Center for Wooden Boats

At South Lake Union, the Center for Wooden Boats promotes the maritime heritage of the Pacific Northwest, but is also a centre of excellence for sailing. You can visit the docks and workshop here for free, to see traditional boatbuilding skills in action and find out about all the tools and methods that go in to building wooden boats. Children can make a little boat of their own on the upper floor, while out on the dock you can peruse a small fleet in perfect condition. Most of these vessels are available for rent, and if you aren’t qualified for a sailboat you can hire a rowboat or pedal boat for a little scenic voyage on Lake Union. Keep an eye on the Center’s program as it provides a variety of field trips, as well as the free “Sunday Sail”, a cruise aboard one of the center’s many vessels.