Seward Park features numerous small beaches, the largest one on its southwest side, as well as a playground and an arts center.

However, the Olmsted Brothers assimilated it into its plan for Seattle parks, and the city of Seattle bought Bailey Peninsula in 1911 for $322,000, and named the park after William H. Seward, former United States Secretary of State, who was known for negotiating the Alaska Purchase At the entrance to the park, in a wooded island filled with flowers between the circular entrance and exit road, there is a little-known monument: a taiko-gata stone lantern (tōrō), a gift of friendship from the City of Yokohama, Japan, which was given to the city in 1931 in gratitude to Seattle's assistance to Yokohama after the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake.

[4] Originally built for Seattle's Potlatch festival in 1934, a Japanese style wooden torii stood near the entrance to Seward Park from 1936 to the mid 1980s, when it was removed due to decay.

[citation needed] A replacement made with stone columns and timber cross beams was completed by early 2021[6] and formally dedicated in 2022.

[8] The park is also home to two nesting pairs of bald eagles, who can frequently be seen flying over Lake Washington and diving to the water's surface to catch fish and ducks.

Programs at the Center and in the park include school, youth, community, arts in the environment, and special events.

On April 22, 2022, President Joe Biden visited Seward Park and signed an executive order to create an inventory of "mature and old-growth trees" for conservation purposes.

[9] Seward Park offers at least five distinct areas, including the beach on Andrews' Bay, which is flanked by a broad lawn and other facilities.