19 Downtown Edmonds Family Hangouts

If you’ve noticed more babies strapped to chests around the Downtown Edmonds blocks and toddlers babbling in high chairs at your favorite restaurants, you’re not alone. Maybe there’s something in the water. Maybe more people have moved out of the Emerald City. Maybe both! 

Whatever the reason, Edmonds is full of families, and many are hanging out Downtown. In this article, we’ve rounded up close to twenty of our favorite places to go for family enjoyment—places where mom and dad can also have fun while the kids do. 

Nay! Some places err more on the side of parents first and kid entertainment second. Either way, they’re all (mostly) stroller-friendly businesses where the whole family will probably get their needs met. Kids are fickle beings, so we can’t take on the liability of promises, but we’re confident you catch our drift and will make the right decisions for you and your crew. 

Try them out and let us know where you land by tagging @edmondsdowntown in your social posts. We’ll be there to cheer you on. 

Let’s get into it!

Parks and Rec Centers

At the newly-refreshed Civic Center Playfields, you’ll enjoy fields, playgrounds, a skate park, courts, and a cushy walking path that is all beautifully maintained. Plus, it’s super close to at least two ice cream shops and steps from our Saturday markets. 

There are tons of fun rec classes inside the Frances Anderson Center and a fabulous park outside of it. Enjoy the nice picnic tables while the kiddos play and pop over to the library to pick up your holds after everyone’s had their fresh air fix. 

Shops

ARTspot caters to professional and hobby artists alike. It’s the perfect place to shop together or send your kids off to choose supplies on their own. However you choose to shop (or gamify the experience), they’ll create art at home instead of sitting in front of a screen, and that is a win in itself. 

At the Edmonds Bookshop, you’ll be cozily contained in the stacks. There are cushy chairs to sit and read while you wait for each other to peruse. This is also the start and end point for summer’s Where’s Waldo? scavenger hunt downtown, a popular family-fun activity! 

East West Books & Gifts moved to Downtown Edmonds a few months ago and has begun hosting a weekly story time for littles. Even if you can’t make it to that, your family will love perusing the pretty crystals, handmade jewelry, and gifts with you each time you pop in. 

Match your mini when you shop at Little Bipsy. This is the go-to shop in town for all things mom and kiddo. Not only do they have clothing, but they also have gear, toys, books, and a fabulous rewards program for frequent shoppers. Plus, it’s extremely stroller-friendly. 

At Musicology, pick up some vinyl for you, your cousin, and even your inner children. Their curated kids’ record collection has Disney classics and Sesame Street songs you’ll be able to teach the kids and sing along to, too. They also have a listening station, so you can all pick something to try before you buy. This is a great hang for a date with you and your significant other, your teenager, and your toddler. 

Involve your family in picking hand-made cards from The Paper Feather, which offers three cards for $12. Plus, they have surprise confetti ball toys for special occasions, delicious candles, and stationery for your budding snail mailers and journalers.  

The Wishing Stone has a rock bin along its back wall that entertains the younger set for longer than average. Kids of all ages will love perusing the crystals with you to learn about their energies and powers. And that dino in the front window? Always a crowd-pleaser. 

Restaurants and Cafes

Take your babes on a pastry date to Copper Rose Bakery and invite each family member to pick something to share with the group. Only rule: Everyone has to get something different. 

Add Fire & The Feast to your Monday or Tuesday dinner plans: kids’ meals are half-price from 4pm until close and we have it on good authority their spaghetti and meatballs are a fan-favorite. 

You’ll love seeing *the game* on one of the bar’s three TVs and they’ll love building their own 10” pizzas at Johnny Mo’s in Main Street Commons. 

Polish off that pizza and head downstairs to Molly Moon’s where you can sample one of the more experimental flavors and your kids can lick from cones topped with staples like the scoop shop’s famous Yeti (sweet cream ice cream that’s swirled with homemade vanilla bean caramel and tons of homemade yeti granola and Theo chocolate bits). Or, spring for a family sundae. Sky’s the limit! Bonus: Ice cream swag. 

Off Main is cavernous, but cozy and offers an ice cream sundae with each kids’ meal. Watch their eyes light up while you sip your adult beverage. It’s totally worth it. 

Nothing spells love like fluffy breakfast c-a-r-b-s do. If we know anything, we know even adults can’t say no to the Pancake Haus. Whip on top? Why not!

Kids of all ages love a build-your-own adventure and Revelations Yogurt offers that in spades. Their ever-rotating flavors keep us all coming back, too. Don’t forget to add your phone number for rewards—you’ll be coming back often! 

Owner Jeff at Salish Sea Brewing Company has been known to offer whiny kiddos a sweet treat and parents have been thanking him for it for years. Your kids will feel super cool while they sip their craft rootbeer, to boot. 

For all of its fanciness, Salt + Iron knows its way around a kids’ menu, especially when it comes to coloring options (turtles, octopuses, you name it!). Plus, you are likely to steal one of your kids’ shoestring fries. This place will inspire you to bring the kiddos with you for happy hour. 

With big booths and generous kids’ portions, Santa Fe Mexican Grill & Cantina treats kids like the mini people they are. They also offer enticing smoothies your kids are sure to remember and pull on your sleeve asking to revisit. For you? An extremely well-stocked bar and the biggest burritos around.  

Family Entertainment

At Glazed & Amazed, you have options: Several classes allow parents to drop kids off and bop around Downtown, or run errands, or go to the gym, or read a book, or enjoy a glass of wine, etc. etc. You can also plan a family paint day and join in on the fun.   

Where are your favorite Downtown hangs? Let us know on Facebook or Instagram. We may just write about them next! 

By Whitney Popa, photos by Matt Hulbert