Spokane
If the view from the bridge isn't quite enough for you, hop onto a gondola for a brief, if scenic, 15-minute ride over Lower Spokane Falls.
Must-see attractions in Washington
Puget Sound Coast Artillery Museum
Olympic Peninsula
Inside one of the stately white barracks buildings at Fort Worden, this museum tells the story of early Pacific coastal fortifications and the strategic…
Queen Anne & Lake Union
Atop Queen Anne Hill at the west end of W Highland Dr, this tiny but loftily positioned park has expansive views stretching west across Puget Sound to the…
Around Seattle
Large naval museum next to the ferry terminal with rotating exhibitions of armed forces history. Check out the historic destroyer USS Turner Joy, right…
Washington Coast
Near Clay St, this building (built 1863) is the oldest one still standing in Oysterville's historic district. It served as the first Pacific County…
Belltown & Seattle Center
This elevated pier has a large viewing platform that looks out over downtown and the harbor. It's a good spot to grab a skyline-backed selfie or family…
Lopez Island Historical Museum
San Juan Islands
This tiny museum exhibits antiquated farm machinery, early pioneer photos and various rotating exhibitions. What it lacks in scale it makes up for in…
Port Townsend Marine Science Center
Olympic Peninsula
Features four touch tanks and kid-friendly interpretive programs about local marine life, conservation and the human impact on the Salish Sea ecosystem.
Northwestern Washington & the San Juan Islands
For prime picnic spots and attractive ocean-side hiking and biking trails, make your way over to Washington Park just west of the ferry terminal.
Aplets & Cotlets Candy Kitchen Tour
Central Washington
Home of the famous US candy Aplets & Cotlets. Go in for a factory tour and tastings. Two words: free samples. There's also a gift shop.
Northwestern Washington & the San Juan Islands
This museum in the historic Carnegie Library Building has a large collection of photos showcasing the area's past and maritime history.
Pend Oreille County Historical Museum
Northeastern Washington
The museum grounds are home to several historical buildings, including a train depot, a schoolhouse, log cabins and a pioneer church.
Around Seattle
The Tacoma Federal Courthouse is a grand government building that features glass pieces by beloved local artist Dale Chihuly.
Southeastern Washington
The museum gathers, organizes and displays artifacts excavated from archaeological sites along the Snake and Columbia Rivers.
Olympic Peninsula
Hands-on touch tanks are inhabited by the aquatic denizens of the strait. The star attractions are the giant Pacific octopi.
Washington Coast
This beautiful red house (built 1871) was the original home of Oysterville cofounder RH Espy. It's now a private residence.
Seattle
The controversial 20th century Soviet leader has new life as one of Fremont's many beloved public art pieces.
Confluence Gallery & Art Center
North Cascades
This community art gallery mounts some great exhibitions, from painting and sculpture to installations.
Around Seattle
This museum, housed in a Victorian-era train depot, displays the history of rail in the area.
Central Washington
Equipment, artifacts and photos tell the story of the Yakima Valley's hop-growing history.
Shaw Island Library & Historical Museum
San Juan Islands
This little history museum about Shaw Island shares space with the library.
Kettle Falls Historical Center
Northeastern Washington
Covers the region's history from Native American times to the present.
Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum
Around Seattle
Small, but informative, museum on the history of Snoqualmie Valley.
Olympic Peninsula
A 12-bedroom mansion that's open for tours by appointment.
Seattle
One of Seattle’s oldest cemeteries and the final resting place of many early settlers, Lakeview Cemetery borders Volunteer Park to the north. Arthur Denny…
Queen Anne & Lake Union
The streetcar that chugged up and down the steep grade along Queen Anne Ave started operating on overhead-wire electricity in 1900, but it still needed…
Seattle
One of the first homes on First Hill, the baronial Stimson-Green Mansion is an English Tudor–style mansion completed in 1901 by lumber baron and real…
Downtown, Pike Place & Waterfront
Built in 1969 and originally known as 1001 Fourth Avenue Plaza, this was one of the city’s first real skyscrapers. At the time, it was a darling of the…
Seattle
The Georgetown Steam Plant, built in 1906, has one of the last working examples of the large-scale steam turbines that doubled the efficiency of…
Washington State Convention Center
Downtown, Pike Place & Waterfront
It’s hard to miss this gigantic complex decked out with ballrooms, meeting rooms, space for exhibitions and the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau. An…
Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo
A landmark that has benefited from restoration fever is Union Station, the old Union Pacific Railroad depot (1911) that sat unoccupied between 1971 and…
Washington Coast
There's really just one reason to stop at this state park: it's home to the grave of Willie Keil, a 19-year-old boy who dreamed of heading out on the…
Donnie Chin International Children’s Park
Pioneer Square, International District & SoDo
If your offspring aren’t up for exploring the Asian markets or sitting still for a dim-sum brunch, then bring them to this diminutive coming-up-for-air…
Queen Anne & Lake Union
This 14-gabled house near the top of Queen Anne Hill was built in 1905 by Harry Whitney Treat, a friend of William F ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody. Treat also…
Belltown & Seattle Center
In the basement of the Seattle Center Armory near the monorail stop, the Children’s Museum is old-school entertainment and a good bet if you want to tear…
