The Lynnwood Food Bank gives free supplemental groceries once a week: Wednesdays 11am–5pm (express: shorter wait, groceries packed by family size with modifications only for allergies, cultural needs, halal meat, baby and pet food) and Fridays 10am–1pm (traditional: longer wait, shopped to your order). No documentation, proof of income or proof of address is required. Distribution is mostly outdoors and closes in freezing or icy weather (it generally follows Edmonds School District snow closures).
Nourish Southeast Tacoma (Lutheran Church of Christ the King)
Nourish Pierce County's Southeast Tacoma food bank at Lutheran Church of Christ the King gives free groceries Mondays and Fridays 11am–4pm and Wednesdays 11am–6pm. Nourish food banks are free to anyone in need: you give your name, household size, address or ZIP and birth dates, but no ID, proof of address or proof of income is needed.
Mon 1–3pm and 4:30–6:30pm; Tue 1–3pm and 4:30–6:30pm; Thu 4:30–6:30pm; Fri 1–4pm (by site)
Nourish Mobile Food Bank (Tacoma stops)
Nourish Pierce County's mobile food bank hands out free groceries at stops across Tacoma: Mondays 1–3pm at Bethlehem Lutheran Church (101 E 38th St) and Tacoma Islamic Center (31 Montana Ave, halal), Mondays 4:30–6:30pm at Giaudrone Middle School; Tuesdays 1–3pm at the STAR Center and Bates Technical College South Campus, Tuesdays 4:30–6:30pm at Tacoma Community College Lot F; Thursdays 4:30–6:30pm at UW Tacoma (Court C lot); Fridays 1–4pm at Salishan Family Investment Center. Free to anyone in need, no ID or proof of income.
Drop in on Saturdays 11:30am–1:30pm at the Bellevue Library for free help with digital and computer skills and basic tech questions from KCLS Tech Tutors. No registration.
The Federal Way Library on 1st Way S runs free story times each week: Young Toddler Story Time Wednesdays 10–10:30am, Family Story Time Wednesdays 11–11:30am, Pajama Story Time Tuesdays 6:30–7pm (pajamas and a stuffed animal welcome), and Spanish Story Time Fridays 10:30–11am. No registration. No Wednesday story times Nov 11 and no Spanish story time Nov 27.
Everett Public Library's Evergreen Branch runs free weekly programs for young kids: Play & Learn on Tuesdays 10:30am–noon, Toddler Storytime (ages 18–36 months with a caregiver) on Wednesdays 10:30–11am, and Preschool Storytime on Fridays 10:30–11:30am. Stories, music and movement, with playtime after. The library is closed Nov 11, 26 and 27, and no Toddler Storytime is listed for Nov 25.
King County hazardous waste collection sites · Seattle
King County residents can drop off household hazardous waste for free, with no appointment, at four sites: North Seattle (12550 Stone Ave N, Sun–Tue 9am–5pm), South Seattle (8100 2nd Ave S, Thu–Sat 9am–5pm), Factoria in Bellevue (13800 SE 32nd St, Tue–Fri 8am–4pm, Sat–Sun 9am–5pm) and Algona (35101 West Valley Hwy S, Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8am–4pm, Sat–Sun 9am–5pm). All are closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Check the county's list of accepted products first.
Northwest Harvest's no-cost grocery store in SODO is open to all community members, with no ID, proof of income or residency required. Open Monday 1:30 to 7:30pm and Wednesday and Friday 8am to 2pm (closed Tuesday and Thursday). Near 4th Ave S and S Holgate St.
Pacific Bonsai Museum is free to visit (a $12 donation per adult is suggested). Open Tuesday through Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Closed Thanksgiving and December 24 – January 1; open late until 7pm on December 12 for Winter Bonsai Solstice.
College students with a valid student ID get free admission to Tacoma's Museum of Glass every Sunday (adults otherwise pay $18). Open 10am to 5pm. The traditional galleries are closed for renovation until December 12, 2026, and prices have changed while they're closed.
Verified Oct 27 · museumofglass.org
Catch: Only for: college students with a valid student ID
Kubota Garden blends Japanese garden design with native Northwest plants across 20 acres of hills, streams, waterfalls, ponds and bridges. It's free to visit, open sunrise to sunset, with free parking (lot entrance on 55th Ave S near Renton Ave S). No reservations needed. During construction on 55th Ave the north entrance may be closed: enter the lot through the south gate, or park on Renton Ave S.
UW Botanic Gardens' arboretum is free and open every day from dawn to 8pm (only the separate Japanese Garden charges). The Graham Visitors Center is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10am to 4pm.
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (Seattle Unit)
This small National Park Service museum in the historic Cadillac Hotel tells the story of Seattle's role in the 1897 gold rush, with two floors of exhibits and free films in its theater. Entry is free, no park pass needed. Open Wednesday through Sunday, 10am to 5pm (closed Monday and Tuesday, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Dec 24–25).
Washington State's first art museum, on the University of Washington campus, is free to all visitors. Open Thursday 10am to 7pm and Friday through Sunday 10am to 5pm. The Skyspace and Sculpture Court are temporarily closed for maintenance.
Verified Oct 27 · henryart.org
No catch
Kids & familyFree (worth about $20)Eligibility applies
At the Museum of History & Industry, youth 14 and under are always admitted free; adults pay $25. MOHAI is open Monday and Thursday through Sunday, 10am to 5pm (closed Tuesday and Wednesday).
Verified Oct 27 · mohai.org
Catch: Only for: kids 14 and under (accompanying adults pay $25)
Daily, 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset
Olympic Sculpture Park · Seattle
The Seattle Art Museum's nine-acre sculpture park on the waterfront is free and open every day of the year, from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. The PACCAR Pavilion is open daily 9am to 4pm.
Seattle Public Library cardholders can reserve a free pass to participating Seattle museums, including the Seattle Art Museum, Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle Aquarium, Wing Luke Museum and Northwest African American Museum. Each pass covers at least two adults (some four or more). New passes are released daily after noon; one pass per card every 30 days.
Verified Oct 27 · spl.org
Catch: Seattle Public Library card required · One pass every 30 days; valid only on the reserved date · Bring the printed pass and a photo ID
King County Hazardous Waste Home Collection Program · Seattle
King County residents 65 or older, or with a disability, who can't get to a collection site can book a free pickup of household hazardous waste from home. Pickups run Wednesdays 9am to 3pm and may take 1–2 weeks to schedule. Call the Haz Waste Help Line at 206-296-4692 (Mon–Sat, 9am–5pm). Latex paint, tires, electronics and medications aren't collected.
Verified Oct 27 · kingcounty.gov
Catch: Only for: King County residents 65+ or with a disability who can't reach a site · Appointment by phone required
King County Library System cardholders can reserve free passes to local museums such as the Museum of Flight, KidsQuest Children's Museum, Bellevue Arts Museum and the Washington State History Museum. Book online and print the pass or show its QR code. Passes are limited and go fast.
Verified Oct 27 · kcls.org
Catch: KCLS library card required · Reserve online; limited passes each day
King County Library System runs free English as a Second Language classes, Talk Time English conversation practice with other adult learners, and citizenship test preparation classes at branches across the county. Join any time; find sessions, and register where a class asks you to, on the KCLS event calendar.
Washington's E-Cycle program lets residents recycle TVs, computers, laptops, monitors, tablets, e-readers and portable DVD players for free at participating drop-off sites across the Seattle, Tacoma and Everett area. Find the nearest site at ecyclewa.org or by calling 1-800-RECYCLE. Keyboards, mice and printers aren't covered, and some sites refuse badly damaged items (like cracked old tube TVs), so call ahead.
Verified Oct 27 · ecology.wa.gov
Catch: Only for: Washington residents
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