Ballard Locks Visitor Center, Museum and Gift Shop — Attraction in Seattle

This is one of the best, free thingsto do in Seattle. There are locks that allow boats to move exactly as the Panama canal moves ships. The best part ( for me) was seeing the fish steps and following a salmon up the ladder. Volunteers that help are allowed a fish and got to see one caught for him. The are exibits and the area is beautiful abd educational. After all the return of the salom is something this area is famous for. Old native stories tell of a time when the salmon returned in such great numbers , that a man could walk across the river on the backs of fish without getting his feet wet. Hay mom and dad the best time to see te salmon return is june to August and...

We always have so much fun coming here. It’s amazing to watch large boats going through the locks! Parking is free on Sunday — luckily I’ve always had good luck with the lot but I could see how it would fill up fast! You can walk around the grounds where you can find a rose garden as well as other beautiful foliage. I haven’t yet been in the visitor center but it does look nice. My personal favorite is going into the underground area to watch fish swimming up the ladder. Only downside is there are lots of geese (and therefore.. lots of geese excrement) but otherwise there is just so...

The Visitor and Gift Shop is a hidden gem at the Ballard Locks that would be easy to walk pass, but would be worth a visit for anyone interested in learning about the history, construction, and various historical figures associated with the Ballard Locks. The Visitor Center features a kid-friendly gift shop, and impressive display are upstairs full of lock-related historical displays, models, and specimens. There is a small movie theater on the ground floor that shows an excellent 15 minute movie the lock history and construction. Highly recommend a stopping by on your visit...