The Saturday Verdict: Handle the icons fast, then go find the neighborhoods. Most lists of things to do in Seattle hand you the same six attractions and call it a city. Pike Place, the Space Needle, a harbor cruise, done. That is the airport flyer version of Seattle, and it is the least interesting day…
If you are looking for the best coffee in downtown Everett, the good news is that you have some hard choices to make, because there is more of it than this old mill town usually gets credit for. Quick note for the regulars first: yes, the show is back. After six months off, I relaunched…
Every July, a quiet farming valley on the north edge of the Olympic Peninsula turns purple, and the whole town leans into it. Sequim calls itself the Lavender Capital of North America, and for one weekend in the middle of summer it more than earns the title. The Sequim Lavender Festival is the celebration at…
Washington joined the Union as the 42nd state, so here are 42 fun facts to match: the only state named after a president, a Bigfoot refuge, a full size Stonehenge, and more.
The Saturday Verdict: Worth it. But plan to stay overnight. Visiting Hoh Rainforest means stepping into the wettest place in the contiguous United States. 140 inches of rain per year. Sitka spruce trees over 300 feet tall wrapped in so much old man’s beard lichen they look like something from a film set. Roosevelt elk…
Washington State puts on a serious Fourth of July. From a 45-minute fireworks show over a coastal marina to drone displays lighting up city parks, from laser beams projected across the face of one of the largest dams in the world to families lining miles of Pacific beach with sparklers, the state offers more ways…
You do not need a boat to see a whale in Washington. You need a parking spot, a pair of binoculars, and enough patience to stand at a headland and watch the water. Whale watching Washington state offers some of the best shore based viewing in the world. Orcas, gray whales, humpbacks, and minkes all…
Saturday Verdict: Worth a full day. Worth two days if you time it for late April or early May. Birding North Cascades Highway (SR 20) is something most of the spring crowd misses entirely. The road opens every season to motorcyclists, photographers, and people who have been watching the WSDOT pass cam since March. What…
You have driven past the Cle Elum exit on I-90 more times than you can count. Most people have. It is 80 miles east of Seattle, just past Snoqualmie Pass, and it looks from the highway like a gas station and a Dairy Queen. It is not. Here is what is actually worth your time…
Washington’s state bird is the Willow Goldfinch, a flash of brilliant yellow that turns up in backyard feeders, weedy fields, and wetland edges across the state. Learn how to identify it, when breeding colors peak, and the best places to spot one near you.
Spring in Seattle means one thing for a few glorious weeks each year: cherry blossoms. The city comes alive with pink and white blooms at parks, gardens, and campuses across every neighborhood. Most people know about the famous trees at the University of Washington, and for good reason, but Seattle has more cherry blossom viewing…
The UW cherry blossoms are blooming now in 2026. As of mid-March, the Yoshino cherry trees at the University of Washington Quad are in early bloom, with peak bloom expected in the last week of March through early April. The 29 trees that line the central lawn create one of the most photographed scenes in…
