Follow the Music
Washington Hall
If you have time for just one building, make it Washington Hall, the 1907 Central Area landmark. Built as a fraternal hall, it now serves as an events and performance space, and its upstairs stage once hosted Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Jimi Hendrix.
Since it runs as a working venue, getting inside depends on what is on the calendar. Check the hall's own listings before you head over.
Jimi Hendrix Park
Seattle-born Jimi Hendrix has a park of his own in the Atlantic area, a 2.3-acre site that opened in 2017 after more than a decade of planning. Pair it with Washington Hall for a short walk through the musician's hometown legacy.
Parks Named for Neighborhood Leaders
Stroll through several Central Area parks and you will meet the names of people who shaped the neighborhood. Pratt Park, in Atlantic, honors Edwin T. Pratt, who founded two Central Area community organizations, and it makes an easy stop for families with its basketball courts, playground and spray park.
Nearby, Sam Smith Park honors the first Black member of the Seattle City Council and features a tunnel, courts and the Urban Peace Circle sculpture. The city's list for the area also includes Powell Barnett Park, Homer Harris Park, Flo Ware Park, Alvin Larkins Park, William Grose Park, Dr. Blanche Lavizzo Park and the Judge Charles M. Stokes Overlook.
Churches, a Library and a Victorian House
Official City of Seattle landmarks pack this part of town, and many sit within walking distance of each other. Begin at Seattle Buddhist Church in Atlantic, designated in 1976, then walk on to Immaculate Conception Church in Minor, which followed in 1977 and anchors a small group of historic sites there.
Mount Zion Baptist Church, also in Minor, is another designated landmark, and its street address on Reverend Dr. S. McKinney Ave carries the neighborhood's own history. Over in Atlantic, look for the Victorian House on S Washington St, which became landmark No. 158 in 1979.
The Douglass-Truth Library on E Yesler Way, in Mann, was named landmark No. 243 in 2003 and still serves readers as a working branch of the public library. Madrona has a branch of its own too, the Madrona-Sally Goldmark Branch.
Beaches Along Lake Washington
Leschi Park and Madrona Park
Spread out on the grassy hillside at Leschi Park, which covers 18.5 acres of slope and shoreline along Lakeside Avenue S. You will find tennis courts and a playground, and the site has a long past as a stop for a cable car, ferries and steamboats.
Madrona Park is larger at 31.2 acres. Head down to the water for the swimming beach and bathhouse, or climb uphill into a wooded ravine where walking paths follow Madrona Creek.
Denny Blaine and Howell Park
Denny Blaine Park is a small, terraced beach on Lake Washington Boulevard East, with views across the lake to Mount Rainier and more than a century of Olmsted history. It has also long been a queer- and trans-friendly clothing optional beach.
Howell Park in Madrona is another small public beach, with a long reputation for nude recreation and a following among gay men. Keep that in mind if you are planning to bring children.
Viretta Park
Music fans often make their way to Viretta Park and its Kurt Cobain benches in Denny-Blaine. The small park sits beside Cobain's former home, and Nirvana fans write tributes on its wooden benches and gather there every April 5.
Wander the Wooded Ravines
Forested ravines fold into the slopes above the lake. The best known is Frink Park, a 17.2-acre wooded ravine in Leschi, where Frink Creek runs beneath Lake Washington Boulevard S.
Frink Park's land was donated in 1906, its design has Olmsted roots, and it joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. The terrain is steep, so wear sturdy shoes.
Want more woods? Explore the Madrona Ravine on E Spring St or the Leschi-Lake Dell Natural Area, and look for Nora's Woods, the Madrona Briar Patch and the Harrison Ridge Greenbelt on the city's list. With kids in tow, try Madrona Playground or Peppi's Playground in Leschi, both close to other small parks.
Gardens and Gathering Spots
Several P-Patch community gardens grow here through the city's gardening program. The Squire Park P-Patch in Minor has 35 plots and joined the program in 1995, while Judkins, in Atlantic, dates to 1986 and fits 24 plots onto 5,600 square feet.
Spring Street in Mann is a compact 13-plot garden added in 2009. Plot holders tend these gardens, so be respectful if you pause to look around.
For bigger open spaces, head to Garfield Playfield, Judkins Park and Playfield or the I-90 Lid, home to Blue Dog Pond. The neighborhood is also home to the Central District Farmers Market and The People's Wall. Market days and hours are not listed here, so check the market's official channels before planning around it.
