I can't say enough about how perfect this park is! I love to come here for work and for play. This Valentine's weekend my boyfriend and I were walking up the watertower and someone had left an adorable disposable camera for people to take pictures of their loved ones! I also come to this park professionally to do photoshoots. Between the bricks on the watertower, water features, conservatory, playground and asian art museum, there are sooo many different backgrounds and textures! read more

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I love being able to walk around cap hill and see a bunch of parks around the area. Volunteer park is one of the top parks to walk around. With the great view of the space needle, cool statutes, and a lot of grass this place is a great place to walk around. read more

This park is large. Park at one end and wander around looking for the wading pool carrying a sleeping infant and a cooler full of beer and you know what I mean. But I would never drink in the park that is against the law. ;) When you are drinking be sure to hide the fact in paper bags or else you will have 2 dozen underage hippy kids looking to score some booze. It is easy to get lost wandering around all the paths. But unfortunately there are always tons of people to tell you your way. It is really ridiculous how crowded this park can get on a Saturday afternoon when the weather is nice. But that is not the parks fault 5 stars! read more

I love having this place as my neighborhood park. I always incorporate it into my running route no matter what the season. It is best in the morning. I love to run through the neighboring streets leading up to the park, particularly 14th Avenue, or Millionaire's Row--so named in the early 1900's when palatial mansions were built by prominent families. The homes are still stately and eloquent today. In the spring, the rhododendrons greet you at the entrance, and the lilies in the ponds lazily float. In the summer, the dahlia garden is in full bloom, replete with every variety of dahlia you can imagine. In the summer and into the fall, small groups of women meet up to kick start their workout routine. Either after having a baby or a midlife crisis or whatever, they unfurl their yoga mats, unpack their hand weights and greet their perfectly toned trainer near the view of the Space Needle through the "doughnut" sculpture. The sun peeks out from behind the Asian Art Museum. I stop to let Reilly, the dumbest and happiest dog alive, rub her face all over the wet grass. She thinks that maybe this one time, she will get that dang halter off (to no avail). We then head home, so that I can head to my office and Reilly can head to the couch. But we had a great time at the Park, enjoying all of the sights (and for her, smells) of the day. read more

Started a date today by going to volunteer park...wow...such an incredibly beautiful place. Volunteer park is the kind of recreational and family spot you would travel from one state to another to site see and relax. This place is amazing...from the architecture, to the trees, landscape and especially the buildings! They have a giant building housing the seattle asian art museum. There's a giant fountain/pond. Smaller ponds with coy fish, two large fields surrounded by large trees. It's incredibly peaceful, clean and relaxing. I want to have a picnic here next time! ;) read more

nice park with awesome views! The big greenhouse is cool to.

I love Volunteer Park - it's big and beautiful with great lawns for frisbee or reading and napping and picnic tables which make nice spots to BBQ with friends. Their bathrooms weren't particularly clean the one day I was there, but it was a busy day at the park so dunno if that was typical. The koi ponds are so pretty, too! A great park for jogging as well. read more

This morning I was feeling a little nostalgic weepy etc while on my drive to Greenlake to go on a long walk. I am housesitting over on the hill, and decided to drive through Volunteer Park as I have NEVER been there. I am so glad I did. It's absolutely beautiful. Before today I only thought of the dark and lurid tales of lovers using the park as their own personal fuckground. But driving through today on a windy rainy morning, it was magical... leaves on the ground, overlooking the city, and crowd of students gathered around the museum getting ready to head in. I will come back and walk around, and I am sure it's splendid during the summer. I just won't come around at night to run in on lovers doing the nasty. read more

Was here for the first time today, for the Seattle AIDS Walk, and I'm looking forward to returning. I LOVE that Seattle has these crazy-big, beautiful parks in the middle of the city! This one is in Capitol Hill with pretty easy access (just a handful of turns) from the freeway; it's surrounded by these fantastic old homes and near a zillion good places to grab food on the way. Good playground area for the kiddos if you have 'em and nice big stretches of grass and pretty trees all around. And on a day when there isn't a huge event going on, I'm betting it's a quiet place to hang out (unlike Greenlake Park, which I LOVE, but not for its solitude!). A happy find! read more

A bit woodsy and a bit cold to be outdoors but if it was warmer, I would of loved to explore more. We were visiting from San Francisco so we had to go visit a park! read more

What a wonderful place to picnic and walk around. The trees are so lovely and everything is well kept. There's a little kiddie pool (the kids were having a blast when I walked by) and a playground. read more

This is the nicest park for runners and sunbathers alike in Seattle. Tons of people laying out or throwing bocce balls. Lots of white linen being sported. It looks like a Seurat painting mixed with Woody Allen's Match Point over here. read more

I love this park. Wonderful views of the water and Space Needle from the "doughnut" sculpture. Love the all the trees and seeing the kids enjoy the various parts of the climbing gym and swing areas. Parking can be a challenge during the sunny afternoon weekends, but that's no surprise. read more

Volunteer Park has so much to do that you can arguably spend your entire day here. This will also likely be the park of choice if you're living in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The park itself has a lot of attractions. Take a trip to the Volunteer Park Conservatory, especially in the winter, and soak in the humidity in the jungle rooms. Take in some exhibits at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. Although the admission costs are suggested and not required, please give them a fair amount at your discretion. Walk down a little further, and you'll come across an old water tower that you can climb and explore. The top floor has a great viewpoint that allows you to see both Downtown Seattle and Downtown Bellevue. If you're lucky, you'll even encounter some random festival going on like the Food Truck Rodeo or Eritrean Independence Day Festival. There seems to always be something going on during the summer weekends. If you're even luckier, you'll find Dagorhir fighters amassing their war banners and engaging in epic battles. They tend to frequent Volunteer Park for some reason. If you're getting sick of the park, stroll in the surrounding area and take a look at the neighborhood mansions. In the early 1900's, this community was known as Millionaire's Row. Take a stroll in the opposite direction, and you'll find a Lake View Cemetery, home of the final resting places for Bruce and Brandon Lee. Be sure to bring flowers to pay your respects. To find it, just follow the paved driveway. The tombstones are on top of the hill in the center of the cemetery, and there should usually be a group of people gathered along with a few cars. There's quite a bit to do at Volunteer Park and its surrounding attractions, so if you need to kill a lot of time before dinner or barhopping on Capitol Hill, here might be an ideal choice. Though beware that parking can sometimes be scarce, so be prepared to get a little creative and search for spots in the deep residential streets. read more

Such a cute park! Lots of cool little unique objects as well. We Brought ourtoddler here and we all had such a fun time. Close proximity to restrooms, the observatory and a beautiful neighborhood. There happened to be plenty of kids at the park and they were all polite as were their parents, yay for that come up! read more

Beautiful park, well maintained. A great place to spend an afternoon.

It was a cute environment. I don't like how spinning playground stuff where kids can barf and get dizzy afterwards. But overall, good place to have family time together. read more

A beautiful, clean, spacious park that is perfect for hanging out on a warm sunny day, or even a cool cloudy day. I don't get over there as often as I should, but when I do, I've enjoyed wandering the trails, gazing at the Space Needle, and sacking out on the grass. A good place for people watching as well. read more

I love this park. I used to live in the Capitol Hill area years ago, and now that I've returned to Seattle I haven't been able to frequent it as I used to. The conservatory is filled with beautiful plants. I love the outdoor plays they have here. Last year, we saw The Three Musketeers, which was terrific, and this year they're showing Robin Hood (haven't seen it yet b/c the city rained out the play by leaving on the sprinkler system on opening day). What better way to spend an evening, but have a picnic at Volunteer Park and watch terrific plays. read more

Cure for the rainy day blues: a trip to the Dahlia Garden at Volunteer Park. You can't help but be cheered by the bright beautiful flowers of all colors. This is definitely a Seattle attraction that is not to be missed during dahlia season, which conveniently corresponds with the impending dark of fall. read more

This park has a lot going for itself. It has some stuff that other parks don't have. Like the Seattle Asian Pacific Islander Museum, Green house, and a cemetary next door with Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee's grave. Not to mention my friend Andrew is buried in the same cemetary. This place has lots of room for you to do what ever you want to do. I like going to the green house and checking out all of the crazy plants that you would normally see in the rain forrest. The park is also in walking distance of lots of shops. I would definitely check this place out if I was a tourist *hint *hint. read more

Pretty! plus there the green house, SAAM, the water tank, the beautiful neighborhood, the beautiful artworks within the park, and the people walking by. what more can I say? read more

What a beautiful park in Seattle! We drove here from Tacoma wanting to see something different in Seattle besides Public Market, and I'm glad we did. It was a rainy and extremely windy day when we went, but seeing all the trees in their autumn colors and going to the top of the water tower was worth it. By the other reviews I thought getting to the top of the water tower was going to be a long trek, but it really wasn't bad at all. We saw kids on the way up and back down, so everyone should be fine. The views from the top were incredible! It was amazing how you could see all of downtown Seattle and the space needle (if you don't mind the window barriers getting in the way). The neighborhood surrounding this park is gorgeous too. Everyone should check it out! read more

I really really really love this park. It's the closest park to my apt (well, technically Cal Anderson is, nevermind) but I'd rather go here any day over Cal. One of my favorite perfect spring days is a picnic with goodies from Pike Place and a blanket stretched out on the massive fields, surrounded by towering evergreens. I love the conservatory; it's such a peaceful place, one of my favorite spots in all of Seattle to meander about. I'm not as crazy about the water tower, but I enjoy it from an architectural perspective. I stopped by here on chance of Seattle Art Museum's birthday, and the Asian Art Museum had free admission all that weekend, complete with traditional Japanese dance and music. In the summer, Shakespearean plays are performed at the park as well. There is also a beautiful rose garden and a cool view of the Space Needle. read more

I LOVE Volunteer Park! I've seen theatrical performances here, watched the sun go down, spent time in the botanical garden and had lots of picnics with friends. You never know what you're going to get when you enter the park. It's like going down the rabbit hole. There is nothing better than laying down in the grass with a good book on a sunny day here. I'm always so surprised that there aren't more people on nice days like other Seattle parks that are jam packed when the sun comes out. This is definitely my park of choice to take out of town visitors to. read more

This is a great place to spend all day. There is so much to see and do and many places to kick back and relax. There is an observation tower, the conservatory, the Seattle Asian Art Museum, the resevoir. There are beautiful gardens you name it they got it. I do not think they have a play structure or bbq's though. read more

I like this place. You can take a photo with the Black Hole Sun, the inspiration for the Soundgarden song. Or you can sit on the grass and look out at the Space Needle or watch the squirrels. You can also check out the koi in the pond and the Seattle Asian Art Museum and conservatory there too. Lots of folks bring their dog, a frisbee and a picnic. The water tower also has some cool historical shit to read. This place is always a destination when I go for a run. It's just relaxing... read more

we came here on a beautiful sunny june day (one of few in june this year, I believe) and enjoyed wandering around this lovely park. Even though it was a lovely day, the park wasn't too busy so it was easy to find a patch of grass to lay down on that felt totally private. It was a dog walker's paradise, and the views of seattle are just wonderful, especially if you climb to the top of the water tower. So the grates on the windows detract ever so slightly from your views, but it is still seriously great, and worth the effort. It has also has lots of placards up there with information about seattle and what you can see. Very informative! To add to the loveliness of this park, the houses surrounding it are beautiful, and it is totally worth dedicating some time to just wandering around capitol hill soaking up the residential vibe (if perving on houses is your thing, obviously!) read more

I really love this park, it's just sometimes it gets a little sketchy once the sun sets. It's a really really beautiful park, especially when spring hits, and during the summer too. Just be more cautious about our surroundings when you go at night (even with your friends). read more

The best time to experience the park is on a winter morning when the sun hasn't yet risen and the fog is thick. Enter the park from the entrance on 12th and look toward the old water tower. As cars drive around the tower, watch the beams from their headlights catch the trees and the fog to produce a feeling you can only relive in old-style movie theaters. read more

My wife and I went for a nice walk and found this place. Large pool for small kids to play in. We cant wait to go back. The park was clean and filled with families. read more

Great park for siting and reading, picnicking or just walking the dog. Every now and then they have insane food truck parties and that's lot of fun. This is one of the most beautiful parks in the city. read more

Nice park surrounded by residential type housing. Has a kind of sleepy feeling to it. The park contains an Asian art museum, an old water tower that you can climb the stairs to the top to get a nice 360 view including downtown. Worth a visit if you have the time, but if you're only in Seattle for a day or so, you probably have more exciting spots to hit up. read more

We took a 4 mile walk to get to Volunteer Park. It wasn't crowded and a nice quiet way to take a stroll around. When we went on 11/11/13, the museum was not open. The park was very large, so we didn't get a chance to see the water tower. If you are on the right side of the park, you could visit the graveyard next to it to see Bruce Lee and Brandon Lee's graves. read more

This used to be a scary place eons ago, but it's a great park to take a walk or lounge around. Take a picnic, visit the Asian Art Museum (when it's open) and make a day of it. The grounds and flora are lovely and peaceful and being able to find parking at a city park is always a plus. My parents used to take me to the wading pool when I was very young and it's still one of the better public wading pools for tots in the city. read more

Even though men are crusing for sex, this park is still a great place to get away and see the peeking view of the space needle. It is a large park and in the summer there are free plays on the stage. There are ponds of koi fish and they are neat to see, just don't feed them. There are trails and a loop that you can walk around. There are also tennis courts at the bottom. Also enough parking. read more

A new found place for me in Seattle. I love sitting in the open field, on my blanket, with my book, my dog, and my water bottle relaxing. The smell of fresh when you enter the park is AMAZING. read more

It's a park with a reservoir and an old water tower thingy and a tire looking sculpture and at night the boys like to play hide the sausage. It's an ok place in the day but I never really have seen the magic that is Volunteer Park. Maybe one day when I am older I guess. read more

This is a beautiful park, and I love all of the nooks and crannies for hanging out. I am just disappointed that everyone else in the city knows about this place, too. read more

When it's picnic time, the keeds and I sit in the shade of the mighty firs beside "the black donut" and look out over the reservoir at Der Späcënëëdlë & the black, glowing mountains beyond across an iridescent inland sea. From the koi pond to camel rides and climbing the willing limbs of the ancient Dougs that line the meadows: the cacti at the conservatory, the wading pool, play ground (replete with modernist play sculpture), and acres of green, living, carefully kept space...it's the grand, smiling, green heart of Seattle. read more