If you’re in Seattle for Fourth of July, Gas Works Park has your back. It’s the place for freedom festivities. Flag waving, fireworks watching, friendly partying. Trust us—it’ll be good.
Gas Works Park is a gem, for starters. The city abandoned an old coal gasification plant in 1954 when imported natural gas rendered it obsolete. The rest of the country was doing the same with other coal gasification plants, but while the rest of the country destroyed theirs or let them fall apart, Seattle turned its relic into a park. The ruins at Gas Works are now one-of-a-kind—it’s the only coal gasification plant left in the United States, making Seattle home to one of our nation’s most eclectic parks. Seattle turned an instrument of pollution into a park for the people. If that’s not worth celebrating on Independence Day, we don’t know what is.
Then you’ve got the views. You’ll enjoy the best views of Lake Union from Gas Works Hill. We don’t mean that hyperbolically—it really is the best place for a Lake Union panorama. You can see the water, the Space Needle, the I-5 bridge, the downtown skyscrapers. You can see neighborhoods and steampunk-ish ruins and, if you’re lucky, you can even see a seaplane coming in for a landing.
There are also enough activities at Gas Works to keep you busy and happy the whole day long, if you’re up for it. From the event description:
Cheshiahud Challenge: Want to kill some time during the day before the festivities and fireworks? Get active and give yourself the chance to win tickets to Seafair Weekend by doing the Cheshiahud Challenge! Start at Lake Union Park or Gas Works Park at either the MOHAI booth or Seafair Information booth and pick up a map of the Cheshiahud Loop. Follow the 6-mile pathway and collect answers to clues and turn in your completed worksheet to Gas Works Park or Lake Union Park for the chance to win Seafair Weekend Championship Passes.
And also:
All-American games, festival-style food booths, interactive exhibits and live entertainment await you at the Seafair Summer Fourth at Gas Works Park! The park will open at noon to the public and will close after the fireworks show, around 11 p.m. Kids are welcome to participate in all-American games by the entertainment stage that include Hula Hoop Contests, Pie Eating Contests, Sack Races and more. Those 21 and over can enjoy a beverage in the Beer Garden and listen to live bands and other programming throughout the day. Watch out for incredible skydivers during the day and at twilight before the fireworks! The evening will culminate with an awe-inspiring fireworks show to celebrate the U.S.A. To ensure a fabulous view of the fireworks show, attendees can purchase a reserved seat at the link below: http://www.seafair.com/AnEvent.aspx?ID=24?SecID=1018.
And most importantly on the Fourth of July, you can see fireworks. The fireworks at Gas Works Park have always been legendary, and we don’t expect anything less this time around. Here’s our parting advice:
1) Go. It’s worth it.
2) Go early and/or get reservations. Traffic will be terrible as firework-time approaches, and the best unreserved sitting spots will go fast.
3) Expect crowds. Happy crowds, but still crowds.
4) Have fun. This one won’t be hard at all.
More REGals info on Wallingford
