- This event has passed.
Bus Tour: Historic Olmsted Parks of West Seattle with Academy for Lifelong Learning Resources
Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026, from 7:45 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Cost: Western Washington’s Academy for Lifelong Learning Resources members: $120; Non-members: $150
Additional personal expenses: Lunch and any personal purchases
Registration deadline: Monday, May 4, 2026
Tour Leaders: Sue Nicol and Jennifer Ott
Due to the tremendous response of our Seattle Olmsted Park excursion last year, this June we continue our visit to Olmsted-designed parks on Seattle’s west side.
When John Charles Olmsted first arrived in Seattle in 1903, he was struck by the city’s “extraordinary landscape advantages.” In West Seattle he aimed to preserve, for the public, an old-growth forest park, active playfields, and ample views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Olmsted’s original 1903 plan focused on the central and east parts of the City. After West Seattle and other neighborhoods were annexed to the City in 1907, the Olmsteds were hired back to create a supplemental parks and boulevard plan for those neighborhoods.
Our journey this year includes:
- Longfellow Creek Legacy Trail: We’ll walk the path along Longfellow Creek as it weaves through a lush ravine past a beaver colony.
- Delridge and Hiawatha Playfields: These Olmsted-designed playfields were among the first active sports fields west of the Mississippi. Both were designed between 1910 and 1912.
- Schmitz Park and Boulevard: Donated to the City by Ferdinand Schmitz to preserve its old-growth forest, this park was intentionally left “wild” to protect one of Seattle’s last stands of old-growth forest.
- Alki Beach Park: Lunch is at a restaurant of your choice on Alki Avenue SW. The Olmsted Brothers helped secure this waterfront park, with fabulous views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains for public use.
- Rose Garden and the Woodland Park Zoo: The roses should be in full bloom at the Woodland Park Rose Garden, a 2.5-acre formal garden at the south entrance of the zoo. This rose garden opened in 1924 and is home to nearly 3,000 roses and a sensory garden. In 1910, the Olmsteds designed the zoo grounds. They placed small animal exhibits in what’s now the War Garden, now outside the zoo grounds just west of the Rose Garden. This tour doesn’t enter the zoo.
- EB Dunn Gardens: This is the only PNW private residential garden designed by the Olmsted brothers that is open to the public. We end our day with a docent-led tour of this beautiful residential estate.
Note: This tour entails a series of walks, at times on uneven ground, totaling 1.5 miles.