• Ballard Locks, or, officially, the Hiram M. Chittendon Locks, 3015 54th St. N. W. One of the city’s great attractions, the locks connect Seattle’s fresh and salt water bodies. Sunny days bring lots of people to watch the boats pass through. On the Ballard side the grounds, with their Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens, are lovely. Underground viewing windows allow you to watch the salmon who are working their way up the fish ladder. The locks formally opened in 1917 and are operated by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers.
• Ballard Sunday Farmer’s Market, Ballard Avenue at 22nd. One of the city’s most popular farmer’s markets: produce, food, music. 10 a. m.-3 p. m. all year. ballardfarmersmarket. wordpress.com
• Nordic Heritage Museum, 3014 NW 67th St. With a lively mix of the historic and contemporary, this is a great space that keeps a changing Ballard mindful of its roots while staging some of the city’s more interesting, if relatively unheralded, exhibits. www.nordicmuseum.org
• Golden Gardens Park, 8498 Seaview Pl NW. 87 acres to sunbathe, take a cold-water swim or enjoy a picnic or long walk on an unbroken stretch of sand. Golden Gardens looks straight west to the Olympic range, providing maybe the best place in the city to take in the sunset.
• Second Saturday Artwalk: Ballard is a charming venue for walking around to look at art. The work itself, apart from the conviviality, is consistently strong. www.ballardchamber.com/events
• Old Town Ballard, a Landmark District, with buildings dating from the last decade of the 19th century through the 1940s, is a thoroughly charming, leafy neighborhood with one-of-a-kind shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants — understated hip.
• Majestic Bay Theater, 2044 N. W. Market St., which, when it closed in 1997, was the oldest operating movie theater on the West Coast. It reopened shortly thereafter, into an upgraded triplex.
• Ballard Commons Park, 5701 22nd Ave. N. W., part of a new municipal center, the park opened in 2005 and features a skate bowl, water features, public art and seating areas and lawns.
• Ballard Seafood Fest, July 14-15, the 38th annual community celebration of Ballard’s Scandinavian heritage. It’s pretty genuine: Many of those walking around look right at home in their Viking gear. www.SeafoodFest.org
The Seattle Annual Manual 2012-2013