Discovering Outdoor Art in Seattle Southside
If you're looking for a free activity near Seattle, exploring public art is a great way to spend a day.
It’s an adventure that reveals history, natural beauty, flying saucers, and even a bit of scandal. You’ll need a car to see a lot. Or a bike if you want a workout with your culture. You can see the pieces below in any order, but a self-guided drive that begins at Redondo Beach in Des Moines and wraps up near the north end of Tukwila will take a couple of hours (could be longer if you’re a plaque reader and sculpture toucher).
Before heading out, check out Seattle Southside Stories - a series of videos and blogs that explain and illuminate many of the art pieces listed below.
Seattle Southside Art Tour
The Redondo Arch
Marinascope
Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden
Museum of Flight Sculptures
Cecil Moses Park
Angle Lake Station Light Rail Art
Big Catch
Maury Island Incident Mural
Robert Morris Earthwork
Duwamish Hill Preserve
*Note: the Starbucks location shown in the video above is no longer open.
Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden & SeaTac Community Center
Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden features 10 acres of some of Mother Nature’s finest creations: a forest of giant bamboo, babbling brooks, and a peaceful Japanese garden are just a few of the discoveries you’ll find beyond the iron maple leaf gate, which itself is a work of art. Right across the street from the garden entrance, at the SeaTac Community Center, stands The Gathering Place (Artist: Ray Jensen), a red frame shaped like a schoolhouse, complete with letters of the alphabet on the wall and a real bell in the steeple.
Location: 13735 24th Ave S, SeaTac, WA 98168
Museum of Flight Sculptures
Outside Tukwila's Museum of Flight, several sculptures commemorate milestones in aviation history, from an artwork celebrating humanity's enduring fascination with flight to statues honoring some of aviation's most influential pioneers. These outdoor sculptures can be enjoyed without museum admission, while even more art and exhibits await inside for those who choose to explore the museum.
Location: 9404 E. Marginal Way, Tukwila WA 98108
Cecil Moses Park
Cecil Moses Park is home to an important site in Native legends of the region, and this fact is commemorated by a story stone engraved with images depicting the tale. When water levels of the river are low, note the rocks off the north side of the bridge near the eastern shore. This is a Native American cultural site known as North Wind’s Weir. According to Southern Puget Sound Salish tradition, there was once a war between the North Wind people and the Chinook Wind people, who lived farther up the Duwamish. North Wind covered the land with ice and snow, and stretched a dam of ice across the river to keep the salmon from running upstream, thus starving the Chinook Wind people. Eventually, the ice weir was shattered, its remnants were turned to stone, and the ice and snow retreated.
Location: 11050 27th Ave S, Tukwila, WA 98168
Light Rail Art
There are many fascinating pieces of art tucked into the Link light rail stations.
At Angle Lake Station, Cloud floats above your head as you stand at the platform, catching the light as the wind twists and turns the sculpture. Another sculpture, Immerse, blends into the station. Its blue, wavy lines represent a falling raindrop dispersing in a pool of water, evoking the force and delicacy of moving water.
Location: 19955 28th Ave S, SeaTac, WA 98198
At the Airport Light Rail Station, you'll see Flying Sails, a pair of stainless steel sails that gently move in the breeze. Panels on the northern sail contain the names of Northwest native tribes, while the southern sail contains the names of cities on the same latitude or longitude as Seattle.
Location: International Blvd & S 176th St, Seattle, WA 98188
On the ground level at Tukwila International Boulevard Station, you can admire Soundings, which resembles an instrument and an abstracted hazelnut. It's inspired by the Duwamish name for Tukwila, k’ap’uxac, which means “place of hazelnuts.” Further up on the elevated platform, take note of Molecule of the Region, the hanging sculpture that is meant to reflect a water molecule. It's engraved with quotes from Tukwila residents. Finally, look up to admire A Drop of Sustenance, a giant, playful raindrop suspended from the ceiling.
Location: 19955 28th Ave SSeaTac, WA 98188
Big Catch Statue
Next, head to another unlikely art location – a grocery store parking lot in Des Moines - to see Big Catch Statue (Artist: Richard Beyer, location: just south of S. 218th St., Des Moines, WA). This exuberant sculpture portrays a happy fisherman hugging a fish with human breasts, where the fisherman’s hands are firmly planted. A plaque tells this strange love story, and the local rumor is that the legend was spun by the late Richard Beyer to placate the scandalized. Don’t worry, it’s barely PG.
Location: 21640 Marine View Dr S, Des Moines, WA 98198
Maury Island Incident Art Park
Tucked away in Des Moines, you'll find a cluster of curiously wonderful pieces of art we like to call "The Maury Island Incident Art Park" (location: 605 South 223rd Street, Des Moines, Washington). Several pieces of art there revolve around extraterrestrial lore. That's no coincidence: the collection sits near the site of the Maury Island Incident, a famous 1947 event in which a local man spotted UFOs over Puget Sound, which rained down debris that killed his poor dog, Sparky. See the event depicted on the Maury Island Incident Mural (Artist: Zach Paul), which features hovering saucers, a beach, a boat, and a mysterious 'Man in Black’ standing on a dock. Near this, you'll see Raven Discovers Spaceship (Artist: Pat McVay), which contains still more strange sights, like three green aliens peering out of a saucer that's being handled by an octopus. There is also a statue of Sparky and a mysterious obelisk.
Pair this site with a fun audio tour: The UFO Mysteries Trail.
Location: 605 S 223rd St, Des Moines, WA 98198
Sculptures at the Des Moines Marina
The Des Moines Marina is home to many intriguing sculptures. Shown above is Marinascope (Artist: George C. Scott). Located at the South 227th St. entrance to the Des Moines Marina, this old shipping-lane buoy has colored glass portholes that cast a dreamy glow into the sculpture. Step inside and find yourself surrounded by psychedelic sea life. Explore more sculptures near this piece in our Self-Guided Walking Tour at the Des Moines Marina.
Location: 22307 Dock Ave S, Des Moines WA, 98198
A view from inside of the Marinascope
Detail from inside of Marinascope
Detail from inside of Marinascope
Detail from inside of Marinascope
The Redondo Arch
The Redondo Arch (Artist: John T. Young), located at Redondo Beach in Des Moines, resembles a gateway between land and sea. Made of granite boulders tensioned together with steel cables, it looks like it could last for eternity. Yet in 1991, a storm broke the pier beneath it. Fortunately, the eight-ton sculpture was rescued by cranes - a testament to how valued it was. Today, you can once again see the Sound and the Olympic Mountains through this striking arch.
Location: 28201 Redondo Way, Des Moines, WA 98198
Robert Morris Earthwork
At first glance, the Robert Morris Earthwork (officially titled Untitled Earthwork (Johnson Pit #30)) looks like a grassy hillside, but it's actually one of the world's most celebrated examples of land art. Created in 1979, the massive sculpture transformed a former gravel pit into a series of sweeping terraces that blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape. A row of charred tree stumps, known as the "ghost forest," serves as a striking reminder of the forest that stood here before mining reshaped the site. Today, visitors can walk the paths, take in panoramic views of the Kent Valley, and experience a groundbreaking work of art that helped redefine how damaged landscapes can be reclaimed through creative design.
Location: 21630 37th Pl S, SeaTac, WA 98198
Duwamish Hill Preserve
Wrap up your art adventure at Duwamish Hill Preserve. This rocky area along the Duwamish River was saved from industrial development in 2000 and is now a restored wetland. Head to the northwest corner of the park and sit on a log bench to see Journey through the Seasonal Rounds, an etched granite calendar that combines the Western year with the natural cycles indigenous people use to mark the seasons. A close look reveals the best times to harvest clams and pick ripe salmon berries.
Climb to the top of the hill for more art. Benches along the trail tell stories of the site's history. At the top, take in views of the Seattle skyline to the north and Mt. Rainier to the south. It's the perfect way to wrap up a Seattle Southside art ramble, celebrating the creative energy of both humans and nature.
Location: 3800 S 115th St, Tukwila, WA 98168
Even More Public Art
Explore more public art around the Seattle area:
- We put together a self-guided walking tour of the public art at and near the Des Moines Marina.
- Beyond the stations listed above, Sound Transit has funded incredible art installations at Link Light Rail stops. From murals to mosaics, sculpture to video, you can find lots of art through STArt (Sound Transit Art)!
- The Highline Heritage Museum in Burien often features local artists and rotating exhibits.
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