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Your Seattle Parks Spring Bucket List

Robin Williams once said, “Spring is nature’s way of saying ‘Let’s party!’” In our fair city, spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Come out of hibernation, Seattleites.’”

It’s getting lighter in the mornings! The sun doesn’t set at 4:30 p.m. anymore! There are leaves and FLOWERS on the trees! No more excuses, friends. It’s party time.

crew

Get out on the water!
Or at least watch people on the water. On the first full official day of spring, March 21, Green Lake is hosting its 53rd annual spring regatta. Hundreds of rowers will descend on the lake for a day of nail-biting sprints and friendly competition. Gather you family, take to the grandstands and cheer for your favorite teams. Find all the details you need here.

picnic

Get in nature!
Celebrate the spring equinox with someone who knows a thing or two about nature. Our naturalists are leading a night time adventure through Discovery Park to seek out croaking frogs and hooting owls from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on March 21. Taking a starlit walk with wildlife is a picturesque way to welcome spring. Register here. (#128280)

egg hunts

Get in on the hunt!
Nothing says spring like the explosion of pastels. In early April, our community centers, parks and facilities get inundated with hidden eggs and treats and we need your little ones to come collect them. From teen flashlight egg hunts to the annual Cal Anderson Park event (complete with bouncy toys and a DJ) we’ve got an event for every age. You can find our complete list of egg hunts here. Happy hunting.

bunny

Get your “awws” ready!
We’re not sure if it’s possible to overdose on cuteness, but we’re about to find out. From 6-7 p.m. on March 31, we’re inviting you to hang out with 15-20 bunnies inside the Alki Bathhouse. If you know of anything more therapeutic than petting adorable, big-eyed bunnies, we’re all ears. Five dollars gets you in the door for a hopping good time.

april pools - Copy

Get ready for summer!
Spring basically serves as a precursor to summer, so you might as well get prepped for outdoor swimming season now. April 18 is April Pools Day, your one-stop shop for low-cost life jackets, swimming and boating education, prizes and more. All of our eight indoor pools will be hosting their own events, but times and activities vary. Call your local pool for details.

Earth Day 2014 @ Golden Gardens (8)

Get your green on!
At Seattle Parks and Recreation, we celebrate Earth Day every day, but in April we go all out. We are sponsoring numerous work party events across the city with Green Seattle Partnership. Help keep our parks and green spaces thriving this season and sign up for an event here. If work parties aren’t your style, we’ve got other ways to celebrate. Miller Community Center is hosting its Earth Day Celebration and Plant Exchange on Thursday, April 9. Meet other gardeners in your community and swap seeds, tools, supplies and tips.

spring blooms

Get out your GPS!
The best treasures are those that hide in plain sight. This month, we’re noticing brilliant blooms popping up all over our parks. We asked our senior gardeners for their favorite places to spot spring color and compiled a list of this season’s must sees. Draw out a route for yourself and take in the scents of spring. Have a favorite park that isn’t on our list? Tell @seattleparks on Twitter!

Learn to Row

Get ready to row!
Seattle athletes have taken home Olympic gold medals for rowing. We have a reputation for being fierce competitors on the water. But, most of us, well…have never been in a shell. Let’s change that. June 6 is National Learn to Row Day! Yes, that’s a thing. Come over to the Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center to learn what the sport is all about and learn the fundamentals. The event is free for adults and teens (though 12-15-year-olds need to be accompanied by an adult and 16-17-year-olds need a parental/guardian signature). Find more information here.

bike

Get your wheels ready!
Seattleites bike year-round, but they start enjoying it in the spring. Every year beginning in May we close Lake Washington Boulevard to motorized traffic on certain Sundays and encourage people to take in the waterfront scenery on two wheels. This year we’re kicking off Bicycle Sundays on May 3. Grab your family and come ride with us. At the end of the route, we’ll have a bike safety event with activities for the family near the entrance of Seward Park. Go here for details.

park

Get to a …PARK!
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. Just go to a park! There are so few people in this city who can boast that they’ve visited every park in our 400+ park system. And how wonderful is that? With a park system as vast and varied as ours, there is always somewhere new to explore. Visit our A-Z parks list and make your own bucket list of the next 10 places you’d like to visit.