Seattle Vacation Ideas

I’ve been pretty busy lately and the thought of slipping away quietly for the weekend is becoming more and more appealing.  Right now, I’d love to hop on a boat and head over to Port Townsend, a charming little town on the Kitsap Peninsula with a great Victorian air about it.The town is host to many turn-of-the-century mansions, many of which are now bed and breakfasts.  The town boasts about 9300 residents as of July 2006 and has many near-by daytrip worthy destinations. There is Fort Casey a WWI bunker installation meant to protect Puget Sound from naval or air invasion.  August events include Blues Festival, Jefferson County Fair, Uptown Street Fair, Classic Car Show and more. Jefferson County Court House is one of my favorite buildings, and as I recall, you can climb the bell tower for a great view.

While Seaside, OR is a bit further out of Seattle than I choose to write about,  my parents just got back from a vacation down the Oregon coast and talked about what a fun time they had. 

Seaside is the northwest’s oldest destination beach town.  People have been vacationing here since the mid-1800s.  A long time when most of the cities out here were founded in the 1860s or later.  Seaside is located northwest of Portland, west of Kelso and Longview Washington. 

I’ve been to Ocean Shores many times as a kid and guess I expected something similar.  While both have miles of sandy beaches (Seaside boasts 3-miles of boardwalk and great sand.)  However, Seaside definitely has some stuff going on that Ocean Shores doesn’t including visiting an aquarium right on the beach.  If you go on May 25, you can get in for $0.15 if you’re an adult and just $0.10 if you’re a kid (or brought them with you.)  The aquarium is celebrating it’s 70th anniversary and so you can get in for the 1937 prices!

If you’re into golf, biking, hiking, theater, or just want to take in the local sites via helicopter, then they’ve got it for you here. This is also the end of the Lewis & Clark Trail, so if you’re a history buff, check out the local Expedition information.

Seaside’s Visitors Buearu can be found here: http://www.seasideor.com/

Just over 27 years ago this weekend, Mt. Saint Hellen’s erupted, blowing off the north-face in an explosion that is unrivaled by anything else in the lower-48 states in recorded history.  Forests & glaciers were instantly destroyed, and a total of 57 people died.   Spirit Lake, once a popular camping lake was temporarily displaced by the devastation but it recovering well and even has fish in it now!

I’ve seen the City of Castle Rock listed on many a drive south on I-5, and always wondered about the city.  I didn’t realize it was know as the gateway to Mt. St. Helens.  The state of Washington has designated SR-504 the Spirit Lake Memorial Byway.  It’s about an hour and 15 minutes to drive this scenic designation and view all of the disaster and recovery that the area has seen in the last 30 years or so.

The town’s namesake, a 190-foot-high rock, was a landmark for Cowlitz Indians and Hudson’s Bay Company traders as early as 1832. Castle Rock prospered as a Cowlitz River steamboat port and trading center for valley farms. A local sawmill was the first to produce cedar shingles, using the Western red cedar, which grows in abundance in the region.

The city also has a short riverfront park/trail, as well as a skate park and a bike park. 

For more information check out the City of Castle Rock’s website: http://www.ci.castle-rock.wa.us/index.htm

The Columbia Gorge is well-known for it’s windsurfing, kiteboarding and scenic drives.  Most people though are a bit more familiar with the Oregon side of the river, specifically Hood River, Oregon.  For a change of pace, try heading across the river and check out these two little towns.  Bingen has a great bed and breakfast called Joslyn House.  It’s a 150-year old house that bosts a number of guest rooms that are very comfortable.  Of course, they include breakfast and will be happy to point you in the direction of several good restaurants.  When I was there several years ago, the owners took me out to see some of the petroglyphs that were painted and/or carved into the rocks high above the Columbia River.   

This area is also close to Mt. Hood if you want to go skiing and the Amtrack Station is right in the middle of town.  I took the train down here from Seattle and it was a nice ride.  The next day, I took the train into Portland to explore and it was great to get away from my car for a couple days.  Of course, if you’re traveling by train you’ll need to be prepared to relax, because the trains run on their own schedule, and it is not always exactly on with what is published.  Relax and bring a book or something to pass the time and you’ll have a great experience.

 The area is located at in the Columbia River Gorge Scenic area and a drive up the highway on either side of the river will show you scenery changing from the wet coastal rain-drencched slopes of the Pacific into the drier, sage-brush country of Eastern Washington.