Olympic NP & Seattle Advice

[cygrads]

After 19210 started a thread for advice on his vacation I would like to do the same for our trip to Olympic NP and Seattle. Any advice and "don't miss" ideas are appreciated. We will be out there for a week.

Thanks in advance Fanatics!

 

[cmjh10]

Fish market and Space Needle. Still remember going to those places when I was in high school.

 

[00clone]

Based on the other thread about the olympic peninsula....if you feel the earth shaking, GTFO.

 

[CloneAlta]

After 19210 started a thread for advice on his vacation I would like to do the same for our trip to Olympic NP and Seattle. Any advice and "don't miss" ideas are appreciated. We will be out there for a week.

Thanks in advance Fanatics!

Our son & family have lived in the Seattle area for over 20 years so we're now pretty well acquainted with what is here. Other than what has already been mentioned, here are some suggestions for your consideration:
1. Chihuily blown glass museum downtown (http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/)
2. Seattle Acquarium along the downtown waterfront (www.seattleaquarium.org/‎)
3. Ray's Boathouse restaurant in Ballard, about 5 miles NW of downtown (http://www.rays.com/)
4. And while you're in Ballard, stopping by to see the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/), where boats go from Lake Washington and Lake Union into the Puget Sound is pretty cool to see.
5. Seattle Museum of Flight (http://www.museumofflight.org/‎) just south of downtown
6. Water tour of Lake Washington (I think you can see Kenny G's and Bill Gates' houses on such a tour)
7. Lake Union & Chandler's Crabhouse on the north edge of downtown (http://www.schwartzbros.com/chandlers-crabhouse/) where you can watch the float planes land and take off.
8. Mt. Ranier National Park (http://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm)
9. Mt. St. Helen's (http://www.fs.usda.gov/mountsthelens) it is amazing to see how much got blown away
10. Poulsbo, WA---a really neat Scandanavian community about 1 hour NW of Seattle {http://www.mapquest.com/#c7cb785bd0112e6a26caf391} (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g58688-Poulsbo_Washington-Vacations.html)

You probably won't get it all in, but this should give you lots of good choices which will help you absorb the culture in Seattle!!

 

[Wesley]

Ferry to an island. Science fiction museum.

 

[TXCyclones]

I hear Seattle's known for the Grunge scene. If you can catch Nirvana, you win.

 

[Clonehomer]

If you have kids I'd recommend the Olympic Game Farm. They can feed Elk, Bison and such directly from your car.

Also, plan time for kids to play on the park near the space needle. It's pretty awesome compared to what we have here for climbing stuff.

 

[besserheimerphat]

Our son & family have lived in the Seattle area for over 20 years so we're now pretty well acquainted with what is here. Other than what has already been mentioned, here are some suggestions for your consideration:
1. Chihuily blown glass museum downtown (http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/)
2. Seattle Acquarium along the downtown waterfront (www.seattleaquarium.org/‎)
3. Ray's Boathouse restaurant in Ballard, about 5 miles NW of downtown (http://www.rays.com/)
4. And while you're in Ballard, stopping by to see the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/), where boats go from Lake Washington and Lake Union into the Puget Sound is pretty cool to see.
5. Seattle Museum of Flight (http://www.museumofflight.org/‎) just south of downtown
6. Water tour of Lake Washington (I think you can see Kenny G's and Bill Gates' houses on such a tour)
7. Lake Union & Chandler's Crabhouse on the north edge of downtown (http://www.schwartzbros.com/chandlers-crabhouse/) where you can watch the float planes land and take off.
8. Mt. Ranier National Park (http://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm)
9. Mt. St. Helen's (http://www.fs.usda.gov/mountsthelens) it is amazing to see how much got blown away
10. Poulsbo, WA---a really neat Scandanavian community about 1 hour NW of Seattle {http://www.mapquest.com/#c7cb785bd0112e6a26caf391} (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g58688-Poulsbo_Washington-Vacations.html)

You probably won't get it all in, but this should give you lots of good choices which will help you absorb the culture in Seattle!!

These are all great suggestions. I wasn't aware of the Scandanavian village in Poulsbo, but there is a similar German/Alpine village in Leavenworth, WA. It's up in the mountains, maybe an hour east of Seattle on Hwy 2. They're more known for their Christmas activities, but I believe they run all year round.

 

[cygrads]

Thanks for the suggestions. We are thinking of getting the Seattle city pass that gets you into the needle, aquarium, harbor tour, EMP Museum and Garden & Glass.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Thanks for the suggestions. We are thinking of getting the Seattle city pass that gets you into the needle, aquarium, harbor tour, EMP Museum and Garden & Glass.

Seattle pass: Do it!

Ferry rides are fun also (I believe Poulsbo is accessed by ferry, but I may be wrong). On the peninsula, my favorite spot as a kid was Cape Alava. It's the northern-most tip of the Peninsula. There's an easy hike (maybe a mile or two) from the parking zone to the shore. If you go there try to hit the shore at low tide. There are tidepools full of sea life that most kids will love...heck, I'm a sixty year old granny and I still can't pass up a tidepool!

At one time there was an archeological site down the beach from Alava with artifacts from the early native population (I don't remember which tribe).

Around the point to the East, the town of Neah Bay used to have open-fire salmon bakes with the salmon filets spread on cedar stakes over the fire. It's pure Heaven on a stick...