Gig Harbor is a gorgeous seaside town less than an hour outside Seattle. It’s safe, clean, filled with fantastic restaurants and breweries, and sparkles in the sunshine with Mount Rainier as a backdrop, but it can be tricky keeping the littles entertained. After seven years of calling Gig Harbor home, below is our go to list of kid approved activities.
- Playgrounds
Crescent Creek Park 3303 Vernhardson St. This lovely park is surrounded by trees and sits next to its namesake creek but has a barrier. It has a large climbing boat, swings, and sand pit, all built on soft rubber ground. There is a covered shelter, bathrooms, and a large field for running, soccer, and picnics.
Sehmel Homestead Park 10123 78th Ave NW. As per the name, this massive park was built on the a settler family’s homestead. There are several, baseball and soccer fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, workout equipment, miles of wooded walking trails, multiple bathrooms, and a large softplay playground.
Kenneth Leo Marvin Veterans Memorial Park 3580 50th St. Ct. This cute little park has a large climbing structure, covered picnic building, bathrooms, and ball field.
Gateway Park. 10405 WA-302 Just across the Purdy spit, about 10 minutes from downtown, is a large playground and splash pad alongside a large, covered picnic shelter, ballfields, and miles of forested walking, biking, and horseback riding trails.
2. Gig Harbor Waterfront Always a winner with our kids, the waterfront runs from the southernmost end of Harborview drive around the harbor and is lined with multiple parks, piers, restaurants, breweries, bakeries, art galleries, a history museum, and many, many shops. Explore the many piers, walk past a parade of boats to the end and glimpse a world of sea anemones, mussels, and fish. Visit Suzanne’s bakery for cafe vita coffee and seasonal hand pies, cakes, croissants, and egg sandwiches. Their pink cookies are my girl’s favorite. In the summer, the gazebo at Skansie park hosts live music, movie nights, multiple festivals, and a Thursday afternoon farmer’s market. Here are some of our favorites:
Suzanne’s Bakery 3411 Harborview Drive They have seating inside, but we prefer the lovely grapevine shaded patio. Great spot to pick up breakfast or create a picnic lunch to go.
Gig Harbor History Museum 4121 Harborview Drive. This small museum houses a wonderful collection of indigenous art and artifacts, local fishing history, and rotating art. In the back of the building is a turn of the century schoolhouse you can enter and join classroom life from the late 1800s.
The Harbor General Store 7804 Pioneer Way. Take a step back in history in this adorable store/cafe/ice cream shop. Great for breakfast, lunch, picnic supplies, souvenirs, or ice cream.
7 Seas Brewery 2905 Harborview Drive. A fantastic brewery located right on the water. Bonus – Kids welcome! Sit outside on the covered deck and watch the boats sail by while sipping on their many microbrews. They also serve wine, cider, and interesting non-alcoholic drinks. They don’t serve any food, so it’s encouraged to bring your own. Best of all, each sitting area has its own fire pit.
The Gourmet Burger Shop. 4120 Harborview Drive. Across the street from the museum, this burger shop is the best. Everything is made in house, including their impossibly thin fries tossed with rosemary and whole garlic cloves. Finish the meal with their awesome milkshakes. Serves beer and wine. Limited inside and outside seating, but Donkey Creek Park across the street also has picnic tables.
Skansie Park 3211 Harborview Drive Large waterfront grassy lawn in the heart of downtown. Besides the features listed above, it also boasts large clean bathrooms, picnic tables with views of the harbor, and the Skansie House. This settler home has been turned into a small museum with hands-on activities for kids, including kinetic sand, fish tanks, skeletons, microscopes, and live images of life under the water in the harbor.
3. Uptown Gig Harbor. Take the Olympic exit, head west, and you’ll enter Uptown Gig Harbor. Here you’ll find everything you need set on tree and flower-lined streets—multiple grocery stores, movie theater, toy store, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, nail salons, clothing stores, banks, Starbucks, hospitals, and lots of restaurants from sushi, pizza, and burgers to Mexican and Thai; there is something for everyone. Our kids have fun walking the store lined lanes near the movie theater, splashing in the water fountain, visiting the fake cows, and of course, visiting the awesome learning toy store. Ocean Five is a newer complex boasting restaurants, bowling, laser tag, and an arcade.
4. Beaches. There are few beaches for a community built on the water, but there are a few.
Eddon Boat Park. 3805 Harborview Drive. A nice little beach a short walk from the waterfront, this 3 acre spot just got a facelift in the summer of 2022. It has a grassy hill great for running and rolling down (just watch for goose poop), a 100ft sandy/rocky beach, and some statues of mollusks.
Tacoma Narrows Park. 1502 Lucille Pkwy NW. This miles long sandy/rocky beach boasts a glorious view of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Straight of Puget Sound, and MT Rainier. A gorgeous beach for picnics, beach combing, wildlife spotting, walking, and kite flying.
Sunrise Beach. 10015 Sunrise Beach Drive NW. Quite a walk from the parking area to the beach, but it is lovely once you arrive—rope swings, tide pools, and gorgeous driftwood make it a fun and pretty beach for kids to explore.
Sunshine Dunning 
Awesome post!
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