Hiking at Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Driving through Washington and Oregon, you will undoubtedly see majestic mountains about. While planning our trip, we knew that we had to add some mountain hiking. We just were unsure of the location. I settled in on Mount St. Helens in Washington partly because I so vividly recall learning about the 1980 eruption. My interest was piqued and I am glad we went! We spent nearly a day exploring Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument savoring both wonderful hiking and learning experiences.

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Admiring the Washington State Capitol Campus

After arriving in Seattle via the Amtrak Empire Builder, we decided to amble down to Portland, Oregon with a couple of stops in Washington. We first stopped in Tacoma to have a bowl of Duke's famous clam chowder and to soak up the waterviews we fell in love with a couple of years ago. Then, we headed on a new adventure to the Washington State Capitol in Olympia.

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Traveling on the Empire Builder Train to Washington and Oregon

We just returned from a summer adventure riding Amtrak's Empire Builder to Seattle and returning via Portland, Oregon with several excursions in Washington and Oregon. Our overall trip lasted 10 days with four days of train travel. Our adventures in between our train treks included hiking, visiting gardens, enjoying beach days, learning about cheese making, exploring Washington's capitol and more. We packed in a lot of exploration and the train trip was a great part of the adventure! Follow along as I share our discoveries including:

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24 Hours in Seattle

After our visit to Tacoma, we spent about day visiting Seattle between brief visits before and after our cruise to Alaska. We were able to see some of the more iconic attractions of Seattle in a short amount of time and even had a little time to spare to sit and relax.

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Tacoma Eats

Inside of Duke's Chowder House--home of Duke's famous chowder!

Every world explorer needs to eat, right? We enjoyed tasting Tacoma offering. Some of the gems we uncovered:

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Museum of Glass Tacoma: Creation in Motion

Acclaimed glass artist Dale Chihuly hails from Tacoma, Washington so it is entirely fitting that the city would become home to the Museum of Glass. Opened in 2002, the museum not only houses an inspirational collection of glass art but the largest Hot Shop in the Pacific Northwest. The structure's stunning cone cuts a striking presence into the Tacoma skyline and pays homage to the wood-burning sawmills once populating the region.

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Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium {Nature, Education and Conservation}

Our Tacoma adventure began at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. The only combined zoo and aquarium in the Pacific Northwest attracts 700,000 visitors annually, so definitely a popular attraction. Set along Puget Sound and surrounded by views of the Olympia Mountains, the waterfront and (if you are lucky) Mt. Rainier, the zoo's surroundings are particularly inviting and were certainly spectacular on a sunny day!

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Two Days Exploring Lovely Tacoma, Washington {for Families}

We kicked off our summer vacation with a visit to beautiful Tacoma, Washington! Nestled on Puget Sound, we uncovered a city affording picturesque views along with a wide variety of family activities. Two days exploring, investigating, wandering and tasting revealed some real treasures! This week I will be sharing our discoveries. We were simply wowed by the city and found it to be an ideal location for a family trip to Washington!

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A Snapshot of Tacoma, Washington {For Families}

Tacoma is a key family destination on Puget Sound. Photo courtesy of Julie Henning

This summer, my family will be visiting Washington for a few days before heading on an Alaskan cruise. When my friend Julie Henning over at Road Trips for Families shared with me that she had recently visited Tacoma, I was eager to here about it as a travel option. Thank you to Julie for putting together a little write up about Tacoma so we call all learn more about treasures in Washington!

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