Past Events
Walking Tours
Events
UW Botanic Gardens: Washington Park Arboretum Walking Tour
Washington Park Arboretum 2300 Arboretum Drive East, SeattleThe city first acquired Washington Park from the Puget Mill Company in 1900. By 1904, the city hired the Olmsted Brothers firm to prepare drawings for a roadway alignment through the park. Plans for how a “pleasure drive” would connect Lake Washington Boulevard to the university campus through Washington Park evolved quickly over the next […]
$30
Leschi & Frink Park Tour
Frink Park 398 Lake Washington Boulevard South, SeattleLeschi and Frink Parks were privately-owned parks open to the public when John Charles Olmsted arrived in 1903 to design Seattle's Park and Boulevard system. Olmsted referred to these steeply-sloped parks as the “Rainier Heights Landslide Section" and recommended that the entire area become part of Seattle's park system to prevent major loss from future […]
UW Botanic Gardens: University of Washington Campus Walking Tour
University of Washington WA, United StatesRelocated from downtown northward to larger, less-developed acreage in 1895, the University of Washington consisted of just six buildings when the Olmsted Brothers firm prepared a general campus plan in 1903. John Charles Olmsted returned in 1906 to design the grounds for the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE), which attracted over three million people to Seattle […]
$30UW Botanic Gardens: Seward Park Walking Tour
Seward Park 5900 Lake Washington Blvd. South, SeattleOriginally called Bailey Peninsula, Seward Park boasts some of Seattle’s oldest-growth native forest thanks to John Charles Olmsted, who helped save it from development by encouraging the city to include its purchase in the park and boulevard system he designed in 1903. Bailey Peninsula was far outside the City limits when Olmsted proposed including it […]
$30
Delridge “Dell” Tour
Delridge Neighborhood 26th Avenue SW & SW Yancy Street, SeattleThe Olmsted Brothers' 1903 report did not include West Seattle because it was still outside Seattle's city limits. But when the neighborhood was annexed in 1907, Olmsted was hired back to add to his original park and boulevard plan. He recommended connecting boulevards between the City's east side and West Seattle. In addition to the […]
FreeMagnolia Boulevard Madrone Walk
Magnolia Boulevard W Glenmont Ln & Magnolia Blvd W, SeattleSeattle’s Olmsted Parks and Boulevards was imagined as a system of beautiful landscapes and boulevards in the late 1800s. Magnolia Boulevard is home to some of the most picturesque views foregrounded by madrone with an expansive Puget Sound backdrop. In late November, Seattle Parks and Recreation installed a series of planting beds to protect larger […]
FreeGreen Lake Tour – Saturday, June 18, 2022
Green Lake 7201 East Green Lake Dr N, Seattle, WA, United StatesJoin Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks for an in-person guided tour of Green Lake About the Green Lake tour: Meet at the north entry to Green Lake Community Center. The distance around the lake is 2.8 miles. The tour will last approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours. It is appropriate for all ages. These walks […]
Join Us on September 21 for our Walking Tour of the UW Campus & FSOP Annual Meeting
FeaturedUniversity of Washington WA, United StatesView of Rainier Vista, UW Campus, from Drumheller Fountain. This walking tour will be followed by our annual meeting and potluck, which all are welcome to attend. On the tour, learn about the Olmsted Brothers' design of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909 and experience its lasting legacy, the central axial green of Rainier Vista. […]
Schmitz Preserve Park Walking Tour
Schmitz Preserve Park Meet near the intersection of 58th Ave SW and SW Stevens St, Seattle, WA, United StatesBridge across stream in Schmitz Preserve Park, 1910. Courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, 30259. We will meet at the park sign near the intersection of 58th Ave. SW and SW Stevens St., close to Alki Elementary School. We’ll take a look at the park as a component of the Olmsted system of parks and boulevard, […]
Denny-Blaine, Lakeview, & Viretta Parks Walking Tour
Denny-Blaine Park 200 Lake Washington Blvd E, Seattle, WA, United StatesLearn about Olmsted's vision for Lake Washington Boulevard as it climbed the slope toward Washington Park, and view some early neighborhood parks established in 1901 with the platting of a new subdivision. We will also visit the Bush School's oldest building and a couple of estates designed by Olmsted. The tour will begin and end […]
May 18th Walking Tour — SW Queen Anne Hill
Kinnear Park 899 W Olympic Pl, Seattle, WA, United StatesMembers of the Queen Anne Historical Society will be joining us and talking about early development and historical properties that we'll encounter on this walk.
Correction — Walking Tour Date
Please note that the date for our final walking tour of the season, through Cal Anderson Park, has been changed. Originally scheduled for Saturday, September 15, it is now to occur the following Saturday, September 22nd. We are still meeting at 10:00am, by the Shelter House. We do hope you will join us! Cal Anderson […]
Interlaken Park & Boulevard Walking Tour
Interlaken Park 2451 Delmar Dr E, Seattle, WA, United StatesCome learn about some of the park’s history, including how the roadway traces an earlier bike trail system and how the park fulfills some basic tenets of the Olmsted Brothers’ design philosophy. Given this summer’s heat, a walk through the woods may be just the thing! We will meet and start at the intersection of […]
A Park System for All: The Olmsted Vision for Seattle – May 10th
Join historian and former FSOP board member at the Mercer Island Public Library on May 10th at 7:00 p.m. to learn about Seattle's Olmsted Brothers-designed park and boulevard system. Jennifer will talk about the Olmsted Brothers' vision for the park system, how it was implemented, and how it has shaped Seattle and contributed to the […]
Join us September 16th 2017 for a Walking Tour and the Annual Meeting!
Our final walking tour for 2017 will be held at Washington Park Arboretum at 10:00am. We will meet in front of the Graham Visitors Center. Jennifer Ott and Andy Mitton will be leading the tour that will highlight the beginnings of the Arboretum as well as present-day activities. There will be an opportunity for a […]
Join us September 17th 2016 for a Walking Tour and Annual Meeting!
Our final summer walking tour of 2016 will be held at Woodland Park. Meet at 10:00 am at Picnic Shelter #4 west of the off-leash dog park and near the 59th St. entrance to the park on Aurora Ave. Join us to learn more about the Park that was classified in the 1903 Olmsted Bros. […]
Mini Walking Tour in Ravenna-Cowen Parks
Join King County In Motion, Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks and the Ravenna Bryant Community Association for a midday history walk and field game extravaganza! Learn the secrets of Ravenna and Cowen parks with historian, Jennifer Ott, on a 30 minute walking tour. Afterwards, hop, jump, and toss your way through field games at Ravenna […]
Walking Tour and Annual Meeting in Volunteer Park – September 19th
JOIN US for the 2015 ANNUAL MEETING Saturday, September 19th Tour of Volunteer Park – 10:00 a.m. Business Meeting and Potluck Lunch – 12:00 p.m. Meet at the Black Sun sculpture across from the Seattle Asian Art Museum Depending on the weather, we will picnic on the grass east of the amphitheater, in the shelter […]
Walking Tour – July 18
We will meet at the south parking lot of Leschi Elementary School (Yesler and 32nd) at 10am for a tour lasting approximately two hours. Please note that we will be walking some steep wooded trails, so dress suitably and bring water with you. We may end the tour with an informal gathering at one of […]
2014 Annual Meeting and Walking Tour
FSOP has had a great year and we are excited to gather at Lakeview Park on Saturday, September 20th, at noon for our annual meeting and (always delicious!) potluck lunch. We'll meet at the grassy area directly south of the intersection of 37th Avenue E. and E. Harrison Street. Bring a dish to share; drinks, […]