8 Best Sights in Olympia, Washington Cascade Mountains and Valleys

More than 250 different bird species along with a slew of reptiles, mammals, and amphibians thrive amid the marshes and grasslands of this 4,529-acre refuge—the largest estuary restoration in the Pacific Northwest—situated on the delta formed by the Nisqually River's confluence with Puget Sound. Just 8 miles east of downtown Olympia, the tranquil space feels a world away from civilization and is laced with 4 miles of trails, some of them along boardwalks. Naturalists lead guided walks and give lectures on weekends from April through September, and a visitor center contains exhibits and a nature store.

One of the top children's museums on the West Coast, this handsome, modern building just off Marine Drive overlooks East Bay and contains more than 150 imaginatively designed interactive exhibits—including a train depot, a cargo ship, a fire engine, an art studio, and a tree house—along with a half-acre outdoor play area. There's also a café serving healthy lunch fare. During the city's First Friday art walks, the museum is open late and offers $1 admission after 5 pm.

This 15-acre swatch of towering evergreen trees is bisected by the roaring Deschutes River and set around the late Victorian buildings that once housed Olympia Brewery. At the south end of the park, you can visit a small salmon fish hatchery and then follow wooded paths and cross foot bridges as your make your way north alongside the rushing cascades. The path leads to Tumwater Historical Park and then under Interstate 5 to downtown Olympia's Capitol Park. Owned by the nonprofit Olympia Tumwater Foundation, this stretch of greenery offers an interesting mix of historical industrial architecture and nature, including local birdlife.

Framing nearly 4 acres of landscaped desert gardens and bird-watching areas, this lovely waterfront spot stretches along a 1-mile boardwalk through a beachy section of the West Bay shoreline. The park overlooks yachts bobbing in the water at several marinas, and its amenities include beach pavilions and a playground. You can see it all from three stories up by climbing the winding steps of the viewing tower at the north end of the complex, in Port Plaza, where open benches invite visitors to relax and enjoy the outlook.

This leafy 314-acre tract, called Priest Point Park until 2022, is a beautiful section of protected shoreline and wetlands. Thick swaths of forest and glistening bay views are the main attractions, with picnic areas and playgrounds filling in the open spaces. The 3-mile Ellis Cove Trail, with interpretive stations, bridges, and nature settings, runs through the Squaxin Park area and around the Olympia coast.

These attractive grounds, sprawling around the buildings perched above the Capitol Lake bluffs, contain memorials, monuments, rose gardens, and Japanese cherry trees. Free 45-minute tours (weekdays 10–3, weekends 11–3) from the visitor center take you around the area. If you want to see state government in action, the legislature is in session for 30 or 60 days from the second Monday in January, depending on whether it's an even- or odd-numbered year.

Guided tours of this 80-acre wolf sanctuary are given every hour on the hour and run about 50 minutes, during which docents explain the recovery programs and visitors can view the wolves. You must join a tour. Note that it's worth taking a look at the website before visiting—the sanctuary has a few rules regarding conduct. Most importantly, parents should know that although the sanctuary can be a wonderful place for kids, it does not provide as much stimulation as a typical zoo and may bore kids with short attention spans.