Seattle Sights: Volunteer Park Conservatory

Last weekend, Andrew and I took a quick trip to the Volunteer Park Conservatory in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Neither one of us had been before and we thought it’d be a fun little date. Situated next door to Millionaire’s Row, the park was full of life and activity on that sunny Saturday afternoon.

The Volunteer Park Conservatory was built in 1912 and was designed in the style of great Victorian conservatories in Europe. The glasshouse was manufactured in New York before it was shipped to Seattle and assembled by the Seattle Parks Department.

In the last six months or so, I’ve become a plant mom and I really enjoy filling my space with greenery and color. It makes me so happy and I figured being surrounded in a building full of plants would make me especially happy! Entry only cost $4 for adults and we were able to freely roam around the five houses that make up the Conservatory: the Palm House, Fern House, Bromeliad House, Seasonal Display House, and Cactus House. Each room is set at a different temperature and humidity to best suit the plants there.

I loved walking around the Conservatory, picking which plants and flowers I liked the most. There weren’t too many other people there so we were able to spend time in each room with plenty of space and time to admire each plant. It was peaceful and beautiful.

After the Conservatory, Andrew and I wandered around the rest of Volunteer Park. We climbed to the top of the Volunteer Park Water Tower, watched ducks swim around in a couple ponds, and stumbled upon a performance of Romeo and Juliet for Shakespeare in the Park. A perfect Saturday if you ask me.