and we all loved it. Always worth a trip... and don't forget there are lots of other Starbucks and much more to see than just the first one. ;-)

To start I should come clean that our "home" zoo is the Philadelphia Zoo, an older zoo that has been actively working to make their exhibits more like a habitat but was not initially designed this way. Woodland Park feels the opposite. I feel like seeing the animals is secondary to making the animals feel comfortable. This means that the animals seem very relaxed and at home, but can also result in difficulties seeing said animals.

The WPZ is very spread out with significant distances between animal habitats. The habitats are at times very large, but there are multiple vantage points at each one so you have a good chance of being able to see the animals. Our 17 month old had a hard time finding some of the animals (tigers and lions for example) because of the underbrush and the fact that they were sleeping.

The Habitat Discovery Loop and the Family Farm were our favorites because they were geared towards a younger crowd. Both have playground like equipment that also have educational value as your little one grows. Our son is a petting zoo fanatic and had a great time hanging out with the goats and rabbit.

We did not end up staying for lunch, but from what I saw on the outside signs there are some healthier choices (again, my home zoo is Philly where choices are limited to hot dogs, hamburgers,etc).

Overall this is a beautiful zoo with great exhibits. I would, however, recommend it primarily for slightly older kids, maybe 4 and up. Our son had a great time and we will definitely return, I just think he'd have more fun in a year or two.

Also, remember that if you are a member at a zoo in your home town, ask at the front gate if your zoo has reciprocity. My husband and I got in free because we were members in PA.

We went to a Mariners game in May 2009 when my son was 4 months old. The whole feel of the park is very family friendly and there were tons of other people with babies. Our little guy is always pretty low key, but was a frequent eater. I had no problem nursing in the stands, but when the sun got to be too much there was an indoor breastfeeding room where you could sit in comfy chairs, feed the baby and watch the game on TV.

I'm not a huge baseball fan in general, but I felt like this would be a great park to take kids of all ages.

The fountain in the middle of Seattle Center has the potential to be great fun, but our son was intimidated by it. You have to walk through to get to The Children's Museum so on our way back we stopped to check it out. Although it was the end of June the weather was still a little on the cool side and I was not willing to get soaked. We watched for a while and older kids seemed to have a blast with the varying flow rates of the water. I would like to go back with the little guy when he's a little older and the weather is a little warmer. I think kids 3(if they are brave) and up would get a kick out of this. Just be sure to bring a change of clothing.