By : Lauren Rodych-Eberle

Washington State has been our home for 5 years now. We’ve lived in Seattle, in Bellevue, and in Kirkland. And yes, when we tell people we live in Kirkland, we always get the joke, “They must really like Costco there!” And it’s true…the Costco brand, Kirkland, is named after Kirkland, Washington, where Costco’s main offices were based. But beyond Costco, Kirkland is a pretty lovely place to be. So, like I said in my Bellevue blog, whether you’re adventuring while you’re visiting Seattle, or you want to be a tourist in your own city, here’s some of our favs!

Check Out Other Washington Travel Guides:

Activities

Outdoor with Playgrounds/Trails/Beaches

Check out these posts as well: Family-Friendly Hikes in Washington and Family-Friendly Nature Walks (near Seattle)

  • Juanita Beach Park – this is a popular spot, but for good reason! You can play in the water, on the beach, at the very cool playground, or walk the boardwalk. You can also enjoy this area for seasonal farmer’s markets or Christmas tree shopping
  • Juanita Bay Park – a perfect spot for paved trail wandering, wetland spotting, bird watching, and so much more. Also a favourite spot for family photos!!
  • Cross Kirkland Corridor – this trail covers 5.75 miles and is great for running, biking, walking, and making your way to gems of playgrounds and pickleball courts, and more
  • Waverly Beach Park – this beach is a lot more intimate than Juanita Beach Park – it has a small beach and swimming area, a little playground, and all in close proximity, allowing for different kids to do different things and adults to keep eyes on all of them!
  • O.O. Denny Park – this park offers everything from trails to a playground to picnic spaces, but I like to think of it as a perfect little place to watch seaplanes coming in
  • 132nd Square Park – pack a picnic (and some cardboard boxes), because you’ll be staying a while. The playground has a “sledding” area that everyone uses cardboard boxes to sled down (or you can use actual sleds, or just a splash suit on a rainy day), and it’s a blast – sledding without the snow
  • Peter Kirk Park – you get all the fun park amenities right beside Downtown Kirkland
  • Saint Edward State Park (Kenmore) – this State Park is not in Kirkland, but it’s so, so close, and it’s a great one! With it spanning 326-acres, there are endless forest trails and a fan favourite “wooden” park

Indoor

  • The Village at Totem Lake – this complex is extra fun when the weather is giving you rays of sun, and you can sit out with an ice cream from Salt & Straw and feel the buzz of energy around you! It’s full of shops, restaurants, coffee shops, a movie theatre, and more
  • Kirkland Arts Center – this art center is now a non-profit visual art school, but they highlight certain artists at various times – we went and saw Anna’s Art Lab’s work on display and had such a nice time
  • Kirkland Library – this library is very small and has quite short hours, so while there are many other libraries you could check out (including Bellevue), if you want a library right in Kirkland, it’s there! Plus, they have 24-hour lockers for picking up your on-hold books at any time!
  • The Heybrook – I love everything The Heybrook is about! You can go for the community and the baby and toddler classes, or you can go to have easy access to all the care there – webster-certified chiro, massage, pelvic floor therapy, and more
  • Kirkland Performance Center – confession…I have never actually been in this theatre, but I walk by it on the regular and dream about going in. It’s an intimate theatre, holding less than 400 people, so it would be fun to see a concert or talk hosted there!

Seasonal

Now to the Food…

Okay, don’t forget to pop back to my Seattle Travel Guide and Bellevue Travel Guide for lots of other awesome food places, but here I’ll stick to Kirkland (and some bonus Woodinville spots, just because!).

Groceries & More

  • Kitchen and Market – it’s more than a grocery store! It’s like being at the farmer’s market, without being at the farmer’s market, plus they have amazing meal kits, and there’s a cute coffee shop inside too
  • Metropolitan Market – this place covers it all!
  • PCC Community Markets – I love shopping here and supporting local, but it’s also a great spot to pick up lunch

Cafes

  • Woods Coffee (Bellevue) – I had to mention this one again, because I stand by it being the place I miss when we are away – they do tea right! Plus, the one on 116th has a drive-thru option
  • Sidekick Coffee (Woodinville) – I had to share this one, because when I was pregnant and constantly craving Golden Lattes, this was the spot that brought me so much joy (thanks to my wonderful friend introducing me and bringing the goods!!)
  • The Unity Coffee & Mercury’s Coffee Co. – coffee shacks are all the rage, mostly because it’s quick easy access to drive-thru options. The Unity Coffee is on the way to Saint Edwards State Park, if you’re going to hit up a trail! And Mercury’s Coffee Co. is right in Kirkland
  • Thruline Coffee Co. – some local sweetness in the heart of Kirkland

Breakfast

  • Rusty Pelican Cafe (Woodinville) – going out for breakfast isn’t really our thing, because not many restaurants are open for breakfast at 5am, haha! But, Rusty Pelican is worth a trip to Woodinville for!

[Quick] Lunch

  • DERU Market – DERU for everything. For seasonal meals, for lunch, for dinner – DERU is always a good idea. This is one of my fav spots in Kirkland forever and ever
  • Sarducci’s – Collins and Jordan dream about Sarducci’s sandwiches, and they aren’t wrong
  • Beach House – a cute little lunch spot right on the water
  • homegrown – these sandwiches and soup are my vibe!
  • Duke’s Seafood (Bellevue) – a Bellevue (or Seattle) location, but worth sharing again, because they have the best clam chowder you will ever find
  • sweetgreen – a chain that I’ve suggested in many places, but perfect lunch bowls

Dinner

  • Como – go for the location on the water, with fantastic pasta and pizza and more!
  • El Encanto – right by Como, and under the same ownership – great Mexican
  • Ristorante Paradiso – our chosen Italian, but also because they have great family ordering options – so if you’re having a group of people over, it’s a great choice!
  • Sparrow – American cuisine with lots of good options
  • Cactus Kirkland – Mexican night out!
  • Von’s 1000Spirits (Woodinville) – go in Woodinville (or Seattle), for the cocktails or the sourdough pizza and pasta – you can’t go wrong with this one!

Dessert

Well, that’s a wrap on Kirkland – enjoy!

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