help with driving from seattle to vancouver,bc.
 

hi,

i'm planning a trip visiting seattle,vancouver and victoria this summer. i want to drive from seattle to vancouver to take the ferry to victoria. i'm wondering if there are any attractions/places worth visiting on the way from seattle to vancouver?

also, what are the times i should avoid to cross the border from seattle to vancouver?

appreciate your help!!

The major scenic attractions between Seattle and Vancouver (such as Whidbey Island, Mount Baker and the North Cascades Highway) require long drives off I-5. One option would be to get off I-5 at Conway, drive to the charming town of LaConner, and then to Bellingham via Chuckanut Drive, which skirts Puget Sound. Chuckanut drive will lead you into Fairhaven—an historic neighborhood in Bellingham.

Vancouver is 140 miles from Seattle--a 2 1/2 hour drive excluding the border crossing. Nobody can reliably predict when there might be a slow-down at the border.

One variation you might want to consider is taking the ferry to Whidbey Island, then driving up to Anacortes, on Fidalgo Island, where you can board the WA State ferry to Sidney, B.C. (http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/sche...?route=ana-sid). The ferry only goes once a day and leaves at 7:45am, but it is a great ride, and you stop at several of the San Juan Islands along the way. If you go the other way, the ferry leaves Sidney at the more civilized hour of 11:40am.

On your return, you can take the Nanaimo-Horseshoe Bay ferry (north of Vancouver) or the Swartz Bay-Tsawassen ferry (south of Vancouver). I would go for the latter, as the ride is longer and more interesting, threading through several narrow passages. If the goal is to just get from Vancouver Island to Vancouver, the Horseshoe Bay-Nanaimo ferry leaves quite frequently and is a shorter run.

You want to avoid crossing the border during normal city-time rush hour (7-9am; 4-6pm). Also, avoid the weekend crowd that will be going mostly northbound on Friday afternoon/evening and mostly southbound on Sunday afternoon/evening.

If you simply want to get between the two, Seattle to Vancouver is a short (3 hours) drive straight up I-5. Not particularly scenic unless you get off the freeway.

In Everett Washington, the Boeing Everett Plant has tours. If aviation is of interest.

This is where the 747 is built, along with other airliners.

The building is the largest (of it's type) in the world ((it's big)).

Check on the internet for more info if interested.