Seattle's Secret Places

Perched on Queen Anne Hill, Kerry Park delivers what is probably Seattle's single most photographed view: the Space Needle in the foreground, downtown's skyline behind it, Elliott Bay beyond that, and on a clear day, Mount Rainier looming on the horizon.

It's a genuinely small park — really just a viewing terrace with a low wall, a bit of lawn, and a small play area — but Seattle Parks and Recreation keeps it open long hours, from early morning well into the evening.

At sunset, photographers line up along the wall as the city lights start to glow and ferries glide across the water below, making it one of the best free, no-reservation photo spots in the entire city.

Built in 1978 on the site of UPS's very first Seattle headquarters, this 60-by-80-foot 'pocket park' packs a genuine 22-foot waterfall into a space barely bigger than a large room, surrounded by greenery and just enough seating to make it feel like a private garden.

Though technically a privately maintained space (by the Annie E. Casey Foundation), it's fully open to the public during the day, with no admission charge and no ticket required.

The sound of the waterfall drowns out most street noise almost immediately once you step inside, making it a genuinely effective escape from Pioneer Square's traffic just a few steps away.

Fujitaro Kubota, a Japanese immigrant and self-taught landscaper, began merging Japanese garden design techniques with Pacific Northwest plants on this site in 1927, eventually creating a 20-acre landscape of hills, valleys, streams, ponds, and bridges.

The City of Seattle acquired the garden in 1987 and now maintains it as a public park, free to enter, together with the nonprofit Kubota Garden Foundation, drawing more than 65,000 visitors a year despite sitting well outside the city's usual tourist routes.

A protective perimeter wall, matching the original hand-built entry gate constructed largely by volunteers, was completed in 2019, helping preserve the garden's tranquil, enclosed feel.