Sometimes we are slow to discover the travel treasures we have within a couple hours' drive from home. Such was the case with Washington's capital city,
Olympia.
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| Olympia, State Capitol in Background |
It was a friend's wedding reception that drew us to this city on the banks of
Budd Bay at the southern end of
Puget Sound. And it was the clear-headed approach of 'don't drink and drive' that kept us there for an overnight stay. As a result we've added another travel treasure to our list.
Olympia, a city of 40,000+, swells when our Legislature is in session but shrinks to a delightful small-town size after the
sine die gavel cracks. It was so small town, in fact, that our search for a place near our motel to have a glass of wine at 9:30 p.m. on a Saturday night was futile. Olympia goes to bed early.
Our quick trip didn't give us enough time to explore all that Olympia has to offer: there are
guided tours of the Capital Campus, and other guided tours of the town and campus offered by
Oly WAlks; there's the
Olympic Flight Museum, the
State Capital Museum and the
Hands-on Children's Museum.
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| Old State Capitol Building |
We did have time to take a late afternoon stroll through the downtown and sip coffee at
Batdorf and Bronson,
516 Capital Way, coffee purveyors since 1986. We paused to admire the
Old State Capitol,
600 Washington St. This stately 1892 building - now home to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction's offices - was our state capitol from 1903 - 1927 while our current state capitol was being built.
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| Washington State Capitol and campus |
En route to the reception we made a stop at
The Oyster House,
320 4th Ave. W., the oldest - they say -seafood restaurant in the State of Washington. It's on the shores of Puget Sound next to
Percival Landing with public docking available. Our breakfast at
Cicada Restaurant,
700 4th Ave. E., is a reason unto itself for returning to Olympia.
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| One of the many Farmer's Market flower vendors |
Olympia's Farmers Market,
700 N. Capitol Way, has got to be one of the best in the Pacific Northwest, to our way of thinking. Following a stop there on Sunday morning, we were back in Kirkland less than an hour and a half later.
