6 Best Sights in The Olympic Peninsula and Washington Coast, Washington

Anchoring 25-acre Railroad Bridge Park, a beautifully serene Audubon Society preserve bisected by the Dungeness River, this stunning nature center reopened in 2022 following a dramatic expansion and redesign that features informative natural history exhibits as well as a bookstore, a coffee bar, and a pavilion and rain garden. The center is adjacent to a lacy, 730-foot-long ironwork bridge that was once part of the coastal rail line between Port Angeles and Port Townsend and is now a popular multiuse path for hiking and biking. On warm days, the grounds are lovely for picnicking, and you can watch live performances in the amphitheater. There are free guided bird walks and other nature programs year-round.

Curving nearly 6 miles into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the longest natural sand spit in the United States is a wild, beautiful section of shoreline. More than 30,000 migratory waterfowl stop here each spring and fall, but you'll see plenty of birdlife year-round. The entire spit is part of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. You can access it from the trail that begins in the 216-acre Dungeness Recreation Area, which serves as a portal to the shoreline. At the end of the spit is the towering white 1857 New Dungeness Lighthouse ( www.newdungenesslighthouse.com). Tours, including a 74-step climb to the top, are available, though access is limited to those who can hike 5½ miles or paddle about 3½ miles out to the end of the spit—the closest launch is from Cline Spit County Park, and boaters are required to call the refuge office before landing. You can also enroll to serve a one-week stint as a lighthouse keeper. If you'd prefer not to make the long trek to the lighthouse, an endeavor you should only attempt at low tide to avoid having to climb over massive driftwood logs, you can still take in beautiful scenery and spot myriad wildlife by hiking a mile or so out along the spit and back.

This village on the beach near the mouth of the Dungeness River has been occupied by the Jamestown S'Klallam tribe for thousands of years. The tribe, whose name means "strong people," was driven to the Skokomish Reservation on Hood Canal after the signing of the Treaty of Point No Point in 1855. However, in 1874, tribal leader James Balch and some 130 S'Klallam collectively purchased 210 acres where the community is today, and S'Klallam members have lived here ever since. An excellent gallery, Northwest Native Expressions, sells tribal artwork, including baskets, jewelry, textiles, and totems. Less than a mile away on U.S. 101, the tribe operates 7 Cedars Casino and a market and deli. The tribe opened a 100-room hotel adjacent to the casino in late 2020.

This 200-acre property—part zoo, part safari—is Sequim's biggest attraction after the Dungeness Spit. For years, the farm's exclusive client was Walt Disney Studios, and many of the animals here are the offspring of former movie stars. On the hour-long, drive-through tour, which covers some 84 acres of the picturesque property, be prepared to see large animals like buffalo surround your car and lick your windows. You'll also see zebras, llamas, lynx, lions, elk, Tibetan yak, emu, bobcat, Siberian and Bengal tigers, and Kodiak and black bears, among other animals. Facilities also include an aquarium, studio barn with movie sets, snack kiosk, and a gift shop. Guests are allowed to feed uncaged animals (with wheat bread only), except for the buffalo and elk at the entrance gates, but must stay in their vehicles. Even sunroofs must remain locked.

One of the best places to pick or even just stroll through Sequim's most famous agricultural product, this sustainable farm contains 7 acres of lavender fields as well as lawns for picnicking and a gift shop that carries bath and body products, honeys and jams, and other lavender-infused gifts. A little snack stand sells lavender ice cream and lemonade in summer.

Protected by a sand spit 4 miles southeast of Sequim on Sequim Bay, this woodsy 92-acre inlet park has picnic tables, campsites, hiking trails, tennis courts, and a boat ramp.