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Mile-Long Bouncy Castle Obstacle Course Hits Lake Sammamish State Park

The Must List: Your guide to Seattle's hottest events.

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Must Drink at the Zoo
Tasting Flight

(7/27-7/28) Gather on the North Meadow of Woodland Park Zoo for the wildest wine tasting of the year, featuring 40 wineries and access to animal exhibits. Upgrade to VIP tickets for a buffet, early entry and an exclusive animal encounter. To help with the zoo’s conservation efforts, the event is BYOG—bring your own glass. 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Prices vary. Woodland Park Zoo, 5500 Phinney Ave N.; zoo.org

Must Get Artsy
Bellevue Arts Festival Weekend

(7/28-7/30) With three art fairs happening this weekend (Bellevue Festival of the Arts, bellevuefest.org; Bellevue Art Museum’s Artsfair, bellevuearts.org; 6th Street Fair, bellevuedowntown.com), Bellevue is the place to be to buy some new crafts or get inspired. Featuring artists of all mediums from across the country, the weekend’s events are expected to draw around 300,000 people. At these family-friendly fairs, kids can create art of their own to bring home. The best part? All three festivals are free. Times and locations vary.

Must Peep the Parade
Seafair Torchlight Parade and Fanfest

(7/29) Nothing says summer like a good parade. Featuring drumlines, elaborate floats, dancers and drill teams from across the Pacific Northwest, the 68th Annual Seafair Torchlight Parade is a summer tradition that never gets old. Kick off the festivities at the Fanfest and to preview the floats, check out the Albert Lee hydroplane and hit exhibit booths and food vendors before the parade. 7:30 p.m. Free admission with reserved seating for purchase. Parade starts 4th Avenue North & Broad Street and ends on South Washington Street. seafair.com

Must Eat Cool
South Lake Union Saturday Market Ice Cream Social Pop-Up

(7/29) Beat the heat and satisfy your sweet tooth with some delicious frozen treats at the South Lake Union Saturday Market. This weekend the market’s bringing in a stable of local ice cream aces including Full Tilt Ice Cream, Bluebird Ice Cream, popsicle studs Seattle Pops and SÜSU Rolled Ice Cream. In between brain freezes, stroll around the rest of the market and pick up some local goodies. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. 139 9th Ave. N.; slumarket.com

Must Jump Around
The Great Inflatable Race

(7/29) Who said bouncy houses were just for kids? Get ready to bounce, slide and run through a 1.5-mile inflatable obstacle course to help support Washington’s Special Olympics. Hilarious but pain-free wipeouts are ensured. 9 a.m. $50-$90. Lake Sammamish State Park, 2000 NW Sammamish Rd. Issaquah; thegreatinflatablerace.com

 

Rearview Mirror: Godzilla, Cork, and a New Sushi Spot

Rearview Mirror: Godzilla, Cork, and a New Sushi Spot

Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).

POPPING OUR SENSES I don’t think I’ve ever given much thought to a wine cork beyond the satisfying pop it makes when opening a bottle, but after spending a morning at DeLille Cellars in Woodinville with about 50 other people, I have a new appreciation for it. The occasion was “(Pop) Open Your Senses,” a…

Best Bookstore: Beguiled Books

Best Bookstore: Beguiled Books

This Pioneer Square darling is easy to spot: pink doors and candy-striped details mark its home near Occidental Square. Beguiled Books started in 2024 as a mobile bookstore, making its way from table to tent to trailer, and finally to its current brick-and-mortar space. Labelling itself as “Seattle’s Original Romance Bookstore,” Beguiled specializes in just…

Best Art Gallery: Foster/White Gallery

Best Art Gallery: Foster/White Gallery

A pillar in Pioneer Square’s arts ecosystem, Foster/White Gallery opened in 1966 (then called Richard White Gallery) as the first space of its kind in the neighborhood. It soon gained notoriety for showing preeminent Northwest artists such as Morris Graves, William Morris, George Tsutakawa, and Dale Chihuly. In the decades after founding the gallery, its…

Best Museum: Seattle Art Museum

Best Museum: Seattle Art Museum

A vote for Seattle Art Museum is really a vote for three different art outings. The downtown museum pairs ambitious exhibitions with a global collection; the Seattle Asian Art Museum occupies SAM’s original 1933 Art Deco home amid the 43 acres of Capitol Hill’s Volunteer Park; and the Olympic Sculpture Park puts art out in…