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Located on Fidalgo Island, between Seattle and Vancouver BC, Anacortes is a vibrant port town. Within walking distance you'll discover casual cafes to elegant dining, unique to sophisticated shopping as well as, and art galleries and&nb...
Categories: Anacortes
Bainbridge Island, Washington, is accessible via a 35-minute ferry ride from Seattle's Pier 52 terminal. The main town on the island, Winslow, is home to a number of restaurants as well as an art museum. Be sure to visit the internationally known Blo...
Categories: Bainbridge Island
Located 80 mi/130 km from Seattle at the foot of Mount Baker, this pretty, relaxed college town is a departure point for trips up the Alaskan Inside Passage, the protected boat route between Washington and Alaska. Sightseers should head south of down...
Categories: Bellingham
Categories: Benton City
Blaine is located in northern Washington in Whatcom County, right on the border with Canada. Blaine was first established as a seaport for the west coast for the fishing and logging industries in the mid-19th century. Blaine’s coastal location ...
Categories: Blaine
Bothell is a city located just 30 minutes from downtown Seattle, Washington. The Sammamish River runs through Bothell, with bicycle trails along the river to enjoy through town. Antiquing and wine tasting are popular activities when visiting Bothell,...
Categories: Bothell
Categories: Bremerton
Categories: Burbank WA
Categories: Cape Disappointment
Categories: Cascade Cliffs Vineyard & Winery
Clarkston is the gateway to Hells Canyon. Take a professionally guided jet boat tour of Hells Canyon, raft the Snake River, paddle a canoe down the Clearwater River on the historic Lewis & Clark Trail, rent your own jetboat, or try your hand at some ...
Categories: Clarkston
Categories: Columbia Hills Historical State Park
The Columbia River Gorge is a spectacular river canyon cutting the only sea-level route through the Cascade Mountain Range. It's 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep with the north canyon walls in Washington State and the south canyon walls in Ore...
Categories: Columbia River Gorge
Categories: Cypress Island
Categories: Deception Pass
River Cruising
Categories: Eastern Washington’s Wine Country
Categories: Eastsound
Gig Harbor, just across the Narrows Bridge from Tacoma, Washington, is the quintessential waterside village.Gig Harbor offers the most scenic harbor on Puget Sound. The waterfront is full of fishing and sailing boats, tall pine trees and tropical-sty...
Categories: Gig Harbor
One of the largest concrete structures and greatest producers of electricity in the world, Grand Coulee Dam is an impressive sight. Late May-September, a nightly laser light show illuminates the massive spillway. Drive to Dry Falls and look over the ...
Categories: Grand Coulee Dam
From the pounding of the mighty Pacific to the hushed stillness of the only temperate rain forest in this hemisphere, the sights and sounds found in Grays Harbor are truly unique. With pristine ocean beaches, the awe-inspiring Valley of the Giant Tre...
Categories: Grays Harbor
This area was closed off during WWII while the government developed The Bomb until President Bill Clinton opened up the area as Washington's newest monument. Today this is an excellent location for boating and wildlife viewing. Anglers can ...
Categories: Hanford Reach National Monument
Categories: Harstine Island
The deepest river gorge in North America, Hells Canyon was carved out by the waters of the Snake River during the last Ice Age. Hells Canyon stretches for 75 miles from the Hells Canyon Dam to the Washington-Oregon border, and is inaccessible by roa...
Categories: Hells Canyon
Categories: Hood Canal
Categories: Hope Island
Horse Heaven Hills received its name in 1881 by James Kinney, a Yakima pioneer, for the rolling hills west of the Columbia River where wild horses once inhabited. These peaceful lands now contain the single largest wine making facility in the state o...
Categories: Horse Heaven Hills
Categories: Ice Harbor Dam
Categories: Kalama
Categories: Kelso
Categories: La Conner
This deep, narrow, glacier-fed lake stretches for 55 mi/90 km on the eastern slope of the Cascades. Few roads run near the lake. Most visitors drive to the town of Chelan at the lake's southeastern end. From there, passengers can take the Lady of the...
Categories: Lake Chelan
Categories: Lake Quinault
The charming small town of Langley, Washington, is an undiscovered gem providing visitors with a quirky and quintessential Northwest island experience. Located on Whitbey Island, the town is less than a mile/kilometer square. It takes a little more t...
Categories: Langley
Leavenworth is a quaint little Bavarian Village nestled in the central Cascade Mountains of Washington State. The vast area surrounding Leavenworth, Lake Wenatchee and Plain, including the world-famous Alpine Lakes Wilderness, provides recreationa...
Categories: Leavenworth
Any time of year is a great time to visit Longview where you'll find a wealth of activities waiting for you. Walk or bike along the banks of Lake Sacajawea, explore the Japanese Gradens, brush up on your golf game at the Mint Valley Ch...
Categories: Longview
Categories: Lower Granite Dam
Categories: Lynnwood
Categories: Lyons Ferry State Park
Categories: Marblemount
The Mayhill Museum in Washington overlooks the picturesque Columbia River Gorge, and is one of the most fascinating cultural institutions in the Pacific Northwest. The museum hold more than eighty sculptures and a lovely collection of French art piec...
Categories: Maryhill Museum
Categories: Maryhill Winery
Mount Rainier, also known as Mount Tacoma or Mount Tahoma, is the highest mountain of the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest. It ascends approximately 14,400 feet above sea level. Mount Rainier an active volcano, is an iconic Washington landscape...
Categories: Mount Rainier
Mount St. Helens is the site of Washington's famous volcano that erupted in 1980. The most popular attraction is the helicopter tour, which flies straight up to the crater. Other activities in the area include hiking, biking, skiing, and fishing...
Categories: Mount St. Helens
Categories: Neah Bay
This large, 504,781-acre/204,278-hectare park in the northern part of Washington state includes deep coniferous forests, alpine meadows and hundreds of glaciers. Mule deer, mountain goats and black bears freely roam the area. This rugged and varied w...
Categories: North Cascades National Park
The state capital of Olympia is a small city just a short drive from the Seattle-Tacoma area. The main attraction is the Capitol Campus—take a guided walk through this beautifully landscaped area and sit in the Capitol gallery to observe government i...
Categories: Olympia WA
Across the Olympic Peninsula in northwestern Washington lies glacier capped mountains, lush greet forests, hot springs and the long Pacific coastline. Approximately 1,440 square miles of diverse ecosystems, this subalpine forest is a nature lover'...
Categories: Olympic National Park
Categories: Palouse Falls State Park
River Cruising
Categories: Palouse River
Categories: Point Roberts
Located on scenic HWY 101, driving to Port Angeles offers a great way to visit Victoria or tour the Olympic Peninsula. A 4.5 mile long sandbar forms a natural harbor which was discovered in 1791 by Spaniard Francisco Eliza and was originally named Pu...
Categories: Port Angeles
Categories: Port of Rainier
Victorian neighborhoods, the Puget Sound and the neighboring Olympic Mountains make Port Townswend picturesque. Galleries, restaurants and national parks are all highlights, as well as geting out on the water to kayak and whale-watch.
Categories: Port Townsend
Categories: Poulsbo
Categories: Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge
Puget Sound in Washington is a branch of the ocean, an inlet between Seattle and the rest of Washington, and it winds along Washington's key cities and attractions. Most notable is the metropolitan Seattle, full of culturally rich museums, theatres, ...
Categories: Puget Sound
Just east of Tacoma, Washington, is Puyallup, home of the 17-day Washington State Fair every September. Puyallup also boasts many Victorian homes and the Ezra Meeker Mansion, built by one of the pioneer settlers of the area. Fields of flowers surroun...
Categories: Puyallup
As the center of viticulture in the Yakima Valley, Red Mountain's vast landscape is painted by over 600 acres of vineyards, including Ciel de Cheval, Klipsun, Hedges Vineyard, Kiona Artz and more. Wineries like Soos Creek, L'Ecole, Seven Hills Winery...
Categories: Red Mountain
Categories: Richland
Historic Roslyn served as the backdrop for scenes in the TV series Northern Exposure, though the fictional town was in Alaska, not Washington. The town, located 75 mi/125 km southeast of Seattle, offers an excellent historical museum that houses a co...
Categories: Roslyn
A collection of beautiful, scenic islands off the Washington coast. Explore quaint Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, or venture to Orcas island and explore!
Categories: San Juan Islands
Seattle is situated on Puget Sound, surrounded by the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges. The city skyline is impressive with shimmering glass high-rises and 100-year-old buildings standing side by side. This beautiful port city came into its own af...
Categories: Seattle
The Snake River, a major river in the Pacific Northeast, originates in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, at 9,500 feet. It joins the Columbia River near Pasco, Washington, 1,036 miles from its source. It is the largest tributary of the Co...
Categories: Snake River
Located 280 mi/450 km east of Seattle and 18 mi/30 km from the state border with Idaho, Spokane, Washington, offers an abundance of activities for visitors, from hiking and skiing to boating and fishing to shopping and dining. The city also provides ...
Categories: Spokane
Categories: Stevenson
Categories: Stuart Island
Categories: Sucia Island
One end of the "Sea-Tac" (Seattle-Tacoma) megalopolis, industrial Tacoma, Washington, 30 mi/50 km south of Seattle, rates a visit to see the Washington State History Museum. Wander the restored downtown, especially Union Station, before going to the ...
Categories: Tacoma
Categories: Tri-Cities
Categories: Underwood
Categories: University Place
Don't confuse this Washington city in the far-southwest corner of the state 165 mi/265 km south of Seattle with the much larger Vancouver, British Columbia, or with Canada's Vancouver Island, both of which are just north of the U.S.-Canadian border.W...
Categories: Vancouver WA
Westward expansion and the gold rush shaped the Washington Territory, and modern Walla Walla's sites offer a perfect sampling of the renown regional wines, art and history of the Pacific Northwest. Visit an old pioneer's settlement at Fort Walla Wall...
Categories: Walla Walla
Categories: Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center Prosser
Categories: Washington Wine Country
Washington, D.C. is the epicenter of American government and politics and serves as the capital of the United States. Home to historic monuments, national museums, memorials and government institutions, Washington is a fascinating destination to disc...
Categories: US Cities
Categories: Washougal
The agricultural town of Wenatchee, Washington, east of the Cascade Mountains, ships out more apples than any other place in the U.S. The visitors center explains more about the orchards and local character. Every spring the town, which is located 15...
Categories: Wenatchee
With its secluded beaches, charming small towns and relaxing atmosphere, this large island (45 mi/72 km in length) at the northern end of Puget Sound is a popular weekend getaway for Seattle residents. You can also see it on a day trip.The easiest wa...
Categories: Whidbey Island
Stroll down the wooden sidewalks and experience the frontier town of Winthrop. Lodgings around the town range from rustic to resort. Activities vary with the season, but there is always something to do and someplace to explore.
Categories: Winthrop
Categories: Woodinville
Located in south-central Washington, Yakima lies near the fertile wine country of the Yakima Valley. The town's Yakima Valley Museum has a nice collection of Native American artifacts (beadwork and horse regalia) and 19th-century horse-drawn vehicles...
Categories: Yakima
Desert, snowcapped mountains, lush farmland, an immense river gorge, rugged ocean shoreline, towering temperate rain forest: You could spend several weeks taking in all that scenery on a tour of the western U.S., or you could experience it all on a single drive in Washington. If you didn't mind looking at the wonders through your windshield, you could see it in one day.
However, such haste is not recommended. This is a land that commands you to stop at each park and scenic lookout. And even if you could force yourself to drive past the vistas you'd pass, you'd still be missing the state's other joys: lively and literate Seattle, the quiet beauty of the San Juan Islands and the remote majesty of North Cascades National Park, to name just a few. We recommend you stay awhile.
Geography
The Cascade Range runs north to south and includes the state's highest peaks: Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier and Mount Baker. The Cascades divide the state roughly in two. Areas to the west of the mountains, which include Puget Sound, Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula, are well watered and green—the verdant landscape most people associate with the state. East of the mountains, the state is much drier, made up of farmland, rolling hills and areas with desertlike conditions. History
The first people to appreciate Washington's landscapes arrived around 13,000 years ago. Later, the Northwest coastal groups (Lummi, Skagit, Twana, Snugualmi, Makah, Klallam, Chinook) who originally occupied western Washington developed an elaborate nonagricultural society similar in style to that of the coastal peoples of British Columbia and southern Alaska. They lived in permanent settlements of timber log houses and relied almost entirely on the region's abundant marine life for food. Like their neighbors to the north, the Native Americans of Washington excelled at woodworking—carving house facades, masks, totems, crests, boats, utensils and other objects.
The British and the Spanish were the first Europeans to explore what is today the state of Washington. Ideally situated for overseas trading and abundant in saleable natural resources, the area was highly coveted by numerous economic leaders. During the mid-1700s, England, Spain and Russia all laid claim to the area. Later, in a tense and barely workable compromise, Britain and the U.S. shared control of the Oregon Territory, as the area was called, for a number of years. The issue was more or less settled with the Treaty of 1846, which set the U.S.-Canadian border at the 49th parallel (U.S. expansionists had rallied under the slogan "54-40 or Fight," which would have set the border well above modern-day British Columbia's most populated areas).
By 1853, the Oregon Territory was subdivided, and the Washington Territory came into existence. Thirty years later, the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad increased the already steady influx of new settlers, enough for U.S. President Benjamin Harrison to welcome Washington as a state in November 1889.
In the past two centuries, Washington has seen its share of prosperous times, first with the timber industry boom of the mid-1800s and more recently with the establishment of huge aerospace-manufacturing and high-tech industries. Washington is home to such powerhouse corporations as Boeing, Microsoft, REI, Amazon.com and Starbucks. But even when boom has turned to bust, the state's marine and agricultural riches have helped it to maintain an even keel. In addition to industry, the state has churned out cultural movements such as the grunge bands of the early 1990s and the coffee culture of the late '90s.
Snapshot
Among Washington's main attractions are spectacular mountains, fishing, Native American culture, Seattle, outdoor activities, the San Juan Islands, the Columbia River Gorge, fresh produce, more than 240 wineries, seafood, temperate rain forests, Olympic National Park, North Cascades National Park, Mount Rainier National Park and Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
It is impossible to walk more than a block or so in the state's large cities, such as Seattle, and not find a coffeehouse.
Those travelers who seek an exciting outdoor-oriented vacation will particularly love Washington. Those who object to frequent rainfall will find the state less to their liking, though the heavy precipitation is characteristic only of the western part of the state.
Potpourri
In 1859, a war nearly erupted between the U.S. and Great Britain after a British pig was shot by a U.S. citizen on San Juan Island. The island was claimed by both nations at the time, and when the pig rooted in the wrong garden, it led to a tense standoff that lasted until the 1870s, when the U.S. took full control of the island.
At Peace Arch State Park (Blaine), a six-story arch straddles the border between the U.S. and Canada. The best time to visit is summer, when thousands of flowers are in bloom on the park grounds.
August in Omak means the annual Omak Stampede and Suicide Race, a competition that began in 1931 and is based on a traditional Native American event called the Downhill Race. In this chaotic event, Native Americans charge their horses down a precipitous hill into the Okanogan River. Serious injuries and dead horses sometimes result.
Tenino is home to Wolf Haven, a sanctuary for wolves. You can join weekend howl-ins, which involve sing-alongs, storytelling and, of course, howling with the wolves.
Near Ellensburg is the Ginkgo Petrified Forest, where you can see what's said to be the world's rarest fossil wood.
Some 300 bald eagles winter at the Skagit River Eagle Preserve in Rockport.
More rhubarb is produced in the Kent-Puyallup valley than anywhere else in the U.S.
In April, fields of tulips unfurl under snowcapped peaks in Skagit Valley, an hour north of Seattle. Dutch and Scandinavians planted the flowers when they settled this picturesque region.
Washington, Arkansas, 10 mi/16 km north of Hope, is the home of the Old Washington Historic State Park.
Washington contains several restored buildings, including the building that was the state Confederate Capitol during the Civil War, the blacksmith shop where the first bowie knife was reportedly made, and a tavern similar to one that Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie stopped in while making their fateful trip to Texas and the Alamo.
Located about 45 mi/75 km southeast of Athens, the town of Washington, Georgia, boasts more than 100 colonial, antebellum and Victorian buildings.
Notable is the restored home of Robert Toombs, a recalcitrant politician who hated the Union for political reasons and hated the Confederacy almost as much because it did not elect him its president.