Olympic Sculpture Park

We went to the Sculpture Park on May 25th when it was 75 degrees and beautiful. What a fantastic place. I had been wanting to go since the place opened and am so glad we went. In fact I will have to try and make this a regular place to visit.

I loved how the sculptures are integrated into the natural surroundings. The art tends toward the modern and is grand in scale. I added some photos from our visit.

This park has few but fabulous sculptures.

Held on a short leash, it is a dog-friendly park :) Unfortunately, it is not for the heat-sensitive ones: there are very few, very young trees that give “shelter” from the sun. I wish I had brought a hat or an umbrella, as it was very sunny the day we went, and my doggie didn’t handle the heat well either.

While the trees grow in this park, you can seek refuge under the trees of the adjacent Myrtle Edwards Park. But it was very much worth going, and I definitely want to go back :)

It’s outside in the fresh air along the waterfront & best of all it’s free ♥ Oldenberg’s Typewriter Eraser
is my FAVORITE sculpture very whimsical, rolling downhill towards the traffic! It’s just like the one in Washington
DC’s National Sculpture Garden!

The nurse log inside the greenhouse is the piece that I’ve seen most of and yet seen least of. I always pass it on my way to work, but every time I try to go inside it’s closed. It’s like it’s avoiding me.

we went yesterday cuz it was my husband’s only day off…went just before sunset and got to watch it disappear over the horizen…that was the best part of the park….that and the view…the sculptures just don’t take my fancy….my husband loved the ginormous typewriter eraser though….

it will be so wonderful to see this park grow over the years.

I knew the opening today would be active and frenzied, which negates the serenity that a park provides, but I can’t wait to come back after the initial wave of hype dies down. As for the art, it’s sparsely distributed, so I wouldn’t come here hoping to see a huge amount of art, but I would come here to escape to a really beautiful park that happens to have some nice outdoor art, and the best views of downtown Seattle, the mid Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains.

BUT.. If you’re really into outdoor art, the best place I’ve been to is the Westcott Bay Sculpture Park in San Juan Island near Roche Harbor.

I was so happy to see a place like this in Seattle. Today was the opening day, and it was filled with tons of people all excited for a new wandering, walking space in the city. The sun was shining as my friend and I explored, and made future plans for picnics and to sit on the new little beach reading, or writing. A wonderful addition to our fabulous city.

This park will be something special. Free, beautifully conceived and executed. People will come from around the world to see it. Don’t let it escape your local reality.

We’ve been tracking the park’s development for two years. Check it out