When autumn rains begin, duck indoors to see the latest exhibits at a favorite museum or check out one that you’ve never visited. This area offers a wealth of museums, large and small, prominent and lesser known. Exhibits range from serious art, local history and cultural heritage to downright quirky, such as: The Rubber Chicken…
We all admire Mount Rainier when “the mountain is out.” However, visiting its surrounding national park often only happens when we have out-of-town visitors. Don’t wait, do your own local getaway to this spectacular preserve, whether a day trip or overnight stay. The Nisqually Entrance offers the most options for dramatic scenery, wildflowers and waterfalls,…
The Woodland Park Zoo has always provided a wonderful excursion for families — kids and grandkids love seeing and learning about animals from around the world. Now reopened, the zoo provides a safe outdoor experience to enjoy during summer weather. The biggest news is the zoo’s new Malayan baby tapir, born June 10 to first-time…
Looking to get outdoors beyond neighborhood walks, now that Snohomish County is in Phase 2 and summer is starting? Parks have opened, although parking may be limited at some. Here are six parks that offer walking/hiking escapes close-by or a short drive away. All allow dogs on leash. Yost Park is in the heart of…
The Seattle Asian Art Museum in Capitol Hill’s Volunteer Park reopened to the public on Feb. 8 after three years and $56 million invested in major renovation and expansion work. Closed since February 2017, the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM) now showcases select Asian artifacts from its extensive collection in the 1933 Art Deco building. This was originally…
Every February, snow geese blanket the skies and fields near Stanwood before their annual migration north. Beginning in March, massive gray whales migrate up the West Coast and through Puget Sound toward Alaskan waters. Both offer extraordinary wildlife watching opportunities – during a season when not much other wildlife puts on such a show. So…
Where can you peer up at an ancient mastodon skeleton? Watch paleontologists examine a 60-million-year-old, T-Rex dinosaur skull? Admire a vintage, Coast Salish whaler’s hat and enjoy frybread at a Native American-themed café? The new Burke Museum opened Oct. 16 to offer such experiences — designed to engage as well as educate visitors. It is…
Heronswood Garden, Suquamish Museum and Scandinavian-flavored Poulsbo make a fun springtime exploration via the Edmonds-Kingston ferry. The first two attractions are Native American-owned, so you’ll also experience cultural connections. Poulsbo adds another historical perspective and browsing discoveries that range from local art co-ops and antiques/collectibles to microbrew pubs and truly outrageous ice cream. Heronswood was originally…
Autumn always invites me to Seattle’s Arboretum, a hidden gem near Lake Washington just south of the Montlake Bridge. This 230-acre park offers wonderful walks through botanical collections any time of year, but it is especially gorgeous with fall’s turning leaves. Within the Arboretum is the traditional Japanese Garden with many varieties of Japanese maples,…
For a long time, I’d been curious about Saint Edward State Park, the largest undeveloped area on Lake Washington. Visiting it recently, I discovered a wonderful day-use park with sprawling lawns, picnic areas and forested trails that loop and lead to a small shore with a view across the lake. A surprise was the park’s…
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Few trails combine a forest hike with a saltwater beach – plus a panoramic view of the Olympic Mountains. Two that do are Meadowdale Beach Park and Carkeek Park. Each encompasses a long, wooded ravine leading to Puget Sound, where you can then walk the shoreline, beachcomb and picnic if you choose. Both are free…
This summer take your kids or grandkids to Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, where both the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and Fort Nisqually Living History Museum have special exhibits and experiences designed to spark children’s imagination. Kids can do an Eye-to-Eye Shark Dive, ride a camel, explore the new Budgie Buddies exhibit, meet the…
As a volunteer at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, I eagerly awaited the day it would move from the former 1908 Webster school building into its new-construction museum facility. This coming weekend, the new Nordic Museum (dropping “Heritage” from its name) makes that move with its grand opening at noon on Saturday,…
A perfect way to get into spring-mode is visiting nurseries, bursting with blooming flowers, vegetable starts and eager young shrubs. Two of my favorites are Molbak’s in Woodinville and Flower World near Maltby. Together they make a wonderful excursion, whether you’re buying for your garden or simply want to enjoy a mega-dose of spring color….
My favorite wilderness escape is often right in the city. Seattle’s Discovery Park offers a great Loop Trail through lush forests and grassy meadows, bluff-top views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains, and a saltwater beach below boasting a vintage lighthouse. You can hike the 2.8-mile Loop Trail, enjoy bird-watching and/or picnic on the…
Looking for a different sort of excursion with unusual holiday gift potential? One that may also intrigue family and friends visiting during the holidays? Rather than do the usual Woodinville wine-tasting, discover out-of-the-ordinary tasting experiences at two nearby distilleries, a meadery and a downtown winery. The distilleries each feature award-winning, hand-crafted spirits. Snohomish County’s only…
Do a day trip to Tacoma, and you may focus on a major event at the Tacoma Dome or its immediate neighbor, the amazing LeMay: America’s Car Museum. Or you may visit the well-publicized Museum of Glass and/or Tacoma Art Museum, two of the three major museums in Tacoma’s downtown Museum District. But be sure…
The Puget Sound region now has several cultural centers that celebrate and preserve the heritage of the original Coast Salish inhabitants. These Native Americans shared the Lushootseed language, which has been recollected and given written form in recent years. Lushootseed – with its strange accent marks – is amazing. For example, dxʷsəqʷəb means “place of…
Think of Everett, and likely the big Boeing assembly plant and U.S. Naval Station spring to mind. Just a few decades ago, Everett evoked images of a lumber mill town and rough-and-tumble port. So you may be surprised how the former “City of Smokestacks” has developed quite an art scene in the past few years….
Seeking a convenient day hike this summer? Why drive to the Cascade foothills when you can take a surprising variety of close-by trails – and avoid most traffic hassles and major highway repairs. Choose from beach walks and birding trails to tranquil forest loops among these four trails in Everett, Snohomish, Mukilteo and Edmonds/Lynnwood. Jetty…
Curious about Snohomish County’s history and heritage? A number of heritage sites expand their open hours and/or add special activities during summer months. So warmer weather is an ideal time to include them while on Snohomish excursions ranging from shopping to hiking. Going to Alderwood Mall? Stop off at Lynnwood’s Lynnwood-Alderwood Manor Heritage Association &…
Enjoy hiking and want a waterfall view as your reward? Snohomish County has more than 20 spectacular waterfalls that can be viewed on hikes in its Cascade foothills. And spring is the best time to see these waterfalls, rushing and roaring with rain and snow melt run-off. Two of the most popular waterfalls are both…
On Saturday, April 1, the historic Mukilteo Lighthouse opens for its 25th season of weekend tours. Operated by the Mukilteo Historical Society, the Mukilteo Light Station – as it is officially called – welcomes visitors on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from noon to 5 p.m. through Sept. 24. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated….
Microbreweries seem to be popping up everywhere these days, and several intriguing ones have established themselves from Edmonds to Everett in just the past few years. Curious to try unusual beer flavored with peanut butter, coconut or juniper berry? Beers ranging from Bavarian-style Märzen to dark, hoppy Porter? Those made with organic or locally sourced…
Every winter, Snohomish County has two annual events that draw birding enthusiasts – and one very quirky GroundFrog Day. Since groundhogs aren’t native to Washington State – but we have lots of frogs thanks to all our rain – why not a groundfrog adaption? So the City of Snohomish Chamber of Commerce ingeniously invented GroundFrog…
