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The annual Kirkland Artists Studio Tour (KAST) occurs every year on Mother’s Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm. The free self-guided tour includes dozens of local artists showing in unique home studios throughout Kirkland. Explore the scenic neighborhoods of Kirkland on the beautiful shores of Lake Washington. Tour visitors are invited into a variety of different studios, representing dozens of local artists. Browse among new works; watch art making demonstrations; and purchase art directly from the artists themselves.
To pick up a brochure which includes a map of the KAST 2012 Studios and Artists, please visit the Kirkland Arts Center, 620 Market Street, Kirkland WA 98033 (Google map). Smart phone users can directly access our KAST 2012 Google Map for help in navigating the tour.
KAST began in 2004 when a small band of artists decided it was time Kirkland had its own artist studio tour. The artists open their studios once a year on Mothers Day weekend to give the public a rare opportunity to see artists create in their studios. Kirkland Arts Center took on the management of the tour in 2008 as part of new programming initiatives designed to support the arts within the local community.
Here’s a list of places to find a map for Seattle bicycling, a King County bike map or Washington state bike map, plus bicycle maps for other regional and local areas and plenty of useful bicycling information:
There are several bicycle clubs and advocacy groups in and around Seattle, with membership beginning as low as $15 per year and that offer rides and other benefits of interests to bicyclists.
Bicycle clubs and advocacy groups in Washington State
- Bicycle Alliance of Washington (BAW) members believe that bicycling in Washington is inexpensive, healthy and fun, and that bicycles are a viable transportation alternative. BAW advocates for bicyclists and a bike-friendly Washington. Membership is $35/Individual and $60/Family. If you purchase (or renew registration on) a special design Washington Share the Road License Plate for your vehicle, you get a free Individual Membership to BAW. Special design license plates cost up to $45 , in addition to standard licensing fees. Contact your local Washington state vehicle licensing office to determine the exact cost of special design plates for your vehicle.
- Cascade Bicycle Club is a non-profit organization based in Seattle, Washington and serves more than 13,000 members in the Puget Sound bicycling community. The mission of CBC is to Create a Better Community through Bicycling. Memberships start as low as $35 for individuals.
- Cyclists of Greater Seattle (C.O.G.S.) is a Seattle Area cycling club with great rides, fun people and social events. Single/family membership $16/$20.
- Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance is the state’s largest mountain bike advocacy and trail building group focused on protecting sustainable mountain biking opportunities in Washington state. Membership begins at $30.
- Evergreen Tandem Club is for riders of tandem bikes. Membership is $25 / tandem team
- Redmond Cycling Club is a group of individuals joined together for inspiration, camaraderie, and enjoyment through challenging cycling. Membership is $15 for individuals/families.
- Seattle Bicycle Club is a not-for-profit membership organization dedicated to the interests of recreational cyclists. Club interests are recreation, exercise, safety and camaraderie. The Seattle Bicycle Club does not charge a membership fee.
National bicycling clubs
- Adventure Cycling Association inspires people of all ages to travel by bicycle, explore landscapes and the history of America for fitness, fun, and self-discovery.
Bellevue Botanical Gardens celebrates Public Gardens Day on Friday, May 11, 2012, in keeping with National Public Gardens Day. National Public Gardens Day is an annual celebration of public gardens across America, to raise awareness of the important role botanical gardens play in promoting education and environmental stewardship, plant and water conservation, and green spaces. Like many public gardens around the nation, Bellevue Botanical Garden will celebrate with fun activities throughout the Mother’s Day weekend. Why not make it a family trip and take Mom to Bellevue Botanical Gardens as a surprise? It’s a whole new way to give the gift of flowers, and it’s a FREE gift, too, if you take advantage of a promotion by Better Homes and Gardens magazine and the American Public Gardens Association. Get National Public Gardens Day FREE admission on May 11 when you sign up online, select the garden you’d like to visit, and indicate how many people you want to take with you. You can get FREE admission for up to ten people.
Everyone is welcome to the Earthworks Inaugural Ride for bicyclists to celebrate the restoration of the Herbert Bayer Earthwork Park in Kent on SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012 at 9:00am. Following the Inaugural Ride on June 2, the Earthworks Tour will become a permanent bicycle route and remain open to the public for self-guided tours. The Earthworks Tour will be expanded upon within the coming months and years as new routes become available to bicyclists. Check the earthworks website for trail updates before you head out.
Inaugural Ride:
- When: SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012 at 9:00 AM
- Where: Herbert Bayer Earthworks, Mill Creek Canyon Earthworks Park, 742 East Titus Street, Kent, WA
- Preregistration: It’s free and simple to sign-up for the Inaugural Ride.
Riders can choose from three routes:
- The Easy Ride, recommended for families, is a flat, 12 mile ride to the Green River Natural Resources Area and back. Beginning riders and families with children can ride in a group with experienced ride leaders.
- The Intermediate Loop is a 20 mile ride that takes riders through the Green River Natural Resources Area and out to Lorna Jordan’s Waterworks Gardens. It is also mostly flat with a single, long incline approaching Waterworks Gardens.
- The Advanced Ride follows the 20 mile route but includes a steep hill climb up to the Robert Morris Earthwork that adds 3 miles.
All of the roadways and trails along the tour are paved. Visitors can bike to each location but should plan to walk through the earthworks. Rest areas will be located at the Green River Natural Resources Area and Waterworks Gardens.
The Earthworks Tour is a new bicycle route that is being organized by the City of Kent Arts Commission. The tour connects four iconic landscapes in the Green River Valley that are all internationally recognized, but not well known locally. Three were designed by artists and the fourth is a nature preserve. They are the Herbert Bayer Earthwork, the Robert Morris Earthwork, Lorna Jordan’s Waterworks Gardens and the Green River Natural Resources Area.
Join Cascade Bicycle Club on any of their free daily bicycle rides, offered every day of the year–more than 1,300 rides annually. Rides range from leisurely 10-mile jaunts to strenuous endurance events to multi-day rides and take place throughout the Puget Sound region. Members and non-members are welcome to attend rides.
Check the Cascade Free Daily Ride Calendar. Unless indicated, it is not necessary to RSVP to participate in a ride. Be sure to arrive 15 minutes early to hear the ride briefing. All riders must sign a waiver form. Riders should carry necessary equipment to fix a flat (tube, patchkit, pump). For more information, read about daily rides and ride classifications on their website.
Participate in the Seattle Parks Department Bicycle Sunday, May to September when Lake Washington Boulevard is closed to motorized traffic from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. along Lake Washington Boulevard south of Mount Baker Beach to Seward Park’s entrance.
2012 Bicycle Sunday dates:
May 6, 13, 20
June 3, 24
July 1, 8, 15
August 12, 26
September 2, 23
Nearby Seattle parks with free parking (from north to south along the Bicycle Sunday route):
- Colman Park, 1800 Lake Washington Blvd. S, Seattle, WA 98144 (Google map)
- Mount Baker Park Beach, 2521 Lake Park Dr. S, Seattle, WA 98144 (Google map). Follow Lakeside Dr. to Lake Wash. Blvd., entrance the beach parking lot is to the right.
- Stan Sayres Memorial Park, 3808 Lake Washington Blvd. S, Seattle, WA 98118 (Google map). Access Stan Sayres from 43 Ave. S. between 10am-6pm.
- Lake Washinton Blvd S and 49 Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 (Google map)
- Lake Washington Blvd South, between S Ferdinand and S Dawson St, Seattle, WA 98118, Seattle, WA 98118 (Google map)
- Seward Park, 5895 Lake Washington Blvd. S, Seattle, WA 98118 (Google map)
Mountaineers offer free seminars on hiking designed to answer questions a beginning hiker may have about how to get started. The Beginning Hiking Seminar provides information about what to put in a pack, how to dress for comfort and safety, and what to expect on a hike. Experienced Mountaineer hiking leaders will discuss clothing, boots, and pack, the Ten Essentials*, seasonal trail hazards, where to shop for equipment (and save money), and how to research your hikes. There will be samples of equipment and pictures of favorite hiking places.
- Location: Mountaineers Program Center, 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115 (Google map) is located within Warren G. Magnuson Park.
- When: May 17, 2012 6:30 p.m.
- There is NO COST for this seminar!
- You don’t have to be a Mountaineers member to attend.
- However, sign-up is required for this seminar with a limit of 75.
If you are interested in attending this activity, but are not a member, you can create a FREE guest membership. Registration closes on Thu, May 17 at 2:00 PM.
The Mountaineers was formed in 1906 to explore the wild areas and peaks surrounding the still-young city of Seattle. Today, it is home to around 10,500 active members. Although The Mountaineers has a small full-time staff, nearly 1,000 volunteers run most of the programs. Volunteer leaders do everything from leading trips to teaching classes to promoting their programs. It’s easy to get involved with The Mountaineers. There are trips, classes and events for all experience levels. So if you are an absolute beginner with a desire to get outside, or you are an experienced outdoor enthusiast, Mountaineers has something for you. Members pay annual dues and most trips are free. Courses usually charge a fee, but members find that these fees are less than those of commercial institutions, and members receive a substantial discount on classes offered to the public.
*The purpose of the Ten Essentials has always been to answer 2 basic questions: First, can you respond positively to an accident or emergency? Second, can you safely spend a night—or more—out?
Experience Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair on the 90-minute Century 21 Walking Tour of the Seattle Center Campus. Tours are led by expert guides from the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) and the Seattle Architecture Foundation. Step back 50 years and experience the cultural, architectural and historical legacy of Century 21.
Tours will be offered April 26 – October 20 every 2nd and 4th Thursday at 10 a.m. and every 1st and 3rd Saturday at 11 a.m. (except Labor Day weekend). Advanced reservations are encouraged, as day-of tickets are subject to availability. Tickets are $5; you may purchase tickets online or in person on the day of the tour. Buy a ticket for the Century 21 Walking Tour through MOHAI’s ticketing site, visit: 3365.blackbaudhosting.com.
The Elisabeth C. Miller Library, 3501 NE 41st Street, Seattle, WA 98195 (Google map) has a Children’s Collection of 400 nonfiction and fiction books on gardening, botany, science projects, animals found in the garden, and studies of plants in their natural setting. Selected for their educational value, all of these books may be checked out.
The University of Washington Botanic Gardens Miller Library hosts Young Gardeners Story Time once a month for children ages 3-8 and their families and includes activities that celebrate gardens, plants, and nature!
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