fbpx
Home » Blog

Kirkland, Washington a Fabulous Family Destination

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Family Road Trip to Kirkland, Washington Travel Series

Powered by Mom says Kirkland, Washington is the perfect destination for a family vacation.

Whether you're going for a few days or a week or more, we think that Kirkland, Washington is a great family destination. We had the opportunity to go there in April for three glorious days and we loved. In fact we loved it so much and discovered that there were a ton of things to see and do that I can't possibly tell you all about it in one article so we're doing a fun series. Our first one is to introduce you to Kirkland, Washington and to give you a peek of the fun things we did and discovered about this great destination.

kirkland lake washington

Travelling has always been one of my passions. There's just something incredible about leaving your home behind and embarking on an adventure to someplace new. As much as I loved travelling abroad to see the place that I'd always dreamed of seeing, I also love travelling closer to home. Destinations where we can hop in our car and get there within a few hours are perfect for weekends or better yet a long weekend. Since we live in the Metro Vancouver area we quite frequently cross the Washington state border and go go Blaine, Bellingham and downtown Seattle. In fact downtown Seattle is a frequent destination as my father-in-law lives there and it only takes us about three hours to get there. However, I don't know how after so many countless trips to Seattle that we have never checked out Kirkland. It's only 15 minutes east of Seattle and it's a lakefront paradise for family fun, great good, small town feel and so much more.

lake washington and people
Just look at Lake Washington, it's practically sparkling. This photo was taken mid-April of this year and we had summer temperatures that day which brought out everyone to enjoy the view and the weather.

It is a beautiful suburb and is located in King county, Washington, Kirkland is located on Lake Washington and offers a beautiful view to visitors and residents alike. Today the population currently sits at 85,763, offering travelers and residents an endless supply of things to do and see during their stay. It was definitely a city worth making the trip too and totally fed my thirst for adventure while we were visiting. It was also the ideal setting for a family trip, something that we also consider closely when deciding on whether we're going to book a trip or not.

kirkland mom and daughter

With their assortment of restaurants and water activities there wasn't a dull moment during the entire trip. One of the things I enjoyed most was the feel of Kirkland itself. Although it boasts the title of being the 12th biggest city in Washington, the hometown feeling it gave reflected just the opposite feeling. Instead of feeling like a the big city it actually is, Kirkland seemed for all the world like a small town which was something that counted big for me. I can survive in a city setting but I just adore the ambiance of a small town.

downtown Kirkland
Here's my daughter walking "downtown" Kirkland. Don't you love the brick sidewalks?

During our stay my family and I were able to indulge in some of the finest experiences that Kirkland had to offer its guests. Some of key opportunities that we took advantage of during our stay are listed below. I'm not going to go into great detail on each one as they will be talked about in full in our future articles as part of this series.

  • We stayed at the Heathman Hotel our first night. It's conveniently on Kirkland Avenue, walking distance to "downtown" Kirkland's shops, restaurants and more. Walking in town was where you really had the small town feel with the unique shops (no big box stores in sight), tons of restaurants and when it was sunny everyone and their dog was out walking, literally. There were families everywhere those with strollers, little ones walking with the, walking their dogs and more. Trellis, a restaurant located in the Heathman hotel, was a delectable trip for the entire family. Keep in mind that the Heathman is kind of a big deal in Kirkland, quite the fancy establishment.

Here's a preview of what the Trellis Restaurant has to offer. These Crinkle Cookies with a chocolate dipping sauce were nothing short of decadent! I still dream of their deliciousness.

free e-book
Free E-Cookbook

Sign up for our emails and get our free Simply Sweet E-Cookbook?

krinkle cookies

  • Woodmark Hotel in Kirkland, is the only hotel on the picturesque shores of Lake Washington. It is not "downtown" but as I said it's on the the shores of Lake Washington and the views are amazing. it's a great area for walking around and just enjoying the lake, or go for a sail and more. We spent two nights at this hotel and our first night there was a wedding but even though our balcony looks down at the tent below when our windows were closed we did not hear a thing.

Woodmark Hotel Kirkland

  • Northwest Cellars. While visiting my husband and I were able to participate in a wine tasting, something that we both enjoy a lot. A good glass of wine, that is. While we were there we chatted with the owner, Bob, who was friendly and surprisingly enough a former resident of our hometown, Vancouver. I thought that was a pretty neat twist to our visit. It's always fun to bump into someone from the same town as you while adventuring in a new place.

northwest cellars

  • CANVAS! Paint and Sip Studio was a family outing that we enjoyed taking part in. I would definitely recommend this kind of experience with your family. As this was a family session it was all paint and fun and no sipping 😉

canvas

  • Isarn Soul Kitchen. If you're ever in the area, this restaurant is the place to go if you're a Thai lover. Everything smelled so yummy but unfortunately we couldn't possibly sample everything they had to offer. Everything we tried was yummy, especially the dessert!

isarn

Washington State is one of the most beautiful places that we've had the pleasure of visiting in the US. Kirkland itself was lovely and there wasn't a dull moment in the entire trip. I can't recommend Kirkland enough especially to my fellow Vancouvervites, it's not far to go and yet you truly feel like your on vacation and somewhere new when you go to Kirkland. From the restaurants to the water activities right down to the multiple hiking trails, there was so many things to do during our stay. Unfortunately we weren't able to see and do everything but there's always next time!
Kirkland boats
By on June 22nd, 2016

About Powered by Mom

I’m Michelle aka Powered by Mom. I’m married with one daughter, my hubby was my high school sweetheart, our two dogs Nyx and Cleo and our cat Oliver. As you can see we’re a family of animal lovers. We love to travel when we can, try different food and activities all over the world and enjoy being together. My passions are writing, travelling, creating new recipes, encouraging people to adopt not shop and just to enjoy life while we can.

More posts by this author.

25 thoughts on “Kirkland, Washington a Fabulous Family Destination”

  1. Having been a recent resident of the eastside (Newcastle), I would recommend any of the areas east of Seattle for visits/vacations. They are NOTHING like Seattle. They are clean, well established communities devoid of all the filth and crime that are chronic in Seattle. It is only a short distance across the lake, but like a world away. Anywhere from Newcastle up to Kirkland is worthwhile, would NOT recommend areas further south or north, too much like Seattle. Better yet hop on a ferry and head out to one of the islands in the puget sound! See you when you get here.

    Reply
  2. My husband grew up in Renton and his Mom is still there. He says Kirkland is a very nice place. When we visit his Mom, I plan on going there.

    Reply
  3. This looks lie a very interesting vacation spot. When I think of the west coast I always think California never above. Now I will re-think my ideas..

    Reply
  4. I have family that live in the area & grew up in Kirkland. My daughter & I visited in 2013. It is a beautiful area and family friendly.

    Reply
  5. I live in Edmonton, Alberta just north of Washington, but have never holidayed anywhere in the U.S. except Disneyland...This sounds like a wonderful road trip

    Reply
  6. We are avid travelers and hope to be heading out that way next year. It is always nice to get recommendations from locals and people who have visited an area. Travel guides and businesses have sent us to places we have not always been that happy with. We ask the "regular" locals where they go and usually are much happier with their recommendations. There are some good suggestions here.

    Reply
  7. What a fun place to go! I love getting travel ideas from the articles you write. I have never been to Washington but this makes me want to jump in the car and go go go!

    Reply
  8. The lake is beautiful and looks like a lovely place to boat and take photos. The Trellis Restaurant would be a must stop! Maybe someday I will go there.

    Reply
  9. I have to say that I've become disillusioned with foreign holidays and now rarely go abroad. I just can't stand the queuing and security checks since 9/11. Nowadays I like to take a couple of long weekends checking out parts of Ireland that I've never been to.

    Reply
    • while I would love to visit Ireland Kate but I hear ya although I have to say I've been fairly lucky with travels, not often have I had super long waits but I also have TSA pre-check/Nexus so travelling from Canada to US and even back to Canada from other countries besides the US I've been fairly lucky.

      Reply
  10. This looks like such a beautiful place to visit, I love visiting places that are surrounded by water. I just find it peaceful and love the cookies with chocolate dip,yum! I also like the all the small stores and shops to visit.
    @tisonlyme143

    Reply
  11. I've never been to Washington. I'd love to see places like this. I like going places off season, when they aren't bombarded with tourists. This looks like fun! I'd love to go!

    Reply
  12. I was fortunate to be able to spend some time in Kirkland and I loved how pretty it was. I also found the locals very friendly. We want to go back to Washington again and spend more time there.

    Reply
  13. It looks beautiful. I love the small town feel too. We also love the water. Thank you so much for sharing this. I will be looking to read more

    Reply
  14. My sister just moved to Washington so I see myself going there in the next 12 to 24 months! Really enjoyed reading this.

    Reply
  15. Washington has some beautiful country. I've never been but always wanted to go. I bet it's a great vacation spot.

    Reply
  16. Never thought of Washington as a vacation place but I guess anywhere can become a nice vacation location if you can find plenty to do.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sugar Cookie Bars With Chocolate Ganache Story Easy Chocolate Lollipops Story Strawberry Paleo Fudge Bites Story Grilled Chicken Pesto Sandwich Recipe Story Easy Crockpot Thai Chicken Curry Soup Story