Washington

Sure it can be rainy, but Washington State boasts beautiful and varied scenery, from rugged Pacific beaches like Copalis and Grenville Bay to the snowy, craggy peaks of the Cascade Mountains. Don’t driving the rugged coastline on the Olympic Peninsula, hiking in a temperate rain forest at Hoh Rain Forest, or whale watching in the San Juan Islands, either. The state’s culinary scene includes wine made from cabernet sauvignon and albariño varietals grown in Walla Walla and plenty of seafood, especially Dungeness crab, sea urchins, mussels, and Kumamoto and Olympia oysters.

Seattle Washington
Overview

Planning your trip

Use these articles, resources, and guides to plan and inspire your next trip to Washington.

READ BEFORE YOU GO
HOTELS
With its soothing design and sustainability-driven ethos, the new 1 Hotel Seattle offers a tranquil base in the South Lake Union neighborhood.
Housed in a restored 1907 warehouse, the new, eco-conscious Populus Seattle brings world-class art, native rooftop plants, and Pacific Northwest storytelling to Pioneer Square.
In the Pacific Northwest, guests are encouraged to unplug, embrace the outdoors, and commune over s’mores.
Both properties stand out for their design-forward approach to sustainability, making them an appealing choice for travelers who appreciate lower-impact luxury.
Architecture, history, and fitness star in these exclusive club hotels that let nonmembers check in.
The wild beauty of Washington state and Canada’s British Columbia is luring in a fresh crop of outdoor-focused accommodations—from tented camps to Japanese onsen-inspired forest cabins.
How I became a Snow Peak fan-girl in one short weekend.
RESOURCES TO HELP PLAN YOUR TRIP
If you only have three days in Seattle, dive into the PNW groove. Visit Pike Place Market, ride the Ferris wheel or head to the top of the Space Needle to get some perspective on the layout of the city, eat fresh-caught shellfish and drink craft beer and coffee, hear some music, read some books, see some art, and start planning your next visit.
Amazon headquarters might be in Seattle, but the city still has—and proudly supports—many independent bookstores with enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff members. From general interest to children’s bookstores and even a cookbook store, you can feed your need to read at these bibliophile havens in Capitol Hill and beyond.
Seattle overflows with brilliant chefs and inspired fare from around the world, from umami-bomb Red Sea noodle soup to rhubarb-pistachio cheesecake. With influences from Europe, Hawaii, and further east, Seattle’s kitchens focus on the just-caught bounty of the Pacific, produce from nearby farms, and cuisines brought from far and wide by its diverse population.
Seattle offers specialty and independent stores to suit every interest. Belltown has high-end salons and galleries, Ballard has stylish vintage apparel, Fremont has everything hippie-ish and New Agey, and West Seattle has local art with flair. And every neighborhood boasts its local bookstore, usually with resident cats.
One writer on Samish Island, the family retreat that taught her the art of paying attention.
There’s no bad time of year to visit a national park, but these spots are truly at their best in the springtime.
Bigger isn’t always better when it’s time to get away. Case in point: These smaller, off-the-radar enclaves across the United States are well worth the wander come wintertime.
Visitors have a chance to enter The Boathouse for the first Refract glass arts festival.
The heart of America’s studio glass community—and home to Dale Chihuly, a pioneer of the studio glass movement—finally has a festival to celebrate it.
With its dark-as-steel Puget Sound and snowcapped mountains, Washington may not look much like wine country at first. But stay in one of the state’s quintessential wine towns and you’ll quickly discover that some of the country’s best syrahs, merlots, and chardonnays are being produced here.