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Spending The Holidays In Lynnwood

Lynnwood Holiday TreeAs the weather turns colder you have holiday decorations, shopping and events to look forward to in Lynnwood!  You can find Santa Claus at Alderwood Mall, as well as at other local businesses for photo opportunities.  Both public and private residences break out the holiday lights, wreaths and other season decor to brighten things up.  There are a multitude of possible shopping destinations to keep your dollars in our local economy.  If the days have gotten too short for you, know that before the holidays are over the Winter Solstice will be past with more sunlight each and every day.

Here are several things to keep in mind for spending the holiday season in Lynnwood!

Shop Local

There are many local businesses based in Lynnwood.  Those include clothing, novelty shops, book stores, pet stores, electronics, and more.  You can remember these local businesses on Shop Small Saturday, as well as for the remainder of the holiday season.  For some of these businesses the holiday season makes up an inordinately large amount of their annual earnings.  Keep an eye out for establishments selling holiday trees too!  And if you’re looking for a larger gift do not forget that we have several furniture stores that make their home in Lynnwood.  We support local business in Lynnwood and the holiday season is a great opportunity for you to show that same support.

The Mall

Alderwood Mall first opened in 1979.  Since then it has been a mainstay of Lynnwood commerce with more housing planned on or near the mall property to bring in more people.  Dozens of businesses lease space in the mall and it’s a way to visit many stores in a short period of time, all while avoiding the rain (and sometimes snow) outside.  The mall is also fully decked out with holiday banners and other decorations and we already mentioned getting a photo with Santa (for kids or adults!).  You can also take a break from the holiday shopping by catching a movie at one of two nearby movie theaters.

Eat Out Or Grab It To Go

When you get hungry on your holiday journey remember that there are several places to eat.  That not only includes the mall food court and restaurants, but other stand alone eating establishments throughout the City.  Many of these are locally-owned and operated with pizza, sushi, burgers, noodles, soup, pasta and more available on the menu.  And do not forget you can find food trucks out and about too!

Food & Other Holiday Drives

The Lynnwood Food Bank relies on local donations to support its mission of bringing food to those in difficult times.  You can help them out any time of the year, but it’s especially nice to make a donation during the holidays.  You can visit their website for the latest in how to make a donation, as well as particular items that they are looking for.  There are certainly other ways to support organiztaions of your choice and that are active in the area, including organization’s like Clothes For Kids and Bella’s Voice.

Lynnwood Convention Center

The Lynnwood Convention Center starts the season off with a holiday greeting card competition open to middle and high school students.  This has resulted in many creative entries and final cards.  Also, it’s not too early to think about 2021 events, including weddings and conferences.  By the time the holiday season rolls around the Center is actively booking and planning for events well after the New Year!

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LYNNWOOD OFFERS A MOST JOYOUS AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON

This won’t be an ordinary holiday season. But in Lynnwood and its immediate surrounding areas, the holidays can still be extraordinary — with health and safety always in mind. Lynnwood’s array of holiday shopping offers an easy and fun way to check everyone off the list. But shopping is just one way to celebrate the season.

Lynnwood, just 16 miles north of Seattle, and the surrounding communities have made all kinds of changes — all to ensure everyone stays safe while still savoring this most special time of year

Save a spot at Alderwood Mall

With nearly 200 shops, department and electronic stores, specialty boutiques, and more, Alderwood Mall is the center of the Lynnwood shopping experience. This year, Alderwood is making it particularly easy to avoid the holiday rush with the new Alderwood Spot Holder program.

The program allows shoppers to avoid waiting in line by reserving a time at their favorite stores. It’s as easy as scanning a code at the front of a participating store, choosing a time to shop, and meeting at the front door of the store. In the meantime, relax and enjoy a hot chocolate or coffee. There may be no easier way to shop. 

Visit with Santa, virtually

No Christmas would be complete without a visit with Santa. This year, the Alderwood Mall is making it easy with several ways to have a virtual visit with Santa.

Santa’s helpers have been hard at work decking the halls for a North Pole Virtual Visit, which features an array of experiences to choose from. Visit with Santa live from the North Pole, enjoy the reading of your favorite Christmas tale by Santa and Mrs. Claus, or have Santa send a special message to your child with a pre-recorded, personalized video. 

Drive-thru The Lights of Christmas

Stanwood, a charming hamlet north of Lynnwood, is celebrating the holidays like few others with The Lights of Christmas. This year, the cherished tradition continues. Held all season long, this year will feature the same dazzling light displays that wow kids and kids at heart. But it will be a drive-thru experience to ensure the safety of all revelers. 

See spectacular lights, wave to Santa and Mrs. Claus, all while listening to Christmas music from the comfort of the car. 

Edmonds Holiday Market

Give the gift of something truly meaningful at the annual Edmonds Holiday Market, a traditional outdoor market filled with the products of local crafters and farmers. Held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturdays from Dec. 5 through Dec. 19, the Holiday Market invites all to shop local wares while staying safe by remaining socially distanced, masked and outdoors. 

Set on Fifth Avenue, between City Hall and the Edmonds Historical Museum, the market is home to more than 50 vendors. From wine, jewelry, pottery, and many specialty gift items to cured meats, preserved foods and cheeses, and baked goods and sweets, just about everything you’ll want for the holidays is here. 

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Alderwood Mall – Back To Open

Takeout Alderwood Mall

Order it to go!

“What’s going on with Alderwood Mall?”  That is a question we have received more than once.  Alderwood Mall has a large, commercial footprint in Lynnwood and our wider community, as well as its stores and businesses providing a source of jobs to hundreds.

As with many other types of business, Alderwood Mall closed its doors with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.  What followed was many weeks when the mall was largely closed, just like other malls in the region.  If you took a walk through the surrounding parking lots you would have found a happy pigeon, seagull and Canadian geese population that quickly set up residence on the ground and nearby roofs.  A few locations like Blazing Onion were open for takeout only, offering call in and pickup service.  But besides those exceptions little was open for about 11 weeks.

On June 9, 2020 Alderwood Mall began a limited reopening.  This started with a handful of stores opening, but has grown over time to where most are now open.  You can also check on the mall’s website to see exactly what is open.  This was part of Snohomish County’s shifting from Phase 1 to Phase 2 reopening, which allowed more regular storefronts (like those in the mall!) to again open their doors to customers.  To help ensure safety mall management has instituted the various procedures and protocol.  It helps to be aware of these before your next shopping trip and make sure to check out the mall’s website for the latest changes.

  • Installation of hand sanitizer stations throughout the mall
  • Crews available for frequent cleaning of doors, floors, bathrooms and other common mall surfaces
  • Social distancing for shoppers (readjusted seating in the mall’s food court)
  • Reduced mall hours

Alderwood mall is also requiring that all shoppers wear masks.  Mall security has a supply of masks to provide if you do not have one.  Curbside pickup remains an option for shoppers.

Like in other areas the pandemic has taken a toll on mall tenants with some closing permanently.  However, new businesses are also set to move or open at the mall soon.  That includes an Amazon 4-Star store and new restaurants.

If you visit the mall you may also notice ongoing construction on the western side, the previous site of Sears.  That is an active multi-family development on the mall property, Alderwood Avalon.  Like with the mall itself, construction on that project was shut down, but has restarted again in earnest.  The project will bring 328 residential units and 64,000 square feet of commercial space on the first floor of 2 planned residential towers.  Despite losing time to the pandemic the project is scheduled for completion in 2022.  You can keep track of that project over on the City of Lynnwood’s website.

Alderwood Mall Fountain

The fountains are back on and many businesses back open.

 

 

 

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Outdoor Recreation in Lynnwood Part 2 – Stadler Ridge Park

As the days get longer and the weather turns sunnier there are several options to get out and have fun in Lynnwood.  We previously wrote about the Interurban Trail, which runs through Lynnwood, but that is not the only way to enjoy the outdoors.  In addition to the trail, Lynnwood also has several parks.  We will profile these parks in this and other upcoming articles.

Stadler Ridge Park

Stadler Ridge Park is a relatively new city park, opening in 2013.  The park is named after the Stadler family, one of the earlier families to settle in this part of the later city of Lynnwood.  The park has many features for children and also teenagers.  It is located amid adjoining neighborhood streets.

Stadler Ridge Park Lynnwood, WA

Local kids have fun on the play equipment

Play Equipment – There is a large structure that kids can climb, jump up on and otherwise have fun on.  Several ornamental trees and animals are also on the structure.  In the Winter of 2019-2020 the City renovated the structure.

Slides – A series of slides starting at the higher elevation of the park lets kids enjoy a fun and safe drop in elevation.

Picnic Tables – Did you bring lunch?  You can sit at one of two tables to enjoy a meal.  Clean up by throwing any trash in the available park garbage can.

Half Basketball Court – If you are too big to be running around on the playground, bring the basketball and shoot some hoops with friends.

Open Field – Grass and open space are available in the park’s central portion, just do not plan for a flat surface.  The ground is hilly and descends down to the sidewalk and street.

Wooded Area – There is a smaller area of tall trees and under brush with clear paths throughout.  This can be fun for children and leashed animals out on a walk.

Pathways – There are a few other paths and stairways running to and from the play equipment and other park features.  A larger gravel path also winds down along the park’s southern border (that is especially popular for sledder when we get the occasional snowfall).

Location – 17428 33rd Place West, Lynnwood 98037  View Map

Access – There is not a parking lot, but street parking is often available.  Sidewalk runs along the park’s eastern border while on the west there are a series of homes (there is also a paved walkway the public can use to gain access from that direction).

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Lynnwood Golf Course

Lynnwood WA Golf CourseWhen was the last time that you set a tee time in Lynnwood?  Golf is a popular past time in America and Lynnwood is no exception.  The National Golf Foundation has estimated that 1 in 3 Americans over the age of 6 have played golf, watched it or read about it.  It helps that golf is a game of skill that can be played and enjoyed by the young and old and new and long-time players alike.

If you are looking to schedule some golf Lynnwood has options!  The first of these is the Lynnwood Municipal Golf Course.

Buit in 1991, Lynnwood Municipal Golf Course is a fun 18-hole course.  You also do not have to bring all of your own equipment. The course has merchandise, available equipment rentals and a Pro Shop on-site. It is also open year round for golf in any month. The course’s design underscores the goal of having fun with golf.  There are both tight fairways and a hole layout designed to test a golfer’s skill, but also not prove too frustrating if it has been awhile since you last played. The course is located immediately south of Edmonds Community College with its operations housed in the college’s Woodway Building. You can stop by for an occasional game or visit more regularly.  For more regular golfers there is the Premier Golf Club Loyalty and Rewards program.  This club is to rewards those golfers frequently visiting the Lynnwood Municipal Golf Course. Rewards take the form of discounts, including those on Green Fees, Range Balls and use of Golf Carts.  In addition, there is special pricing available to club members for certain merchandise, which varies over time. Read more about how to join the Premier Golf Club Loyalty and Rewards Program.

Getting to the Lynnwood Municipal Golf Course is easy. There is ample parking spots available right near the course in parking lot Q. Edmonds Community College and the course are conveniently located near several local streets and State Route 99 is less than 1/2 mile away. In addition, the Golf Course Trail provides pedestrian and walking access to the course.  Even if you are not playing yourself it is fun to walk the trail and watch golfers as they play through.  The Golf Course Trail travels the perimeter of the Lynnwood Municipal Golf Course and alternates between soft and hard surfaces.  It is a fun walk as you have the course to one side, homes on the other and greenery overhead.  A portion of the trail also goes through the Edmonds Community College campus. You can also follow the course on Facebook where you can keep track of the latest course condition and other news.  There is also more information on the course’s website, including the latest rates.

Back 9 Parlor - Golf LynnwoodMost would agree that golf is more pleasurable under sunny blue skies.  Being located in the Pacific Northwest it does rain from time to time in Lynnwood.  On rainy days you do not have to hang up the golf clubs, at least not entirely.  Back9 Parlor offers an alternative during wet weather with its virtual golf offerings. Back9 Parlor uses an array of technologies to create this experience for golfers.  That encompasses technology such as overhead cameras, use of infrared and tracking software.  The software has tools to accurately track how far the ball (virtually) travels and other behavior, all in an entirely indoor facility and experience. Golfing professionals have access to such sophisticated, virtual experiences in their places of residence. Back9 wants to bring this same quality virtual experience to golfers with a wide range of experience levels and goals for improving their game. Back9 also has a spring league, is available for parties and other events and runs lessons and clinics for golfers.  If the weather runs you indoors, Back9 is open for virtual golf 7 days per week.

 

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Visitor Information Center at the Lynnwood Convention Center – Close to Seattle With Quality Lodging Options

When was the last time that you attended an event at the Lynnwood Convention Center? For many the answer covers multiple events over several years. It is hard to believe that the Convention Center opened 15 years ago. Back in 2005 when the Convention Center opened, there were not many options to hold events in the north Puget Sound region, despite the presence of Boeing, the growing footprint of tech companies and a rising metropolitan area. Today, the Lynnwood Convention Center serves as an impressive facility that hosts a wide variety of exceptional events and activities each year.

Lynnwood Convention Center Visitor Information Services

Convenient Location Close to Seattle

When considering the Lynnwood Convention Center for your event, it helps to consider some of its key amenities. The first of those is the Convention Center’s convenient location. Interstate 5 is visible from the Convention Center with easy and direct access to Seattle and beyond to SeaTac Airport. Seattle’s urban core is only 16 miles south of Lynnwood. In addition to Interstate 5, Highway 99 is only a few miles west and offers another major arterial route from Seattle to Everett. With Paine Field Airport’s recent opening to commercial flights, there is now a second aviation travel option just 9 miles north of Lynnwood.

Looking to the future, the Lynnwood Convention Center’s geographic convenience is set to grow further in 2024 when Sound Transit’s light rail extension comes to Lynnwood. This will provide easy access for domestic and international visitors arriving at SeaTac to Lynnwood Convention Center.

Affordable Lodging LynnwoodAffordable Lodging

Besides geography, another consideration for holding an event at the Lynnwood Convention Center is the quality, affordable lodging options. When comparing lodging in Lynnwood to downtown Seattle, rates can be up to 40% less. Choose from several lodging options including America’s Best Value Inn, Best Courtyard Marriott Lynnwood, Embassy Suites Lynnwood, Extended Stay America Seattle Area, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Homewood Suites Seattle, Hotel International, La Quinta Lynnwood, Residence Inn Lynnwood, among others. Over 1,400 rooms are available to accommodate events large and small, as well as their attendees.

The Hilton Garden Inn is a brand new hotel opening right across the street from the Lynnwood Convention Center. This new hotel features 154 rooms, a restaurant and bar and will be opening this April.  The combination of excellent service, a convenient location and quality lodging options make the Center a great option for your special event, conference, or meeting.

An Extra Resource – The Lynnwood Visitor Information Center

Sometimes it helps to have a person to answer your questions and offer locals insights. While websites and other online resources are useful, at times it is still nice to talk to a local expert. The Lynnwood Convention Center recently added visitor information services to their lobby. The Information Center is open seven days a week to provide friendly service to visitors and event guests and attendees.

See why Lynnwood is a great deal and the Lynnwood Convention Center is a place to experience more!

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Visiting Lynnwood is about to get even easier!

Lynnwood’s convenient location, on the intersection of two major freeways and just north of downtown, makes it the ideal gateway for exploring the Seattle area and the Pacific Northwest.  Starting in February, it’s about to get even easier to visit Lynnwood with a new airport opening just north of Lynnwood at Paine Field.  When you arrive at the Paine Field Airport, you are an easy 15 minute drive from your Lynnwood hotel.  Alaska Airlines and United Airlines will offer a combined 24 daily flights out of Paine Field with service between Everett and Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Portland, Sand Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Denver.

Paine Field Airport Lynnwood Seattle North

The two terminal airport, owned by Propeller Airports, was designed to elevate the customer experience, including beautiful finish details and concierge services.  The main terminal features “living room” style seating area to keep travelers comfortable while waiting for their flights.  Food and beverage services will be provided by Beecher’s Handmade Cheese Cafe serving soup and sandwiches, and the Upper Case wine serving local Pacific Northwest wines and cocktails.  Learn more about the Paine Field Airport at www.flypainefield.com or www.painefield.com.

 

Depending on what time your flight arrives, there are some must-see attractions located near the airport in the Paine Field Aviation District.  Boeing’s Future of Flight Aviation Tour takes you inside the world’s largest building for a glimpse of a Boeing’s airplane manufacturing plant.  Also at Paine Field is the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum, with two airplane hangers filled with historic planes, tanks, and military vehicles, all restored to their original condition.

 

Here are some of our favorite things to see and do when visiting Lynnwood!

  1.  Go shopping at Alderwood.  This 1.3 million square foot shopping center offers a unique mix of retail, entertainment and dining options.
  2. Visit the Edmonds waterfront.  Explore the beautiful Puget Sound beaches in Edmonds, have lunch on the waterfront, and visit the Cascadia Art Museum.
  3. Take in a show at the Black Box Theater, Edmonds Center for the Arts or Wade James Theater.  Each of these performing arts theater offer a variety of productions, comedy shows and live music.
  4. Play a round of golf at the Lynnwood Golf Course.  This 18-hole golf course is open year-round with a course suitable for golfers of all skill levels.
  5. Get out on the Puget Sound.  Take a ferry ride from Edmonds to Kingston and explore the quaint beach town of Kingston.  Head out on a whale watching tour with Puget Sound Express, with high-speed boats taking you all the way up to the San Juan Islands.
  6. Go wine tasting in Woodinville Wine Country, home to over 100 wineries and tasting rooms featuring wineries from all over Washington.

For more fun things to do and special events happening when you’re in town, be sure to check out our events calendar.

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Unique Gifts & Local Art

Lynnwood is known for shopping, and not just any shopping.  We’re home to the region’s destination shopping center, Alderwood.  But sometimes you want something a little more unique for that hard to shop for person on your list.  Lynnwood is your gateway to the local art, handcrafted goods, and unique boutiques of the Pacific Northwest.

Give a one of kind creation from Pacific Northwest artists.  Gallery North in Edmonds displays and sells a variety of works from local artists, including ceramics, paintings, wood works, and more!

The Schack Shop at the Schack Art Center sells art from over 170 regional artists.   Don’t just shop the Schack, be sure to explore this entire visual art center.  With free admission, you can explore the exhibit galleries, watch professional glassblowers, or visit the hot shop, a specialized production studio for stained glass, iron works, and even flameworking.

Start here Lynnwood! Holiday shopping in EdmondsThe Holiday Market, open every Saturday in December on Fifth Ave in Edmonds, offers a farmers market style holiday shopping experience.  Complete with local crafts, artisan foods, and unique locally-made gifts.  When you need a little break from shopping, hop on the Holiday Trolley and enjoy a relaxing and scenic ride to your next Edmonds destination.

Country Village in Bothell offers unique shopping in a quaint and festive setting with 45 specialty stores, antique shops, and restaurants.  Kids will enjoy paying a visit to Santa’s Workshop and the live reindeer!

Start here in Lynnwood this holiday season and explore handcrafted goods of PNW artists or endless shopping at Alderwood!

 

 

 

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