Lifestyle
Read More ›
Fave Five: Early Signs of Spring
Where to go when everything starts waking up.
By Sarah Stackhouse March 25, 2026
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2026 issue of Seattle magazine.
March and April always blend together in my head. Around here, there’s still plenty of rain, but it feels a little more manageable as the green sprawls and the crocuses unfurl right before our eyes. This is the time when things respond to moisture and attention, and when getting back into it feels better than waiting for perfect weather. Here are a few ways to lean into the shift.
1. Gathered by hand
Marigold and Mint Botanicals
I like activities that don’t require mastery to have fun. Bouquet workshops at this Pioneer Square spot fall squarely into that category. The flowers are seasonal, locally grown, and already doing most of the work for you. Classes are small and hands-on, with guidance on floral mechanics and plenty of room to fiddle around with design. You leave with something colorful to carry home and the satisfying feeling of having used your hands for a while.
115 S. Jackson St., Seattle | mmbotanicals.com
2. Care and repair
SUKOSHI
Winter does a number on skin, so the idea here is a gentle reset. The new Bellevue boutique is the brand’s first in Washington and focuses on Asian skincare built around hydration and barrier repair, so you’re layering moisture instead of stripping everything away. Think gel cleansers, milky toners, lightweight serums, and soft mineral sunscreens that leave skin comfortable and glassy. The staff knows its stuff, and you’ll head into spring feeling refreshed.
172 Bellevue Square, Bellevue | sukoshi.com
3. Dig in
Washington Park Arboretum
This is the time of year to get those green thumbs going, no matter the track record. The Arboretum’s Spring Plant Sale is where that urge finds direction. You might discover conifer saplings or trays of native ferns and spring bloomers, all grown onsite and ready for the ground. Expect live music, demos, and some fun education activities while you wander. All purchases support the Arboretum’s horticulture and education programs—and give you a reason to spend the rest of the week outside.
April 26 | 2300 Arboretum Dr. E., Seattle | arboretumfoundation.org
4. Wallflowers
Frye Art Museum
Flowers are pretty—we all know that. What’s interesting about this exhibit is how it asks you to see them as more than decoration. The show pairs historic floral still lifes from the museum’s collection with newly commissioned wallpaper designs by contemporary artists, giving the genre room to stretch across time in unexpected ways. After months of gray, letting your eyes adjust to color again can feel like a small—but welcome—recalibration.
Wallflowers, through May 17 | 704 Terry Ave., Seattle | fryemuseum.org
5. Tulip time
Skagit Valley
Once April hits, spring doesn’t sneak in quietly. It announces itself. Millions of tulips bloom across the fields 60 miles north of Seattle, and Skagit Valley bursts with color. The festival spills into nearby towns with parades and markets. Night Bloom events illuminate the flowers, letting you wander the fields after dark to see them glow.
April 1-30 | 15245 Bradshaw Rd., Mount Vernon | tulipvalley.com
Follow Us
Get Blown Away: Seattle’s Glass Art Scene Takes Center Stage
Now in its 8th year, Refract Seattle is the region’s premier celebration of glassblowing—arguably the most famous visual art genre in the Pacific Northwest. Pioneered by names like Dale Chihuly, Ginny Ruffner, Lino Tagliapietra, and Preston Singletary, glassblowing has remained among the area’s most prolific creative outputs, with contemporary talents such as John Hogan, Julie…
Kishi Bashi Is Ready to Feel Everything
Ten years after Sonderlust pushed his music in a new direction, he’s bringing the pivotal album to The Crocodile—and playing it in full for the first time.
Back in March of 2012, I snagged a last-minute ticket to see Of Montreal at the Showbox. As amazing as Kevin Barnes and company were, along with tourmates Deerhoof, the biggest impression made on me was the opener, Kishi Bashi. Armed with little more than a violin, a loop pedal, and a pristine voice, Kishi…
Seattle’s Artists of Color Expo Offers an Inside Look at the Creative Life
The October 9-11 gathering features live art-making and hands-on workshops, with Seattle artist Damon Brown delivering the keynote.
More than 100 artists participate each year in Seattle’s Artists of Color Expo & Symposium (ACES), which brings exhibitions, artist talks, live art-making, and workshops under one roof. Visitors can learn a technique from an artist or hear how a childhood memory became the starting point for a piece. This year’s event takes place October…
Seattle Author Kristen Millares Young Follows Her ‘Desire Lines’
Blurring the lines between desire and expectation, her debut memoir explores what women inherit, sacrifice, and claim for themselves.
In her debut memoir, local author Kristen Millares Young dives straight into precarious experience of being a woman. Blending myth, history, personal essay, and travelogue, Desire Lines (Red Hen Press), out October 6, is an unflinching look at the challenge of balancing one’s own desires with the demands of motherhood, marriage, and work, and the…