Whenever you hear the destination Washington, I would edge my bets that the majority of thoughts would lean to the capital of USA, Washington DC. But for our latest Dream Destination we want to investigate the other, much broader location – the state of Washington, located in the north west portion of USA.
Home to the beautiful city of Seattle and an abundance of natural beauty, Washington has a lot to offer visitors including the following which I have picked out to be imperative must-sees for anyone visiting this state. As we embark on our vision to achieve all 50 US states, this is one of the remaining states we have yet to explore and we are particularly excited about this one for the following reasons along with many more.
Seattle
![Image courtesy of Daniel Schwen [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://abritandasoutherner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Seattle.jpg)
Image courtesy of Daniel Schwen [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
I actually did a feature specifically on Seattle so you can read more about this here.
Olympic National Park
![Image courtesy of Michael Gäbler [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://abritandasoutherner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Olympic-National-Park.jpg)
Image courtesy of Michael Gäbler [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
One of the major difficulties for visitors is determining exactly which of these ecosystems they want to explore. Are you interested in subalpine and alpine forest where in winter you can hit the slopes to enhance your skiing skills? Or would you prefer to be more on the lowlands in close proximity to the cliffs of the Pacific shoreline? Whatever you preference, Olympic National Park is a place of iconic beauty that perfectly portrays the state of Washington.
Riverfront Park
![Image courtesy of Mark Wagner (User:Carnildo) (Own work) [CC-BY-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://abritandasoutherner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Spokane-Riverfront-Park.jpg)
Image courtesy of Mark Wagner (User:Carnildo) (Own work) [CC-BY-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
This 100 acre park is located in downtown Spokane along the Spokane River which also allows this park to feature a beautiful set of waterfalls that are always attractive landmarks to encourage visitors to check out the park.
Scenic Byways
![Image courtesy of Adam Jones, Ph.D. (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://abritandasoutherner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Scenic-Byway.jpg)
Image courtesy of Adam Jones, Ph.D. (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Cascade Loop for example is one of the most beautiful and spectacular drives according to the National Geographic Traveler. For more details on all of the scenic byways in Washington, check out the official Washington state website.
Mt. St. Helens
![Image courtesy of Tequask (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://abritandasoutherner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Mt-St-Helens.jpg)
Image courtesy of Tequask (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Today, there are a number of hiking trails along the foothills and sides of Mt. St. Helens along with a great visitor center that gives you the opportunity to learn in depth knowledge on both this volcano and volcanology in general.
***This post is part of the 2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge (#DreamDestinations #AtoZChallenge)***
Beth | Adventuring the Great Wide Somewhere
Saturday 29th of August 2015
Ha! Every time I tell people I grew up in Washington, the automatic response is "Oh! DC! That's so cool!" ...nope. Washington is GORGEOUS, and totally worthy of any bucket list. :)
anna parker
Sunday 15th of June 2014
I am/was exactly as your opening paragraph said, until I went to Washington and realised the state around it is Maryland! And then one of our best friends started work in Seattle with Boeing and it all became clearer! Would love to visit this part of the states, is somewhere that I have heard good things about - a long flight, but sounds like real options to see and visit when you get there.
Gail
Tuesday 29th of April 2014
I'm a Washington State transplant from New England. We came here 8 years ago to get away from the cold, harsh winters. LOVE IT! looking forward to retirement so we can actually get around and see all the things you mentioned. Gail
Raphael Alexander Zoren
Tuesday 29th of April 2014
I always find it funny how people believe that Washington DC is the only Washginton there is! Great photos!
Samantha @mytanfeet
Monday 28th of April 2014
Yay WA! I grew up there and I remember not liking it much as a young child and then as a teenager because we thought there was "nothing to do" but honestly there's SO much that I regret not exploring more when I lived there! Good thing my parents love playing tour guide whenever I visit so I saw Mt. St Helens a couple weeks ago.