Things to Do in Burien

Frustrated that their three youngsters spent their indoor playtime glued to video games and TV, Doug and Kasey Lupton founded Play Kitsap as an active, educational alternative. Their 8,000-square-foot facility entices kids aged 10 and younger with 14 activities, including a 21-foot-tall inflatable slide, a bouncy castle, a sports zone, and moon sand for sculpting. Elsewhere, a toddler area accommodates younger guests with age-appropriate activities, and art and Kindermusik classes stimulate children with engaging sessions of drawing or singing. All the while, parents can watch their youngsters play, surf the net with free WiFi, or savor a snack and drink at the café. Play Kitsap also offers five party packages, including an all-night soiree where up to 20 kids can stay up eating pizza and practicing their slam dunks from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

When it was built in 1914, the Smith Tower was the tallest building west of the Mississippi. Though it lost that designation a mere 17 years later, the tower still captivates Seattle visitors with the Smith Tower Observation Deck. The open-air deck wraps around the tower's 35th floor and grants panoramic views of the city's modern downtown and Puget Sound. Seattle's gorgeous surrounding landscapes are visible from the tower as well, with the majestic peaks of Mt. Rainer and the Olympic Mountain Range creating a stunning horizon. And the journey to the observation deck is a treat in and of itself. Passengers ride in one of the last manually operated elevators on the west coast, which is caged in brass and copper in the style of the early 20th century. In the lobby itself, 22 Indian head sculptures watch over the onyx and marble paneled room, acting as precursors to the grandeur of the tower's top floors.

The SIFF Cinema team scours the globe in search of extraordinary films. Their mission is to bring the community—and the world—together through quality international showings, and they host premieres, classic films, and revivals at the SIFF Cinema Uptown and the SIFF Film Center 365 days each year.

As one of the largest and best-attended film festivals in the U.S., the Seattle International Film Festival reaches more than 150,000 moviegoers each year. The 25-day festival presents more than 250 features and 150 short films from more than 70 countries during its run, giving people a perfect excuse to try out an all-popcorn diet.

Ninety-minute yoga classes conducted in a 105-degree room, twice a day, for nine weeks. This is what each of Bikram Yoga Bellevue's instructors conquered to obtain their 500-hour Bikram yoga teaching certifications. They now share their passion for Bikram Choudhury's 26-posture practice with their community, leading students of all ages and abilities down a path of mental and physical wellness. Throughout 90-minute classes, they inspire students with Bikram's carefully curated script and pepper the sessions with personal touches and individual attention. The studio's perspiration-inducing 105-degree heat and 45% humidity is intended to enhance the practice, helping even the stiffest muscles melt deeply into stretches as they move through the series of standing and seated poses. The balmy air also coaxes out sweat to expel harmful toxins from the body and increase one's appreciation for hugging snowmen.

Since 1987, the national championship dancers at Washington Dance Club have been steadily whittling away at an excess of left feet with their social and competitive dance classes. Students cut rugs of all stripes in the historic Avalon Ballroom, twirling through ballroom, Latin, and swing sessions atop the 1930s ballroom's 3,000-square-foot sprung-maple dance floor. The team of instructors work with beginners, professionals, and top-hat wearing skeletons looking to revamp their image in private and group lessons, workshops, and weekly dance parties.

Not only is the Seattle Aquarium the ninth largest of its kind in the United States—with more than 22 million visitors since its opening in 1977—it is also an integral center for marine conservation and education. The exhibits display stunning creatures of land and sea, and staff biologists study the aquatic tenants to conduct critical research on giant Pacific octopuses, sixgill sharks, sea otters, and other indigenous animals.

Though the Seattle Aquarium is an advanced center for research, it isn’t all serious business and otters wearing lab coats—it also hosts numerous interactive exhibits and displays to please young and old alike. The Marine Mammals exhibit puts visitors up close with sea otters, playful river otters, harbor seals, and fur seals. The Pacific Coral Reef exhibit displays visually stunning and vibrant tropical fish, and the 120,000-gallon Windows on Washington Waters exhibit provides a floor-to-ceiling view of hundreds of Puget Sound fish, including salmon, lingcod, rockfish, and wolf eels.

The Seattle Aquarium also stays actively involved with the community. The aquarium’s biologists partner with local divers to take an annual octopus census, and each year the center trains more than 150 volunteers to teach visitors about the ecosystems of local beaches.