This Seattle park has a historic water tower with Space Needle views

Ready to have an adventure in Seattle? Head over to Capitol Hill and visit Volunteer Park. The park itself it beautiful with 40 acres of Olmstead Brothers designed and landscaped grounds for you to enjoy. There’s also a historic water tower that you can climb and check out 360 degree views of Seattle.

Volunteer Park’s brick tower was built in 1906 and surrounds a stand pipe that has ensured Seattleites get clean and safe drinking water ever since. Its gravity design moves water from the Cedar River Watershed to homes and businesses in the area. In fact, the standpipe holds a whopping 883,000 gallons of water.

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For those interested in building specs, the tower’s walls are 27 inches thick at the base, 17 inches thick at the top and there are three 16-inch bands of granite interrupting the sections of brick.

Even cooler, you can check all this out for yourself. Two interior stairways spiral up opposite sides of the standpipe and lead to an observation deck. From the deck you can see parts of Capitol Hill, downtown, the Space Needle, Elliott Bay and the Olympic Mountains.

Also at the top of the tower you will find a series of informational panels about the park and boulevard system. Best of all, the water is totally free to visit.

Volunteer Park

Where: 1247 15th Ave E
Hours: Park hours: 6 AM-10 PM, Water tower hours: 10 AM-Dusk