Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden

Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden is a small but beautiful free garden located on the grounds of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (Ballard Locks) — and the combination of these two attractions makes for one of the best free family outings in Seattle.

The garden itself covers about 7 acres with mature trees, flowering shrubs, and meticulously maintained plantings that span centuries of horticultural history. It was developed by Carl S. English Jr.

, a botanist who worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers, and reflects his eclectic plant collecting spanning nearly 40 years. There are over 500 plant species represented, making it legitimately interesting for plant-curious families.

But the real draw for most families is the adjacency to the Ballard Locks. The locks are a working navigational facility where boats move between Lake Union and Puget Sound through a system of water chambers that raise and lower vessels. Kids are fascinated watching boats queue up, enter the locks, and then rise or fall as water levels change.

It's unglamorous engineering made genuinely compelling.

The fish ladder is the crown jewel for families visiting July through September. Underwater viewing windows built into the side of the ladder let you watch salmon swimming upstream past you — sockeye, chinook, and coho depending on the month. I've watched 8-year-olds with zero prior interest in salmon stand completely transfixed for 20 minutes at these windows.

Practical notes: both the garden and the locks are free. Park in the Ballard Locks lot on NW 54th. The Ballard neighborhood restaurants are a 0.5-mile walk if you want to extend into lunch.