Outdoors
Read More ›
Holiday Gift Guide: The Gift of Adventure
Take a flight, rent a van, learn a survival skill
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2020 issue of Seattle magazine.
Instead of a material present think about giving an experience.
Surveys show more than 60% of consumers want some sort of experiential gift. There’s no shortage of that in the Seattle area, but here are three of our favorites for the adventurer in your family.
Kenmore Air
Take to the sky on a volcano tour from Boeing Field. This incredible 90-minute scenic flight tour transports passengers past Mount Rainier toward Mount St. Helens. This rare tour allows close viewing of Rainier’s 25 glaciers, which happen to be the largest collection of permanent ice on a single U.S. mountain south of Alaska. Standing tall at 14,410 feet, there’s no better spot to view the towering peak of the episodi-cally active volcano than from a Cessna Caravan. Tours start at $299 per person.
Cascade Adventure Vans
Combine the experience of camping with the thrill of a road trip and you have an “adventure van.” Each camper van comes equipped with all the necessities to start a trip in style. No need to spend time and money procuring expensive and sometimes hard-to-track-down camping gear. Equipped with beds (either one or two), a portable stove, a built-in refrigerator and a heater, it is easy to understand what all the hype about #vanlife is. Rates start at $230 per night, plus sales and rental car tax.
REI
At first glance, it might not seem like the best time to try a new skill. However, being outside in the fresh air doing something as relaxing as gliding a paddle through the water, as empowering as brushing up on survival skills or as invigorating as trying a hand at mountain biking was never easier to book. REI is offering a selection of outdoor classes and socially distanced adventures, which would be perfect for the adventurer in your life. After successfully navigating working from home, tackling virtual learning and avoiding having to step foot on an airplane, we could all use a little more adventure in our lives. Classes start at $69 for members, or $89 for nonmembers.
Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center
Take a personalized field trip though Carnation-based Oxbow’s Family Farm Adventures. Kids can explore Oxbow’s outdoor space, make connections with nature and learn things like plant structure. Families can explore plant and animal needs, witness the cycling of nutrients and learn how farmer influence the genetic traits of food crops. Two-hour slots are available on a sliding scale of $50 to $150.
Follow Us
The Northwest’s Gateway to Wine, Culture & Adventure
Escape the crowds. Slow down. Savor fall in the Lewis Clark Valley. As autumn paints the hillsides in gold, crimson, and amber, the Lewis Clark Valley becomes a picture-perfect place to slow down and savor the season. Where Washington and Idaho meet, fall brings crisp days, colorful landscapes, harvest among the vines, and plenty of…
Meet West Seattle’s “Freelance Beaver Detective”
A group of urban beavers helped Pamela Adams through a tough time. Now she’s returning the favor.
Pamela Adams was living in Port Townsend when her marriage fell apart. Little did she know at the time that she would soon find love again while doggedly pursuing the Five Families—not the ones of Mafia lore, but a four-legged sort living along the Longfellow Creek Watershed. Prior to moving to Washington, Adams resided in…
A Wellness Pilgrimage to the Olympic Peninsula
Two hours from Seattle, a new kind of luxury is taking root—one built on stillness, old-growth forests, and the subtle art of slowing down.
There is a school of thought among the overworked and overscheduled that the most subversive thing a person can do is stop. Put down the phone, close the laptop, and go somewhere that actively resists attempts to stay plugged in. The Olympic Peninsula has always offered this, in its blunt, mossy way. For some city…
Seabrook Is a Little Coastal Utopia
This walkable beach town gives families room to roam, relax, and leave the car parked.
There’s nothing quite like finding an edible mushroom in the forest with a five-year-old. The excitement and pride my son displayed when we found chicken of the woods were contagious, and after battering and frying the mushrooms, our wonderful day got even better. The dark, wet forests in which our mushrooms grew are part of…