Fall in the Pacific Northwest is here. With it comes chilly temperatures, rainy skies, and beautiful fall colors! It’s time for fabulous fall day trips!
With the abundance of trees in Western Washington, an autumn day trip is full of brilliantly colored foliage and fun events. We have compiled a list of places that are fun for the entire family.
Mount Rainier Railroad in Elbe
The Mount Rainier Railroad has been around a long time, chugging along seven miles of track outside the national park, but since 2013 the museum on the Mineral end of the rails has gotten an upgrade.
Check out a 99-ton Heisler locomotive that used to haul lumber, and this year Christmas brings a whole ride in salute to The Polar Express. Find out more at mtrainierrailroad.com
Historic Centralia
George Washington may be an American founding father, but another George Washington—son of a slave, Oregon Trail voyager—founded Centralia in the 1870s. The rail and coal town now specializes in vintage, with a retro pool hall at McMenamins Olympic Club and the restored 1930 Fox Theater. Bonus: Amtrak trains from Seattle’s King Street Station stop in the middle of town. www.cityofcentralia.com
Get Lost in Tacoma
The outer loop of Five Mile Drive, the winding road that circles Tacoma’s Point Defiance, is closed to cars. But, it’s ideal for a haunted walk through morning fog. Too few visitors wander beyond the peninsula’s (admittedly excellent) zoo, but the hiking trails, picnic spots, and living museum at Fort Nisqually are all worth the few extra miles by foot or afternoon drive.
Oktoberfest in Leavenworth
This quaint Bavarian-themed town tucked in the foothills of the Cascades is home to the popular Oktoberfest celebration that is open weekends from September 29 through October 14. Visitors dress up in Lederhosen and dance the night away to the always-popular Oompah bands.
Roslyn Mineral Baths
Though they’re called mineral baths, the outdoor pools at Suncadia Resort’s Glade Spring Spa are really rocky little hot tubs scattered through a leafy private garden with a sauna cabin. The hotel also offers motor scooter tours of Roslyn’s historic downtown. Spa day passes are available by reservation only on Saturdays.
Central Washington Fall Leaves
When autumn descends on the coast, the enlightened hightail it across the mountains of Blewett Pass, where the sun is often shining and Highway 97 is lined in the golden needles of western larch. Leaf viewing is at its prime on this route between Cle Elum and Leavenworth, and temperatures are usually mild enough for a nice, long hike.
Dive Deep in Keyport
The small Kitsap town of Keyport calls itself Torpedo Town USA, longtime home to one of the navy’s two undersea warfare centers. All things submarine are celebrated at the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum, where torpedoes the size of small whales hang from the ceiling and the navy’s first deep-submergence vehicle is parked outside.
History on Whidbey Island
The stone batteries of the nineteenth-century Fort Casey Historical State Park are ideal for photos and games of tag that it’s easy to forget why the Whidbey fortress was built. It was called the “triangle of fire”: Casey, plus Forts Flagler and Worden on the Olympic Peninsula, were meant to protect Puget Sound using guns that could lob ammo eight miles. Today jets from Naval Station Whidbey Island roar overhead and the fort’s lighthouse is used for interpretive tours.
Salute Seinfeld in Tacoma
What do you do when you feel like you should leave home, but you really want to watch reruns on TBS? Head for Little Jerry’s, a Tacoma diner that pays homage to the sitcom Seinfeld. The chairs are red vinyl, the floor is white tile, and the TVs are tuned to reruns. Some dishes are named after the show’s infinitely quotable lines. Seems appropriate for a show about nothing.
Redefine Breakfast in Snoqualmie
It’s okay to be beaten by the Salish Lodge Country Breakfast, the hotel’s hundred-year-old tradition; the mega meal was crafted for fur trappers and mountain men. It’s served till 2 pm daily, and at least there’s a waterfall view until you can move again.
Embrace Americana in La Conner
The town of La Conner brings an artsy bent to the middle of Skagit Valley’s rolling agricultural fields. Downtown is lined with art galleries, and the town’s grandest nineteenth-century mansion holds the La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum.
Go Wild in Tenino
Wolves get a bad rap—blame Little Red Riding Hood – but Wolf Haven International in tiny Tenino manages to give sanctuary to captive-born wolves and the occasional wolf dog or coyote. On 50-minute walking tours of the facility in rural Thurston County, staff share the details of wolf life.
Norwegian Poulsbo
This Kitsap town is all about its Norwegian heritage: Every festival, bike race, and souvenir shop harks back to Viking culture (and plastic horned helmets). There’s a 12-foot-tall Viking statue at one end of town. The colorful Poulsbo downtown is dotted with shops and Scandinavian murals.
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