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Necessities: One thing you definitely should not leave behind is a light rain coat. I love mine and it comes in handy on those drizzly Seattle days!
Seattle
My sister moved to Seattle about a month before I moved to New York. Over the years I have been able to visit a number of times and there is always something new and active to do. When I travel to new places, I often do a tour to get the lay of the land. In Seattle, I did the duck tour. There is so much water around Seattle, so the tour made sense. We obviously also went up into the Space Needle and we went to Pike Place Market and watched the fish mongers throw fish around. But what I found most fascinating was watching the salmon run. There are boating activities, tide pooling, whale watching, hiking, camping…the list is long in the summer. But winter is great too since there is snowshoeing and skiing nearby.
Seattle Suburbs
Seattle and the surrounding areas have beautiful places to see such as volcanoes and glaciers plus the abundant evergreen forests, which is why it is The Evergreen State. You can take a day to hike easily near Snoqualmie Falls. You can ski near here as well.
Tidepooling
Olympic Peninsula
Another place I discovered on a more recent trip is the Olympic Peninsula and the Olympic Game Farm. The Peninsula is gorgeous, but the farm was so much fun…and absolutely disgusting. The animals were former actors or animals in need and are well taken care of. I cannot recommend this place enough. My kids and I loved it. Just make sure you have wipes for your hands AND your car when you are done.
Woodinville
For the vinophiles out there, the Washington Wine Country is in Woodinville. My favorite (partly because the price is best for the quality) is Chateau Saint Michelle. But there are plenty more to try!
I hope to go back to see Orcas soon, another big must see in the Pacific Northwest!!
