Volunteer Park

Lovely park with walking trails, the Asian Art Museum, a cool eater tower with indoor observation deck, great view of the Space Needle.

Beautiful Park. It is large and well kept with little ponds and a greenhouse (fee). Awesome views. There is a cemetery next to the park, Bruce Lee is buried there.

Great place to hang out, play frisbee, hammock, run, and even climb trees.

Over the years there have been more homeless in the area, but they never seem to affect Volunteer Park much.

There appears to be a conservatory and some kind of museum here, but I have never met a single person who has been inside either of them. I’m convinced they’re just for show.

The observation tower on the other hand is pretty epic, but it seems to be closed more than it’s open even when the hours say it’s open.

Enjoyed stopping here on my one day visit to Seattle. To do: conservatory, climb the water tower for a 360 view, art museum, playground. Bathrooms available.

Went here on a delightful crisp autumn morning during the week. While I had lived in Seattle for a couple of years I had only gotten around to visiting this park, one of the oldest in the city.
Designed by the Olmsted brothers in the early 20th century it is a compact 48 acre park in Capitol Hill. It features the Volunteer Park Conservatory and the Asian Art Museum as central points of interest. The grounds are landscaped to encourage walks along the winding paths through fields framed by mature trees. A children’s playground is at the northeast corner and has a fairly large selection of climbers, swings and so on plus a decent field for running around in.
The conservatory has a large collection of plants housed in a lovely building of a classic 19th century greenhouse. We did not go in as there was a flower show on at the time and we didn’t feel motivated to pay the entrance fee for the show.
The centerpiece of the park is the large and beautiful art deco Asian Art museum. We happened to be there on the Free Friday that occurs at the end of each month.
The museum houses a diverse collection of Asian art both contemporary and historical. The contemporary exhibit was towards the back of the building in an addition that is a delight in and of itself with its floor to ceiling windows that open to a view of the wooded park while bathing the interior in natural light.
Even if you have little knowledge or exposure to Asian art this museum will have something for everyone.
In front of the museum the landscaping opens up to a great view of the city and the reservoir just below the top. Off to the side is an amphitheater that holds presentations in the warmer months. Several formal ponds are near the open area in front of the museum that offer seating and a view of the lily pads. Benches are scattered throughout the park.
At the south end of the park is the water tower that has a viewing platform that offers grand views of the city. We did not go up to the platform so I cannot vouch for the boast but am confident the views are excellent.
Overall a great little park with a lot to do and adjacent to the numerous restaurants and shops of Capitol Hill.

Absolutely love this place. Check out the events beforehand. They host some amazing plant sales with many different organizations. The day we went the cactus and succulent society had tons of plants for sale, including succulent bonsais, carnivorous plants, and all types of cacti.

You can spend hours here! This place has lots of green area sit and many shaded paths.

The tennis court is slightly shaded. There is a playground and splashpad.
The Asian art museum and conservatory are nice touches to the park. The water tower was locked.

This place has a similar vibe to Mt. Tabor Park in Portland but less steep.