Techincially-speaking, Meadowbrook Pond isn't a park. It's next to Meadowbrook Park, but it's actually a Seattle Public Utilities Project. But it sure feels like a park, doesn't it? It’s been closed for maintenance for a bit, but should be opening up again later this summer.

Enjoy a panorama of downtown and the Olympics while resting upon benches or meandering along the simple pathway. This park is lighted, and features trees and shrubs, along with plant beds and small lawns.

It's not much more than a couple benches and a view, but Sunset Place Park can be a serene and relaxing experience. Just sit here and take in the views of Ballard and beyond, even though you're in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

This park’s flat ravine bottom was once the site of something called “Killman’s Sand Bunkers.” Now, it's a parent's delight. Let the kids enjoy the play area, sip from a drinking fountain, and cause whatever other havoc they like.

This little neighborhood park that features a play area with slides and climbing equipment, a long green strip, and picnic tables with a view of the Cascades and Magnolia. A great place for a picnic, a quiet moment, or a quick view of Puget Sound.

In December 2007, the Queen Anne Community Council named this 1.3 acre park after Thomas C. Wales to honor the late assistant U.S. attorney who lived in the neighborhood. Walk under the gravel hoop to enjoy the art-filled space.

Primarily used as a natural woods drive, Frink Park is a densely vegetated ravine. The park was spruced up in 1909 with footbridges, paths, benches and a bridge over the ravine. Now it's home to 3,000 feet of trails. Since it’s connected to Leschi Park, you can take the path all the way to the water.

Bradner Gardens Park features year-round vegetable gardening, raised beds, plants that attract beneficial insects, swale gardening, soil-building techniques, and water-wise drip irrigation. It's also a beautiful place to walk around or just sit and admire. The views of downtown aren't so shabby either.

Once a wood treatment plant and a shipbuilding facility, this 15-acre park in West Seattle is situated on the northwest corner of the Port of Seattle's Terminal 5. The park has public beach access, a children's play area, and a 45-foot observation tower. Not bad for a place once designated a superfund site.

Named after a man who loved watching things explode—Thomas Gabriel Hitt founded one of the largest fireworks companies on the West Coast—this hilltop park boasts views of Lake Washington, downtown, and Rainier Valley.

Lowman Beach is small, but like beaches everywhere, it has some surprises. It includes about 300 feet of rocky, saltwater shoreline a few blocks north of Lincoln Park. Above the beach is an acre of grass with tennis courts and swings—plus a view of the Olympics, Alki Point, and Williams Point spread out in three directions.