Outdoors
Columbia Gorge
Spend a weekend here sampling Washington’s exceptional diversity of wine.
Tucked away in a cranny between the Columbia and Willamette valleys, the Columbia Gorge American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a little wine-tasting paradise that looks more like Germany’s Mosel wine region than it does anyplace in the Northwest. The area is still better known as a destination for windsurfers and Lewis and Clark Trail buffs,…
Leavenworth in Summertime
Getting There: From I-405 north, take exit 23 to U.S. 2 east and follow it to Stevens Pass Highway and Icicle Road. Where: Leavenworth, Washington. Why: For the Icicle Creek Theatre Festival’s New Play Festival (8/19. $12–$20. Canyon Wren Recital Hall, 7409 Icicle Road; 509.548.6347; icicle.org), at which playwrights debut new works. This time, the fest…
Tulalip’s Native American Cultural Center
An educational and outdoorsy adventure just 45 minutes outside of Seattle.
For a lovely late-summer outing with the kids, make the 45-minute drive north to the brand-new Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve, a lovingly assembled museum of local Native American cultures, history and lore in Marysville. Kids can sit in a cedar longhouse, listen to stories told by Tulalip storytellers, gawk at story poles,…
Hear Classical Music on the Peninsula
Pastoral beauty and a symphonic soundtrack await at Quilcene’s Olympic Music Festival
WHERE: Quilcene, Washington, in the Olympic Peninsula. WHY: For the 29th season of the Olympic Music Festival (6/30–9/2. Sat.–Sun., 2 p.m. $14–$33. 7360 Center Road; 360.732.4800; olympicmusicfestival.org), where the pastoral grounds invite both strolling and swaying to classical masterworks. Take a seat inside the lovely, turn-of-the-century barn—or spread a picnic blanket on the luxurious lawn…
Best Hikes with Views
Sweeping coastal and mountain views offer big payoffs on these hikes and walks.
Mount ConstitutionOrcas Island Difficulty: Moderate to difficult; 6.7 miles round-trip, 1,490-foot elevation gain. Or easy; a scant eighth-mile from parking lot to tower Location: In the San Juan Islands, about three hours from Seattle, via Interstate 5 and the ferry from Anacortes. Nearest town: Eastsound, about 20 minutes from the top. Discover Pass required; parks.wa.gov …
Best Hikes into Old Growth Forest
Grove of the PatriarchsMount Rainier Difficulty: Easy; 1.5 miles round-trip, 50-foot elevation gain Location: About a two-hour drive from Seattle, on the southeast side of Mount Rainier National Park, via Enumclaw. Nearest town: Packwood, 14 miles. $15 park entrance fee; dogs prohibited; nps.gov If you like your trees old—really old—this easy one-and-a-half-mile lollipop loop is a…
Best Hikes to see Wildflowers
Two hikes boasting riotous wildflower displays and gorgeous mountain views.
Sourdough Ridge TrailSunrise, Mount Rainier Difficulty: Easy; 2.5 miles, 400-foot elevation gain Location: Two hours from Seattle in the northeast corner of Mount Rainier National Park. Nearest town: Enumclaw, 60 minutes. $15 park entrance fee; dogs prohibited; nps.gov For subalpine meadows bursting with extravagant color, head to Sunrise, the highest spot you can drive to on…
Best Hikes for Wildlife Spotting
Hike these trails to find owls and marmots and nearly 200 species of birds—oh my!
Golden Gate TrailParadise, Mount Rainier Difficulty: Moderate; 3 miles, approx. 1,000-foot elevation gain Location: About two and a half hours southeast of Seattle at Paradise on Mount Rainier. Nearest town: Ashford, 23 miles. $15 park entry fee; dogs prohibited; nps.gov In late summer, this trail cuts through a meadow so awash with vivid wildflower color, it…
Foodies Afloat
A new kind of moveable feast comes to the San Juan Islands.
Crudités with truffle salt…sweet corn soup with shrimp and jalapeño cornbread…bacon and kale farro with scrambled eggs…white chocolate raspberry cheesecake….It’s hardly what you’d expect to be served while on a sea kayaking trip. But I wasn’t on just any kayaking trip; I was tagging along on the inaugural voyage of a “gourmet” guided kayak trip…
LeMay: America’s Car Museum Opens in Tacoma
Tacoma’s new car museum is an ode to hitting the road.
Cars may have lost some street cred among bikers, environmentalists and anyone tired of pouring her paycheck into the gas tank, but a new museum in Tacoma is here to remind us of the glory days, when we could rev up and roll down the road free of guilt. LeMay: America’s Car Museum opens this…
Join The Must List
Don't miss a thing.
Get Seattle's best events,handpicked
and delivered to your inbox weekly.