When I was about 7 years old I took part in a cheerleading day camp at the Spartan Recreation…read moreCenter. We came for part of the day and covered different parts of cheer and the camp culminated with us cheering during a basketball game in the gym. Even though I did not pursue gymnastics nor cheer much after the termination of the camp, the camp itself was enjoyable, well organized, and I enjoyed that we got to practice cheer choreography in the same place we performed the cheer during the game. Later on, in high school, regional-level competitions were held here for the History Day Competition. Different competition types were housed in different rooms in the center that could accommodate the format of the competition categories. For example, documentary/film competitions were held in rooms with computer hook-ups to projectors, live-exhibits (also called skits or performances) were held in rooms that had a stage-like portion of the room, and physical exhibits (my category) were housed in one large room with aisles between the exhibits so people could stop and ask up questions. The spacing of the aisles also provided good spacing when interacting with the judges one-on-one, not too crowded in my opinion. I ended up advancing to the state-level of competition, which was held at the University of Washington, and found I preferred presenting here at the Spartan Recreation Center in part because of the spacing and in part because of friendlier event organizers and workers. Field use for sports is tied here if I am recalling correctly. We had to reserve the athletic fields in advance for dry land practice as part of the high school water polo team. For swim team, a room here was reserved and used on occasion for the start of the year team meeting and getting our warm-ups and bag (uniforms aside from team suits). Reserving the rooms and fields was relatively hassle-free. I also used the athletics fields for soccer over the years and maintenance was excellent. The track and field has a large parking lot, easy-to-read scoreboard, and a good number of bathrooms. I ran middle distance track here for my high school and enjoyed the practices and meets held here. The track surface wasn't so hard as to hurt my knees except during one practice when I managed to trip over my shoe laces during a sprints set...

I was here for the Indoor Playground for toddlers and young kids. It's Monday-Friday from 9:30am to…read more11:30am. It's pretty nice, like a sparser version of the toddler room in Magnuson Community Center. They have balls, basketball hoops, little cars, and a few playsets. This is an easy option when other activities aren't available that day. It might be a little confusing. You turn into the parking lot of the senior center first but there are signs for the Spartan Recreation Center.

With gyms recently closed for covid the pool being open was much appreciated. I think it's vital…read morethat people have a way to get out of the house and get some exercise especially in our cold/wet Washington winters. A reservation system is in place where you schedule an hour session online. I've been booking the lazy river which allows for 3 users at once, but has the current turned off. You can make use of the water weights and get in an arm work out and do your own version of river fitness. I do wish the water was a little warmer. The hot tub is also open (no jets allowed), but only to 2 people at once, with masks required. The sauna is closed. This pool has stricter restrictions than another pool in the area, so it may make you feel safer if you are fearful of covid. There are lots of children around in the classrooms nearby, but I have seen none in the pool on any of my recent visits. It also appears it is much easier to get a lap lane here, which has been a challenge at another local pool. I've never been at a time when the session was full and it's really reasonably priced, especially for Mountlake Terrace residents.

Recently moved to the area and decided to try this public pool on. Sunday morning. Overall not a…read moregreat experience for my kiddo and I. We arrived early to be sure that we could purchase a pass for the 1.5 hour block of leisure swim time. Once we got in, a less than friendly lifeguard walked over and looked right at me and said that I could enter the pool if I had showered first. Not one single person went and showered first and no one else was told to shower. My child was already in the pool. We paid around $13 for 1.5 hours of a very crowded toddler swim area that was about one foot deep.

Fiddlesticks! I saw that because I'm finally getting around to writing a review of the park which…read morehas been the closest to my heart, since I was born here in Seattle. Why you ask? Because I grew up here just down the street, and it is basically the park that makes me feel most at home. Yes, there are other parks in the area, but this one is the best. Let's discuss... there is a beach, there is a railroad bridge that is sketch as heck, but absolutely a blast of hot air (literally), because it's just a you, above the train, and a chainlink fence... so safe, probably, fun, absolutely. The beach, when the tide is out, is great tide pooling, lots of things to see, from little crabs, all sorts of starfish goodness. Up near the parking lots, there is a large field, and playgrounds. There are plenty of things for the kiddos to do, but the gem, is a concrete slide, in the shape of a salmon. Yes, a long time ago, there was a metal slide that ranks as the hottest things short of flying into the sun... when it was a sunny day. There are reservable picnic tables and prep areas with water... good stuff. Honestly, there are so many wonderful things about this park... did I mention the trails? There are lots of trails that have viewpoints. So recommend, yes.

Another peaceful place to get away from traffic, yet still remain in Seattle. A nice one-mile…read moretwisty-turny rally course track, so if you are not familiar with hairpin turns, keep your speed way down. A lot of popular Piper Creek trails to follow that make you feel like you are over the water at Olympic National Park--here is the ONLY deciduous rain forest in the entire Northern Hemisphere. Beautiful. Enjoy hundreds of species of birds here, marked trails and a mile-long beach with Golden Gardens to the south and the Highlands to the North. There is a large play area here some 30,000 feet for the kids and small barbeques, and a bench looking out over Puget Sound. If you want to get a birds-eye view of the trains passing by, if you aren't acrophobic, you can walk over to the overpass bridge with it's see-through deckplating that puts you literally right on top. The bridge leads another forty steps down to the beach area which is just as beautiful as Golden Gardens. Lots of driftwood and shiny things for the kids to collect, shells and the like. And a few beer and soda tops from decades past.

I reserved one of the larger rooms for my son's first birthday party and this was the perfect…read morevenue. We didn't even end up using the outdoor play structure (which is no longer there apparently), because the kids loved running around inside. The event happened to take place on an abnormally hot day in early May so the outdoor/indoor space was perfect. There were plenty of tables and chairs available and the staff was really helpful. We've also come here for the indoor toddler gym play time... it was okay. There aren't that many toys compared to the Spartan Recreation Center (though that one isn't free), but it was still a good time for my kiddos to run around and play on the bleachers.

Great spot for kids and teens! My teenage son frequently goes with friends after school. I even…read moretook my toddler for tots gym on the wrong day and staff still brought out the toys and balls for us! Also great information center for the area

Highly recommend! It was the perfect place for my son's birthday. I would definitely return…read morethere. We loved the arcade games and the fact that they used real money and they weren't expensive to play. It it easy to observe the games going on which is very entertaining. It took a bit for some of his friends to get the hang of driving but the staff member helped out. The kids were talking about it nonstop. They enjoyed the snacks sold there and teasing each other as they competed. I wish I would have thought to bring medals for the winning team! Lol! The joy it brought everyone made it worth every penny. They also do a wonderful job preparing for the game.

If there is such thing as a perfect hangout venue for a group of friends, Whirlyball comes very…read moreclose to fit that description. It has beer, pizza, bumper car, basketball, lacrosse, and arcade games all wrapped up in a single establishment that offers immense fun for reasonable per-person cost. It is always a blast to have a game of whirlyball with your friends, drink beer in between the games, and get back into your bumper car and play the lacrosse/basketball. It is strangely addicting and just fun. And the beer prices are reasonable as well. Booking the court requires a phone call but staff are very friendly and they really work with you to get the right amount of court and time for your group and event. On the day of the event, you get assigned a referee who runs all the games and they are engaging, funny, and just great.

This is THE place to play pickleball outdoors. They have six courts, and it gets pretty popular on…read moreweekday evenings. It's nice because you put your paddles up, wait like five min, then you play a game and only have to wait another five min or so before you play again. It's nice to keep playing with a random selection of people. Typically my wife and I will split up the teams since we're not as good as the average player here. The only downside to shoreline is that you can't indicate your level, so it's kind of luck of the draw unless you coordinate who you want to play with. Technically they do have these magnets you can put down to show the level but no one uses it. Whenever I go elsewhere I try to find another court like shoreline. Most pickleball courts have the problem of being either too crowded, or not crowded enough (people are only playing with their friends, no rotation). For example green lake is ridiculously crowded.

Shoreline Park is located in a cluster of public facilities including the Shoreline Stadium,…read moreShoreline Center, Spartan Recreation Center, the Senior Activity Center, etc. I have utilized the soccer fields for soccer and water polo (the part of our practices conducted on land). Following the finishing of the tearing down of Shoreline Pool in 2022, the parking that was previously designated for the pool has opened up to those using the park. There are trails through the woods with benches speckled throughout the trees, a small play area, and trails behind the fence above the soccer fields. In addition to soccer fields there are tennis/pickle ball courts. A restroom building with an exterior water fountain is located towards the end of one of the soccer fields. During the summer months and the autumn the fields can be in high use. When I ran track and field for Shorewood High School in the Spring of 2007, some of the more adventurous runners would run some of the trails for warm-up. The Springs of 2009 and 2010 we used the fields for dryland training in water polo in addition to our in-the-water training at the pool. All three years, the park was quieter in the spring than the summer/autumn seasons.

I recently celebrated my one year Aqua-versary, and I have had a lot of good deep water and shallow…read morewater instructors at different pools across Seattle, and Montrell (the Hydro-Fit instructor on Saturday mornings at Meadowbrook), "Dancing" Daniel (the Hydro-Fit instructor on Tuesday evenings at Meadowbrook) and Mac "& Cheese" (the Hydro-Fit instructor on Thursday evenings who is moving from Meadowbrook to Madison pool) are among my favorites. I haven't had an opportunity to take water fitness classes from other teachers at Meadowbrook, but I am sure they are also good because the culture at this pool is a great mix of professionalism and fun (what I love about the Ballard Pool that is under renovation and closed for two months at the time I am writing this review) that makes working out there beneficial and enjoyable. I have gotten my most challenging water workouts in the Hydro-Fit classes at Meadowbrook and I have also had some of the most fun I have had in a pool. The people at the front desk, the lifeguards, and the pool management all impress me with their friendliness and professionalism. What is great about the deep water fitness instructors at Meadowbrook? They know the vocabulary of deep water fitness and lead us students in a full range of moves so it doesn't get boring. You get a good workout and will be sore the next day if you give it 100-percent, and at the same time the teachers suggest modifications if you need to rest, and they encourage students to go at their own pace, which makes the classes accessible to everyone (there are also stairs leading into the pool and a chair lift system to make it so that people can get into and out of the pool if they aren't available to go up and down the pool ladders). The teachers have a ton of enthusiasm. They seem to enjoy teaching the class as much as we students enjoy participating in it. The music they play in class is a great mix of upbeat happy songs from Lady Gaga to Elton John to Disco to Soul. The pool itself is housed in a beautiful building with northwest modern architecture that looks like it was designed by Roland Terry. The exposed wood beams and cantilevered structure make Meadowbrook the Canlis of swimming pools. The water is comfortably warm and the clean quality of the water shows the great care that the management of this pool takes in keeping it clean. I appreciate that the lighting in the pool isn't glaring like the new LED lights at Queen Anne pool that have no shade and point straight at the water making us swimmers feel like we are exercising in a police interrogation room. The Meadowbrook pool also has a sauna and a pretty sweet rope swing, which add to its charm. I hesitate to tell people how awesome the Meadowbrook instructors and pool are because I selfishly want to keep this place to myself, but the world deserves to know that Seattle Parks & Recreation has a real successful operation here that everyone can be proud of.

I participated in a year-round swim team one year with our practices at Meadowbrook Pool when I was…read moreapproximately 9-10 years of age. I was taking part with a couple of the other girls that lived on my street, so we typically carpooled to practice with one of the parents of the three of us. Towards the beginning of practices the parking lot could be packed. The upside of that was that once we found parking the hardest part tended to be over. The locker rooms were medium sized and handled the number of swimmers well, however the showers could get a bit cramped after practice. The pool was well equipped for our younger kids practices, including having kickboards and blocks to practice starts/dives from. There was seating along the side of the pool, which was nice for if the parent(s) wanted to sit and watch us during our swim practice. My sister would come and read from her paper bag wrapped textbooks for class on occasion as well. Desk workers were professional.

I swam for the Innis Arden youth swim team for 12 years approximately 1999-2010. Though my family…read morehad a pool membership before that time range as well and I worked at the pool until 2012. I also took part in youth water polo off and on. I started working here in Spring 2007 when I was 14 years old and worked here until August 2012, amounting to a little under 6 years, taking on various roles. Working at a pool while also using it for lap swim, rentals, open (recreation) swim, swim team, and water polo provides a well-rounded view of the pool setting. I went from cleaner to lifeguard and swim instructor to senior lifeguard and swim instructor to assistant swim coach and swim instructor. Being a cleaner, yes we even got to clean the locker rooms and wash the floors and scrub the toilets, was an eye opening experience as to the daily upkeep required in the operations and maintenance of a pool. Lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons here were more relaxed than the other pools I worked at (The Dale Turner Family YMCA and Evans Pool for the City of Seattle) and it is not one of the pools I made a rescue at. From a lifeguard perspective that is truly a testament to how well run/operated the pool is. Typically the pool is seasonal, opening in late Spring and closing closer to the end of Summer. However, this year the pool it trying some things out and expanding its open dates for lap swimming and hosting a high school swim team and a club swim team for their practices. Fun to drive past the pool in February and still see people in the pool. Fortunately Innis Arden pool is a heated pool, so even if the weather is 30 or 40 degrees Fahrenheit outside the pool remains a comparatively balmy 79-85 degrees. I have swam in non-heated pools in 30 and 40 degree weather and that is a brutal experience and takes a toll on my system. So relish the comparative luxury of a heated pool! I love the pool layout, though I cannot speak of the locker rooms/office as they have been remodeled since I worked here and my family has chosen to go without a pool membership for about a decade. Locker rooms and the office are located between the fenced pool deck and a grassy field. A parking lot extends one length and end of the pool. On the side of the pool opposite to the parking lot is the Innis Arden Clubhouse which can be used for swim-related events on occasion. The pool deck is a couple to a few inches taller than the pool water level and has a coarse-grained texture which is perfect for preventing slippage on deck especially when one is dripping wet. There was a rickety slide and a diving board when we still had a membership. When people weren't using the slide it was fun to see how long we could last with our heads under the water cascading down and off the slide. Cold water ran to coat the slide so that when we used the slide we did not get stuck to it sliding down, no swimsuit wedgie is good with me :).

This park is a local favorite. There is plenty neighborhood parking and a parking lot available. We…read morelike to attend their dog events hosted by many dog FB groups. They also have many events fun for the family to enjoy in the warm seasons. There is a designated basketball area, play structures, bathroom, covered patio and paved paths. There is not covered picnic seating. That would give the park more perks.

Street parking for Cromwell Park is available on Corliss Avenue North. The abutting King County…read moreDistrict Court (Shoreline location) has its parking lot restricted from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday, so when I arrived a little after 8:30 a.m. today, Thursday 20 April 2023, I decided to go with the street parking. There were a few people at the park and a variety of birds were singing. I spotted a bunny rabbit, Rufous-sided towhee, and robin while walking around. A paved path around the park helped alleviate any fears I had of tripping. The grass, playground, and gazebo were well maintained and cleanly. A small bridge connecting the playground area to the gazebo area went over a waterway. Fun place to go on a quiet day like today and do some wildlife watching.

There used to be fewer people using this park until it got renovated. The upgraded playground now…read moredraws a ton of kids and families. I personally miss the older park because the new baseball field takes up so much wasted space and is rarely used to its full extent. The center of the grass field and some other parts fill up with tons of muddy puddles whenever it rains. They take forever to dry up because the trees around the park cast shadows for the majority of the day if it's even sunny. I've slipped and fell on the grass before because it can get slippery, especially when getting pulled by a dog on leash. The best part about the renovated park for me is there's multiple garbage cans and dog bag stations throughout the park. I think there used to be only one trash can in the eastern half of the park. The cement walking path around the park is good for taking laps around the park.

There's something for all ages at this newly renovated park. Lots of slides, hills, swings,…read moreaccessible features, and lots of room to run. There's a little trail around the playground and playfield, and public bathrooms. On the basketball court there are also ping pong tables. Beside the court is stadium seating/steps built in.