High on Capitol Hill, Volunteer Park is the kind of place Seattle residents return to in every season: 48.3 acres of sweeping lawns, mature trees, reservoir views and cultural landmarks, all laid out in the Olmsted tradition and free for everyone to enjoy.
The park’s story reaches back to 1876, when the city bought the land for a cemetery before reimagining it as a park; it took the name Volunteer Park in 1901 to honor the volunteers of the Spanish-American War. The Olmsted Brothers firm shaped its design in 1904, and two beloved landmarks followed: the Volunteer Park Conservatory, a graceful Victorian glasshouse built in 1912, and the brick Volunteer Park Water Tower, completed in 1906, whose free observation deck rewards the climb with one of the finest panoramas in Seattle.
Today a perfect afternoon here writes itself. Wander the conservatory’s five glass rooms, from orchids and palms to a seasonal house that changes with the calendar, then cross the lawns to the Seattle Asian Art Museum, the Art Deco treasure that has anchored the park since 1933. Outside, the reflecting pool frames Isamu Noguchi’s Black Sun sculpture, with the Space Needle perfectly centered in its ring on a clear day.
Add a picnic on the Great Lawn, a dahlia garden in full summer bloom and dappled paths made for slow walks, and Volunteer Park easily earns its place among the city’s happiest green escapes.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
