Unique Experiences in Washington state

Washington became the 42nd state in 1889. The cascade mountain range runs north-south and splits the state in two. The two halves are commonly known as the “Westside” and the “Eastside” or the “wet side” and the “dry side”. Forests cover about half the state’s landmass making it a leading lumber producer. The diversity of the state makes it a great choice for an awesome adventure!

Seattle & Beyond

Seattle

**FUN FACT: Seattle is sometimes referred to as the “Emerald City”, this has nothing to do with The Wizard of Oz as some people may think. It is due to the city and surrounding areas being filled with greenery all year round, even in the winter, due to all the evergreen trees in the area. It also refers to Washington’s nickname “The Evergreen State”.**

*This is an updated post originally written on June 3, 2019. With current COVID19 restrictions, some of these places may have changes to times and occupancy, please refer to their websites for more information*

The city of Seattle is situated on Puget Sound and is surrounded by water, mountains, and evergreen forests. Seattle has a population of nearly 4 million people, it is situated on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington. It is located about 100 miles south of the Canadian border. The city is broken into many neighborhoods, each one is unique and has lots to offer its residents. It’s hard to write about Seattle without mentioning all the places that tourists like to visit. I have tried to add some places that you may not have thought of. Seattle has many great parks & beaches. Here is my list of must-see places in the city of Seattle;

• Discovery Park – Discovery Park Lighthouse
• Space Needle
• Pike Place – Public Market
• Hiram M. Chittenden – Ballard Locks
• Argosy Tours
• Fremont Troll
• MoPOP – Museum of POP Culture
• MOHAI – Museum of History and Industry
• Lake Union

Discovery Park

Discovery Park is the largest city park in Seattle. It is located on Magnolia Bluff overlooking Puget Sound. It offers spectacular views of both the Cascade and Olympic Mountains. This secluded park includes two miles of protected tidal beaches, an open meadow, and the West Point Lighthouse. Be sure to check out the Discovery Park Environmental Learning Center.

Parking: there are several parking lots throughout the park, but your best bet is to park at the Visitor’s Center

West Point Lighthouse – Discovery Park Lighthouse

West Point Lighthouse is also known as the Discovery Park Lighthouse. It is an active lighthouse built to protect Seattle’s West point which juts out into Puget Sound at Elliott Bay. The Lighthouse is surrounded on 3 sides by a beach. The 23-foot high lighthouse began operation in 1881. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Parking: is located about 1.5 miles away from the lighthouse in the Discovery Park parking lots.

Space Needle

The Space Needle is a landmark for the Pacific Northwest and an icon of Seattle. It was originally built for the 1962 World’s Fair, whose theme was “The Age of Space” it continues to symbolize Seattle’s forward-thinking spirit. The Space Needle is 605 feet tall and is the most photographed structure in the world! It offers 360-degree indoor and outdoor panoramic views of downtown, Mount Rainier, Puget Sound, and the Cascades, and the Olympic mountain ranges.

The Space Needle is open 365 days a year.

The winter hours are; Monday – Thursday 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Friday 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm, Saturday 11:00 pm – 7:00 pm, and Sunday 11:00 pm – 5:00 pm.

Regular admission tickets are $35

Parking: You will find parking in several nearby parking garages which are about 2 blocks away

We didn’t go up to the top the day we were there, but you can bet I will go next time we’re in Seattle! Check out the Webcam!

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Pike Place Market

The iconic Pike Place Market overlooks Elliott Bay on the Seattle Waterfront. It was first opened in 1907 and is one of the oldest continuously operated public Farmer’s markets in the United States. Most of the market is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, with many restaurants open until 10:00 pm. We saw the famous “fish tossing” at the Fish Market and we purchased some souvenirs. Some of the things you will find there;

• Produce Stands
• Fish Markets
• Restaurants
• Retail Shops
• Personal Services; Barber Shops, Hair Salons, Tattoo Shops
• Crafts Market

Parking: Pike Place Market maintains two parking garages with over 800 parking spaces.

Hiram M. Chittenden-Ballard Locks

Another cool place to visit is the Ballard Locks, which is located on NW 54th Street in Seattle. The locks are free to the public and open every day from 7:00 am-9:00 pm. You can watch large ships & small boats use the locks to get from Puget Sound to the “ship canal”, which is Lake Washington and Lake Union. When we were there we saw the migrating salmon, this happens from June-September. They have a large window that shows the salmon underwater. There were literally thousands of salmon! You can also go to the visitor center, museum, and botanical gardens which are all on the property. You may even see some seals hanging around, trying to get some delicious salmon for themselves!

Parking: Free Parking can be found on the surrounding neighborhood streets.

Argosy Cruises offer narrated boat tours of Seattle. Here is one of their boats coming through the locks. It’s not quite like my first Carnival Cruise but it looks like fun! Below is a list of some of their tours;

• Locks Cruise
• Harbor Cruise
• Sightseeing Cruises
• Tillicum Excursion
• Lake Washington Cruise

Fremont Troll

The Fremont Troll AKA the Troll under the Bridge lives underneath an overpass in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. Constructed in 1990, it is an 18-foot sculpture made of cement and it clutches an old VW car. Really cool!! Great photo opp.!

Museums

MoPOP

The Museum of Pop Culture also known as MoPOP is located at 325 5th Ave, Seattle. The last museum we went to was in Raleigh, North Carolina. The MoPOP was very different from that one. My husband loves Science Fiction, so it was cool for him to take a seat on a spacecraft, and see props from his favorite TV shows & movies. He saw the costume for Sarris, the villain from “Galaxy Quest”(his favorite movie), and Mork’s costume(from Mork and Mindy). We also enjoyed seeing the many costumes for our favorite Marvel Movie characters; Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Spiderman, and the Black Panther. The museum has 3 levels. Here is a list of the current museum exhibits;

• Body of Work – Tatoo Culture
• Minecraft – the Exhibit
• Nirvana – Taking Punk to the masses
• Fantasy – World of Myth and Magic
• Pearl Jam – Home and Away
• Infinite Worlds of Science Fiction
• Scared to Death – the thrill of the Horror Film
• Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame
• Hendrix – Wild Blue Angel
• Guitar Galaxy

Level 1 – Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, JBL Theater, and Soundboard Alley

Level 2 – Body of Work(Tatoo Culture), Fantasy, Guitar Galley, Nirvana, Horror Film

Level 3 – Pearl Jam, Sound Lab

Parking: Parking is challenging in downtown Seattle. There are several pay lots near the museum as well as street parking.

MOHAI

The Museum of History and Industry is at 860 Terry Ave. No., Seattle, and is located on South Lake Union. The museum tells the story of Puget Sound & Seattle, past, present, and future. We enjoyed the historic ships located behind the museum on Lake Union. At the time we were there a few years ago, they had; a passenger steamer, a lightship, a tugboat, a houseboat, a salmon stroller, a fireboat, and a wooden yacht. We were able to board several of them and explore!

Lake Union

Lake Union is located entirely within the city limits of Seattle. Along with the Museum of History & Industry, you will find Lake Union Park and the Center for Wooden Boats. There are many great restaurants located on the shores of Lake Union;

• Westward, Breakfast & Brunch, Seafood
• Duke’s Seafood
• The White Swan Public House
• Canlis
• Joule
• Serafina
• Daniels Broiler

Too many restaurants to mention here! We had lunch at a great Chinese restaurant, China Harbor with wonderful views of the lake. We saw many houseboats. I wonder if we could rent one for a few days, that would be fun!

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Beyond the City

• Ferry Rides
• Kingston & Kitsap Peninsula
• Deception Pass
• Leavenworth
• Snoqualmie Falls

Ferry Rides

The ferry rides were so much fun! To everyone in Seattle, I’m sure it’s no big deal. They take ferries to work and back every day, but to me, it was my first time on this type of ferry. You can either drive your car on or just walk on. Inside it’s huge! There are many places to sit and lots of windows to enjoy the view. You can even get something to eat and drink. The views from the ferry are amazing as you cross Puget Sound!

You can take a ferry to many different islands, Here is a sample schedule.

Kingston and Kitsap Peninsula

We took the ferry from Edmonds(which is about 15 miles north of Seattle) to Kingston. There is a cost to ride the ferry, times and fees vary. We took our vehicle, but you could easily just walk on and off the ferry. You will find many restaurants, pubs, and small shops on Main Street. The reason we drove, is so we could make the drive to Kitsap Peninsula to see the Lighthouse. It’s just a 10-mile drive to Hansville, WA, where you will find the Point No Point Light.

Deception Pass

Located about 82 miles north of Seattle Washington is Deception Pass. Deception Pass is a strait separating Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island. A pair of bridges are collectively called Deception Pass Bridge. The pair of bridges were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

It connects Skagit Bay(Part of Puget Sound) with the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The views from the first bridge are absolutely magnificent!

Deception Pass State Park

Deception Pass State Park spreads 3854 acres, a marine, and camping park, with 77,000 feet of saltwater, and 33,900 feet of freshwater on 3 lakes. The park offers fishing, swimming, hiking, birdwatching and you may see a whale off in the distance when gazing over Puget Sound. It is Washington state’s most visited state park! The park is actually located on 2 islands; Fidalgo to the North and Whidbey to the South.

Leavenworth

On our first trip to Seattle, Washington, we took a day trip to Leavenworth. This is a cute little town nestled in the Cascade Mountains, about 2 hours East of Seattle. It lies between Seattle & Spokane, Washington. The drive is beautiful through the Cascade mountains and the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest!

The town of Leavenworth has a population of about 2500. It’s like driving into a small Bavarian town in the Swiss Alps. The town has some great little shops and good food! There are several wine shops with wine tasting. I even saw a Starbucks there, after all, it is Washington!

Snoqualmie Falls

Snoqualmie Falls is located east of Seattle and is about a 29 miles drive. It is a 268-foot waterfall. There is a 2-acre park with an observation deck and gift shop. Such a beautiful and peaceful place. I could spend all day there!

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In Conclusion..

Washington is one of my favorite states! There is so much diversity, from Puget Sound to the Cascade Mountains, to the big city of Seattle. It has you covered, whether you are a “mountain lover” or “beach lover”. Washington truly deserves the nickname, “The Evergreen State”.

What is your favorite state? Please leave me a comment and let me know. Remember to share with your family and friends on your social media pages.

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