Submitted by rlanham6 t3_10cpb91 in Washington
Just moved to the Shelton area for work, my dad is staying a couple extra days with me. Any ideas for day trips around 1.5 away - we like sports, breweries, historical attractions, hiking, anything on the waterfront, etc. Please give me your wisdom!
Also take him to see Tumwater Falls and Capitol Lake if he has never been. Darlin Creek Preserve or McLane Creek Nature Trail are nice for hikes.
We went to Brewery Park in Tumwater and saw the waterfalls which were really cool.
Hike at Dosewallops state park and go eat at Hamma Hamma Oyster Saloon after.
I always enjoy Three Magnets Brewery in Oly.
Welcome! A few ideas that come to mind right away:
North: Port Townsend - cute, breweries, waterfront, historical attractions. Could take the ferry over to Coupeville on Whidbey Island and tour the fort that is right near the ferry dock. There are also lot of hiking opportunities on the way to PT in Olympic National Forest, but I would double check weather conditions first.
East - Bremerton for waterfront, breweries and historical attractions. Manchester State Park in Port Orchard might also check some boxes for you. If you go the long way through Union, you could do brunch at Alderbrook and feel fancy.
West - Ocean Shores or surrounding towns. You could also do a loop of the Olympic Peninsula and stop where it looks interesting. Would be a fairly full day though.
South - Olympia for breweries, or make it a whole day and go down to Mt St Helens and back. I like the Olympic Club in Centralia for a pit stop and it checks the historical attractions and breweries boxes.
Can also recommend the new Irish pub in Shelton. Went a couple weeks ago and it was excellent!
Drive the scenic pacific coast highway, Skykomish Lake, Capital State Forest, and of course the Pacific Coast. You can search by name for those places, or find other opportunities here: https://maps.northwestportal.com/outdoors/#8.33/47.205544/-123.273906
There is Puget Sound Naval Museum up in Bremerton if he likes Military stuff.
Olympia might be your best bet to find things to do
One of the best disc golf courses in the state is right next to you. It’s called Shelton Springs and it’s absolutely incredible. I’m not sure if you’ve ever played but it’s a super low investment (you can get a disc for like $7-$10) and it’s unbelievably fun.
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There's always a trip to Paradise on Mt Rainier, and to view Mt St Helens. Any trip (loops are fine) that includes a ferry ride across Puget Sound is just magic. If you drive up anywhere near Anacortes, be SURE to drive to the top of Mt Erie, and walk out on the walkways to the cliff edge. You are 1,300' above Lake Campbell and Whidbey Island and the whole Deception Pass area. Just gorgeous, if you have a sunny day. If you drive out to the ocean, plan on spending at least an hour driving the back roads of Ocean Shores. There are tons of tame deer there. The last time we did that, we counted 20 deer sightings. Just plain fun. And you're right up next to them :). And you can drive out on the beach and up and down the beach a bit. Best if you have an all wheel drive :). There is a Lewis and Clark Museum at Ilwaco that is awesome.
Fishing 🎣Westport has charters it was about $160 a person when I did it guessing its $250 now but totally worth it ! Took my father in law and it was a blast and a lifetime type memory.
Take him to the the seafood bar at little Creek or the Wilde Irish in downtown. You might take trip up to iron bridge and have a look.
I used to live in Shelton. We are going to have lots and lot of rain so I am not sure if you want to go outside.
From Shelton, you can go to the High Steel Bridge, then up to Hoodsport, and eat some Oysters at Hamma Hamma. If (when) the weather is good you should hike Stair Case.
Go get dinner at Alderbrook.
Twanoh State Park was a favorite of my daughters and I.
I used to like going out West to Allyn. The Bar at Harstine Island used to have live bands.
South to the Little Creek Casino.
Saturday is the East Grays Harbor Winter Wine Festival down in Elma, tickets on the Elma Chamber of Commerce website. Those are at the Grays Harbor Fairgrounds.
This summer you can catch the races there.
These are all things a Shelton Locals will do.
Adding to Alderbrook as a destination -- there are hiking trails across the road from there, and a golf course at the top of the trail (you could drive to the course too; hiking isn't the only way to get there)
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youngfan1 t1_j4gxd7k wrote
Check out the hike to Lena Lake on the hood canal not too far from you. Also Olympia is worth a visit, you could check out the waterfront. I like Wildman Brewing in downtown Oly.