WASHINGTON STATE · USA
- chrissihuf
- Dec 5, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 3
Brief History/Information
November 11, 1889, Washington became the 42nd state to join the United States. In the 1840s,
Settlers began moving into the region via the Oregon Trail. The early state economy was mainly logging, fishing, agriculture, railroads and shipping. Now Washington is an industrial Mecca. Boeing was founded in Seattle in 1916, and shipbuilding and military bases grew during WWII. Washington is home to some major global companies Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, Starbucks, Costco, Nintendo of America. Of course, we can’t forget the music scene of Grunge (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden) And Indie and alternative.
Capital: Olympia
Largest City: Seattle
Population: ~7.8 million (approx., varies slightly)
Nicknames: The Evergreen State
What we did
We drove our car to the ferry, so we could drive around Bainbridge Island.
Bainbridge Vineyards- Beautiful winery with outdoor seating, which is perfect on a beautiful day.
Citizen Collective- Good restaurant right on the water.
Pegasus Coffee- Cute and good coffee stand, with some WWII history.
Rolling Bay Winery- Don’t know why it’s named this… there’s no bay. Different staff members didn’t know what was going on and had us all over the place before we could get some wine. The wine was good.
What we did
59er Diner- What an adorable diner! All set up in the 1950s style (except for the prices) near Leavenworth. Known for their milkshakes.
Baren Haus- A German Biergarten!
The Brick Saloon: Located in Roslyn, is the oldest bar in Washington State and was established in 1889. It may be known for its historical significance, old-fashioned bar, and pub food, but it’s also known for being in the hit tv show Northern Exposure.
Forest Service Road 111/Eightmile Campground- A great place for hiking, picnicking, rock climbing, etc.
Icicle Brewing Company- Nice craft brewery with outdoor and indoor seating.
Icicle Creek- Icicle Creek is a stream that flows from the Cascade Range to the Wenatchee River near Leavenworth. Icicle Creek Nature Trail offers an accessible walk near the Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery.
Icicle Ridge Winery- Beautiful, peaceful, and tranquil winery.
Munchen Haus- A German Biergarten!
Peshastin Pinnacles State Park- Great place to hike.
Silvana Cellars- A winery that is just beautiful and wonderful.
Waterfront Park- Great park to take a morning stroll.
What we did
There are so many things to do in Seattle and so many little towns to visit. Let’s break it down by region.
Ballard Locks- Here you can see the channel locks working and go the the Salmon Ladder. They have a beautiful park area also.
Discovery Park- What a great park and hiking here! Beautiful forest that leads to a beach that’s even more spectacular!
Kangaroo & Kiwi- An Australian bar for over 20 years with great prices. Food smelled and looked fabulous, but we weren’t hungry. They have a dice rolling game with a pot of money to win (like Yahtzee) -we won!
The Lockspot Cafe-This place is right by the Ballard Locks and is over 100 years old. Drinks were good. Food looked really good, but we weren’t hungry.
Skål Beer Hall- It’s a fun Nordic/Viking themed bar. All of the food looked fantastic… we had some appetizers and they were amazing.
Slim Goody Sports Bar- Nothing special about this place.
CAPITOL HILL (CAP HILL)
Lark- Great place for a nice and romantic meal, but very overpriced.
Linda’s Tavern- It's a fabulous neighborhood bar serving the cheapest drinks in town since 1994. This is the last place Kurt Cobain was seen alive.
Flying Lion- Great local craft brewery, tucked away and near free parking!
Hill City Tap House & Bottle Shop- came here to have a beer and save the sea turtles for their annual fundraiser! What a great little bar.
The Royal Room- A music venue. Serves food and drinks. Heard some great jazz. Usually free entrance on Mondays.
Bar House- Cheap drinks, awesome themed rooms and very chill vibe.
Cafe Turko- very good Mediterranean restaurant.
Eltana Bagels- Not only is it absolutely delicious, the choice of bagels and spreads are incredible.
Fremont Brewing- Visited with our daughter Megan and her boyfriend Carl- nice selection and cool outdoor area.
Freemont Troll- an actual troll under a bridge, pictures don’t tell you how big and impressive he is.
Kin Len Thai Night Bites- Oh My! This place is fantastic.
Mr. B's Meadery- Cool concept and area, the mead was not that good.
Theo’s Chocolate- We are chocolate lovers! We went in and weren’t impressed with the service or selection so we left. Super over rated, snobby - buyer beware.
9lb Hammer- talk about a great local hangout!
Bloom Bistro & Grocery- great neighborhood bakery with fresh bagels and spreads. Get there early as they tend to sell out.
Brass Star Works Lounge- a nice bar, it serves food. Good drinks and snacks and service.
Flora Bakehouse- another great neighborhood bakery with fresh breads, bagels and spreads.
Georgetown Brewry- what a great craft brewry. Not that big, but has lots of beer varieties!
Georgetown Trailer Park Mall- a very small outdoor mall that is entirely trailers; there’s even a wedding chapel tucked away in the back.
The Gessner Mansion- walking the cute neighborhood streets of Georgetown, you can definitely walk right by this (haunted?) place. It’s currently occupied, but you can look at it and imagine what happened after reading the history.
Hat & Boots Park/Oxbow Park- nice green space park right across the street from the Gessner Mansion. Take a picture with the huge cowboy hat and boots.
Jules Maes Saloon: This is in the Georgetown area and Seattle, Washington’s oldest restaurant/saloon, established in 1888. I wonder why this isn’t listed as Washington States oldest bar?? This is a must go to… even if you’re not staying in Georgetown, make the trip. Always great service, food and drinks (and haunted?).
Museum of Flight: Is it worth the $30 entrance? YES IT IS! We weren’t sure, but were willing to take the risk (since it was raining) and Oh Boy… totally worth it. Take your time here, it takes at least 3 hours to go through everything this place has to show. The set up is amazing and I don’t know anyone who will go through this and not think it worth-while.
Slightly Furry- This place is cool! Please know that they are an openly queer and furry owned cidery and the taproom is built to be a friendly and inclusive space for EVERYONE.
Slims Last Chance- this place is known for their chili. They don’t have anything vegetarian, but the chili is fantastic. Actually, the whole menu looked great! On the expensive side- $21 hot dog seems excessive, but they have live music nightly.
Smarty Pants- great neighborhood place to get good food and drinks.
PIKE PLACE & DOWNTOWN - Free parking on Sundays and Holidays
So, I asked the bartender what the deal was with three places claiming to be the oldest in Seattle, and I got a good answer! Jules Maes Saloon in Georgetown is the oldest restaurant/saloon in the ‘Seattle’ area. Merchants Cafe in Pioneer Square is the oldest ‘restaurant’ in Seattle ‘proper’ (downtown). Central Saloon is the oldest saloon/bar in Seattle ‘proper’ (downtown).
Central Saloon Pioneer Square- Their sign says that they are the oldest saloon in Seattle, Washington, but was established in 1892. This is where the band Nirvana played their first show in 1988. Central Saloon is the oldest saloon/bar in Seattle ‘proper’ (downtown). Still plays punk in the evening and was cool enough to let us bring in a mannequin. Ask for Amanda, very nice and pours a strong drink!
Golden Age Collectables- The world’s oldest comic book shop!
Kells Irish Bar- Great Irish bar… said to be haunted (only at night time??) my husband has been coming to this place since 1998.
Merchants Café Pioneer Square- Their sign says that they are the oldest saloon/restaurant in Seattle, Washington, but were established in 1890. You do the math! Merchants Cafe in Pioneer Square is the oldest ‘restaurant’ in Seattle ‘proper’ (downtown).
Metropolitan Grill- This is the place to go for a romantic or celebratory meal. The steaks are amazing, but the wait staff is even more amazing!
Museum of Pop Culture- If you like art and movies and music from any time in history… this is your place to see it all!
Old Stove Brewing- Great restaurant/bar in Pike Place Market. Right on the water. Great vibes.
Pike Place Market- The usual tourist attraction… where they throw the fish. We waited a long time for the fish to fly and were sadly disappointed that they didn’t throw it when we were there.
Starbucks Reserve Roastery- If you really must go, you’ll be waiting in line! We didn’t have the patience for that.
Underground Tour Pioneer Square- We went on this underground tour on a few recommendations and it was fabulous! They have tours every hour on the hour, senior discounts (and other discounts as well), and if you go on a Sunday, it’s free parking!
Virginia Inn- came here just for a drink on the recommendation of a local bartender.
Suzzallo and Allen Libraries- This is a really cool library to step into. Because of its gothic architecture, it is often called the "Harry Potter Library" due to its resemblance to Hogwarts.
Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery- Came to this highly recommended winery. It was nice, but crowded and to me, slightly overpriced.
Hollywood Tavern- This wonderful restaurant/bar was built in 1947. Great food, service, and drinks.
HIKES
Alki Beach- What a cute town! We went on a sunny but cold day. It's a great spot for a long walk any time of year. There is a flat and wide path that accommodates a lot of people, and there's plenty of parking along the street.
Discovery Park- Oh My Goodness! Discovery Park is amazing! First start in the path we saw a Pileated Woodpecker (Woody the Woodpecker)…he was going to town on a cut down log. We then saw a Barn Owl. Then a seal sunning on a rock. Then a bunny rabbit, and probably many more.
Green Lake Park- a three mile paved and flat route around the beautiful lake, popular for water activities and a public golf course. There’s some history to this place too.
Miller Creek Trail- What a great and practically unknown/unused 1.8 mile trail!
Mount Rainier- This is an active volcano, is the most prominent peak and is covered by 26 named glaciers including The Paradise area on the south slope is among the snowiest places on Earth. We came in May after Memorial Day and there was a lot of snow still, but we still did the Skyview Trail. This mountain is absolutely breathtaking. We also did a stop to Narada Falls… what an impressive waterfall this is! If you take the trail down to the falls, take your pictures and then continue on the beautiful trail for more amazing views.
Peshastin Pinnacles State Park- Great place to hike.
Rattlesnake Ledge: This is a 4 mile roundtrip hike with an elevation gain of 1,160 feet. It’s a well-known trail with great views.
Seahurst Park: What a beautiful park located on Puget Sound! The trails are perfectly maintained and the beach and views are absolutely amazing.
Seward Park perimeter loop- This is a 2.4-mile paved path that circles the park's edge, offering scenic views of Lake Washington. It is a flat and easy loop, popular for walking, running, and road biking.
Snoqualmie Falls Trail- a 1.4 mile and well maintained hike to an amazing waterfall that also produces energy.
Twin Falls, Length-2.4 miles. A beautiful waterfall hike with impressive falls.
What we did
We drove here on our way back from Olympic National Park. What an adorable little town.
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