Things to Do In Edmonds Wa. – The Perfect Day Trip!

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Things to Do In Edmonds Wa. – The Perfect Day Trip!

My great grandmother used to own a small laundry mat in downtown Edmonds, many years ago an I have been visiting this area for as long as I can remember. I lived in Edmonds for a few years as a child too, but boy have things changed over the years. The historic downtown Edmonds area has now developed into a fun waterfront town, full of restaurants, shops and beaches. This makes it the perfect destination for a great day trip. After many trips with my own kids, we have come up with our list of favorite things to do in Edmonds Wa., and will share it with you here.

There is so much to do in the historic downtown area to the Edmonds waterfront. that you can spend a few hours there, or an entire day. It is full of shops, restaurants, beaches, ferry rides, parks and more. It really is a great way to spend a day or a weekend.  I think it makes a wonderful getaway for a family or a couple, or you can just plan a day trip here and create many wonderful memories with your family.

Location:

Edmonds is in the North Sound (part of Snohomish County) and is approximately 14 miles North of Seattle (about a 30 minute drive from Seattle depending on traffic). Edmonds as a city has many different areas to it, but the area we are focussing on here is the downtown Edmonds area. It sits on the watefront and is also the location of the Edmonds / Kingston Ferry Terminal. You will find easy parking, the pace is nice and relaxed, and it is a great one stop spot to enjoy different activities. You can park and walk the rest of the day during your visit.

If you want to turn your visit into an overnight stay, find rates and options available in the area here.

Check out many more day trip ideas in Washington here too.

Here are lots of our favorite things to do in Edmonds Wa. for the perfect family day trip.

The Marina in Edmonds

Exploring Downtown Edmonds – Shops, Restaurants, Beaches and Parks!

We make multiple trips out to the Edmonds area and enjoy time at the beaches and parks each summer. It is so beautiful, and there is a full days worth of activities, so its worth it even if you have to travel a bit . There are two beaches, parks, marina, board walk, restaurants, shops and a small downtown area with a historic theater to boot! One of my favorite things is that its a walking city, so you can park the car and walk for the day if you like.

Plenty of spots to stop and smell the flowers along the way. They take very good care of the waterfront and the downtown area, so its a clean and beautiful city to walk through!

Explore the Parks in Edmonds

Edmonds has a number of parks to enjoy.

There is a large (and fun) park uptown called the Edmonds City Park, and is located off Third Ave. S. between Howell St. and Pine St. This is the bigger park, if your looking for primarily park fun. It also offers a spray park in the summer time that kids will love. When my kids where younger, it was definitely their favorite park in the area. I walk to this park with my kids (but I love to walk, and we have a home base to rest at in Edmonds, as we have family that lives there). It is a long walk from the downtown Edmonds area though, so you may want to drive, especially if you have little ones with you. You can also find a list of other parks in the area if you want to explore some of those.

This is the park structure at the Marina Beach.

If you want to enjoy some beach time, and park fun, the Marina Beach park structure is the spot for you.

Hit the Beaches in Edmonds

This is a great spot to find beaches to watch the ferry, or beach comb, or swim. There are a few beaches to explore, right in downtown Edmonds, including a couple right next to the Ferry. A few to check out include:

The two closest to the downtown and ferry terminals arethe Brackett’s Landing North and South beaches, This spot is well known with divers (as there is an underwater park for divers here) and makes for nice strolls along the water too.

Brackets Landing Conservation Area

The only beach on the North side of the Ferry, and it is designated as a Marine Sanctuary Conservation Area. It is also the area where they have the well know dive water park, if you like to watch people dive. It is a great location to take in the sunset as well.

Brackets Landing South 

This spot sits on the south side of the ferry docs, and there is a nice sandy beach area to walk out on. It is closer to the downtown area then some of the others if you are doing restaurants and shops, and want to visit the beach.

Marina Beach

My kids favorite is the Marina beach and park. It is a short walk from the central downtown area (and the walk is paved and  beachfront, so worth making just to enjoy the walk), but they also have a nice parking lot if you prefer to drive down. It is the spot I will take the kids if they want to go in the water. You will find sand, a playground and lots of kids swimming in the Puget Sound – so it can work for all ages. Because its the Sound, swimming is best suited for those that can swim well but little ones can play on the shore line.

You can park at this beach, or park in downtown Edmonds and walk over (its a bit of a walk, but we love it). We often stop and watch boats being launched, smell flowers, get ice cream and more on our walk over! If you are walking you get to cross this fun bridge over the marina to enter the park!

Explore The Edmonds Murals on an Art Walk

You can visit the small downtown area for shops, restaurants and more. There are these fun murals throughout town you can spot too, in various alleys. There is a toy store downtown that my kids love to buy squishies at, if your looking for something to entertain the kids with. Find a mural map here to make sure you do not miss any.

Art Sculpture along the waterfront walk

You will also find many art scultptures in the area to enjoy. Edmonds boasts a great public arts program, and you can learn more about that here.

Take a Ferry Ride

Want to visit Edmonds and Kingston. Take a ferry across to Kingston for a round trip excursion (park and walk on to keep it more affordable). Downtown Kingston is small, but cute. It has a great Crepe shop, as well as other restaurants and shops in the immediate walking area. In the summer there are different events and evening concerts you can enjoy as well.

If you want to go beyond this area, you will want to drive across. We share lots more about what you can explore on the Kitsap Penninsula here too, including info on the town of Kingston.  The ferry trip is around 30 minutes, and I would say you could explore the town in an hour easily, or two if you wanted to eat there, enjoy events or just take more time.

I recommend a day time ferry ride, so you can see the waters and all, but if you want to do an evening dinner over in Kitsap the night time ferry is pretty too.

Take in a Beautiful Sunset

If you stay until the evening you may even catch one of their amazing sunsets. We have enjoyed so many beautiful sunsets along the Edmonds waterfront. If you are a fan of a great sunset, this is a wonderful spot to enjoy them.

Catch a Movie at the Historic Edmonds Theater

The Edmonds Theater is right in the middle of downtown, and has been open for over 100 years now. They only show one movie at a time, but it is a fun experience.

Enjoy a Festival or Open Air Market

Edmonds hosts everything from farmers markets to art festivals in the summer. Planning your visit around one of the festivities means more to do, but it also means more people. Parking will be harder to find, and restaurants harder to get into, so keep that in mind. There are many fun options to enjoy though. Find them here.

Do some Train Spotting

There are so many things to do in Edmonds Wa for families that I love. If you have kiddos who love trains, there is also some great train spotting opportunities in this area too.

This is the sandbox out in front of Anthony’s Beach Cafe

Where to eat in Edmonds for Families:

If you are enjoying all of the fun things to do in Edmonds, you will likely need a spot to eat or snack at during your trip. Edmonds is full of fun and delicious restaurants. There are so many great spots to try out. Here are a couple that have always worked well for us when we have kids in tow

I have many favorite eating spots here! Here are a couple highlights:

• Girardis – this is an Italian restaurant with a very popular Happy Hour. The Happy hour has extended hours, and you can eat at it with the kids. There is outdoor dining, and they have some of the better prices in this area. We have done their Happy Hours many times over the years. Due to popularity their prices have increased some recently, but its still a good option. This spot is in uptown Edmonds, so a bit of a walk from the beach (but an easy walk on sidewalks).
• The Beach Cafe below Anthonys. This is an Anthony’s restaurant. The prices are better than Anthony’s and there is outdoor seating overlooking the Marina. Plus, there is a great sand box that my kids love to play in there (pictured above).
• They recently opened a spuds down by the art museum (not too far from the beach and boardwalk) if you love their fish and chips. If you visit there, there is also a honey shop right around the corner that has the best honey candy I have ever tasted (it was awesome)!
• The Edmonds Bakery is my favorite spot for a sweet treat. It has not changed much since I was a little girl, but their doughnuts are amazing! They have limited hours so be sure to check those ahead of time.
• The Rusty Pelican is a super popular local spot for breakfast and lunch. They do get very busy, but you can order boxed lunches and take them down to the beach to eat as a picnic! You do have to call ahead 24 hours in advance to order those, so this is one you will want to plan for.
• Rorys of Edmonds is another spot that has been around for a very long time. It is your classic bar and grill, but you can get seating out on a deck that looks over the beach and ferry, for beautiful views (and they offer a happy hour M-F too). It is an affordable option with some killer views if you sit on the deck.
• Find many more dining options for Edmonds here as well, including some fine dining options like .Salt & Iron, FIVE and Charcoal.