Guidebook for Olympia

Brittany
Brittany
Guidebook for Olympia

Drinks & Nightlife

24 beers on tap, plus cider, wine, kombucha and root beer on tap! Majority of the brews are from the Pacific Northwest.
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Northwest Beerwerks
420 Steele St SE
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24 beers on tap, plus cider, wine, kombucha and root beer on tap! Majority of the brews are from the Pacific Northwest.
Great tap beer selection and bottle shop. Competent pizza. Excellent sunset views and relaxing atmosphere.
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Oly Taproom
312 Columbia St NW
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Great tap beer selection and bottle shop. Competent pizza. Excellent sunset views and relaxing atmosphere.
Classic dive bar with a welcoming smile. Pool tables, beer and wine. Everyone is welcome; white collar, blue collar, no collar.
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Eastside Club Tavern
410 4th Ave E
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Classic dive bar with a welcoming smile. Pool tables, beer and wine. Everyone is welcome; white collar, blue collar, no collar.
A wine bar & restaurant, set in a historic home overlooking Capital Lake. Patio seating is nice in summer. Good happy hour menu, gourmet food. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination required as of 4/2022.
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Swing Wine Bar
825 Columbia St SW
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A wine bar & restaurant, set in a historic home overlooking Capital Lake. Patio seating is nice in summer. Good happy hour menu, gourmet food. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination required as of 4/2022.
A hip & teeny cidery, with outdoor seating right in the food truck court at Plum and 4th. Very friendly staff. Beers too.
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Whitewood Cider Co. Tasting Room & Taproom
728 4th Ave E
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A hip & teeny cidery, with outdoor seating right in the food truck court at Plum and 4th. Very friendly staff. Beers too.

Parks & Nature

Neighborhood park with children's play area, just a few blocks away.
Bigelow Park
1220 Bigelow Ave NE
Neighborhood park with children's play area, just a few blocks away.
A green & lush 2 mile loop trail, along a creek fed by a nearby spring. Nice walk or trail run. Forget you're in the capital city & admire the plant world for a bit! Parking area is off Henderson Boulevard.
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Watershed-puisto
2500 Henderson Blvd SE
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A green & lush 2 mile loop trail, along a creek fed by a nearby spring. Nice walk or trail run. Forget you're in the capital city & admire the plant world for a bit! Parking area is off Henderson Boulevard.
A walk-through fountain "sprayground", great for cooling down adults and kiddos alike. Great view of the capitol building from here, and access to walk around the lake via the gravel walking path just to the south.
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Heritage Park Fountain
330 5th Ave SW
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A walk-through fountain "sprayground", great for cooling down adults and kiddos alike. Great view of the capitol building from here, and access to walk around the lake via the gravel walking path just to the south.
Great playground for kids, tennis & basketball courts, and lots of lawn on which to lounge or roam. Public bathrooms too.
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Lions Park
800 Wilson St SE
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Great playground for kids, tennis & basketball courts, and lots of lawn on which to lounge or roam. Public bathrooms too.
Wildlife preserve with a huge waterfowl population. 3 miles of boardwalk out onto the tide flats for viewing the estuary. There is a fee to park, payable at a kiosk at the parking lot. 15 minutes away.
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Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge -vierailukeskus
100 Brown Farm Rd NE
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Wildlife preserve with a huge waterfowl population. 3 miles of boardwalk out onto the tide flats for viewing the estuary. There is a fee to park, payable at a kiosk at the parking lot. 15 minutes away.
3 miles of walking trails in lush forest, ending at an old train trestle which now serves as seal, bird & bat habitat. Bring binoculars of you have them! WA Discover Pass required to park & unfortunately you cannot pay for a pass on site. Alternatively, park at the Chehalis Western Trail parking lot for free & walk down the road to the Conservation Area.
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Woodard Bay Conservation Area
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3 miles of walking trails in lush forest, ending at an old train trestle which now serves as seal, bird & bat habitat. Bring binoculars of you have them! WA Discover Pass required to park & unfortunately you cannot pay for a pass on site. Alternatively, park at the Chehalis Western Trail parking lot for free & walk down the road to the Conservation Area.
This private park is free to the public & features a fish ladder (you can see the salmon in September-October!), and a 1.5 mile trail along the river with a view of the falls. You can extend your walk further to the north into Tumwater Historical Park and even further north along Capitol Lake's multi-use trail.
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Tumwater Falls Park
110 Deschutes Way SW
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This private park is free to the public & features a fish ladder (you can see the salmon in September-October!), and a 1.5 mile trail along the river with a view of the falls. You can extend your walk further to the north into Tumwater Historical Park and even further north along Capitol Lake's multi-use trail.
If the weather is clear, a day-trip to Paradise as Mount Rainier is a must-see. Views from the Visitor Center are spectacular, and even better if you hike the up to Panorama Point. If you're into hiking, Brittany will share her super-secret-special trail with you - just ask!
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Paradise
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If the weather is clear, a day-trip to Paradise as Mount Rainier is a must-see. Views from the Visitor Center are spectacular, and even better if you hike the up to Panorama Point. If you're into hiking, Brittany will share her super-secret-special trail with you - just ask!
One of the closest, easy trails in Olympic National Park. An easy, family friendly 2 mile loop trail along an aquamarine river.
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Staircase Rapids
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One of the closest, easy trails in Olympic National Park. An easy, family friendly 2 mile loop trail along an aquamarine river.
A steep, advanced hike for avid hikers. with breathtaking views into the Olympics. Only 1.25 hrs drive away. Great for fit & experienced hikers only. Snow-free only in summer. Check out a trail description & recent trip reports on the Washington Trails Association webpage.
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Mount Ellinor Upper Trailhead
National Forest Development Road 2419
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A steep, advanced hike for avid hikers. with breathtaking views into the Olympics. Only 1.25 hrs drive away. Great for fit & experienced hikers only. Snow-free only in summer. Check out a trail description & recent trip reports on the Washington Trails Association webpage.
A wooden pier walkway lines the most southern end of Budd Inlet downtown. Park at the Farmer's Market, then ascend the viewing tower & proceed all the way along the boardwalk to Bayview Thriftway & the 4th Ave Bridge.
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Percival Landing
217 Thurston Ave NW
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A wooden pier walkway lines the most southern end of Budd Inlet downtown. Park at the Farmer's Market, then ascend the viewing tower & proceed all the way along the boardwalk to Bayview Thriftway & the 4th Ave Bridge.
It's a lovely, moderate day hike through beautiful forests of the Olympics at Lower Lena Lake. (Upper Lena lake is a multi-day hike). US Forest Service lands pass required, available at Forest Service center in Hoodsport.
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Lena Lake
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It's a lovely, moderate day hike through beautiful forests of the Olympics at Lower Lena Lake. (Upper Lena lake is a multi-day hike). US Forest Service lands pass required, available at Forest Service center in Hoodsport.

Essentials

Lovely local grocer with excellent produce & gourmet food.
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Ralph's Thriftway
1908 4th Ave E
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Lovely local grocer with excellent produce & gourmet food.
Natural, ethical, sustainable food. Specialty goods, bulk foods.
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Olympia Food Co-op
921 Rogers St NW
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Natural, ethical, sustainable food. Specialty goods, bulk foods.
Full service downtown waterfront grocery store with quality products. Get coffee or takeout in the deli, then head upstairs to the sitting area with a view!
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Bayview Thriftway
516 4th Ave W
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Full service downtown waterfront grocery store with quality products. Get coffee or takeout in the deli, then head upstairs to the sitting area with a view!
Nearest drug store for personal needs.
Rite Aid
691 Sleater Kinney Rd SE
Nearest drug store for personal needs.
This amazing little hole-in-the-wall spice shop is an Olympia gem. You'd be excused for thinking you've stumbled into Harry Potter's "Diagon Alley." Browse hundreds of eclectic spices from around the world. Buy as little as a pinch for your favorite recipe or as much as a jar to take home! Ordering available online too.
Buck's Fifth Avenue Spice Shope
209 5th Ave SE
This amazing little hole-in-the-wall spice shop is an Olympia gem. You'd be excused for thinking you've stumbled into Harry Potter's "Diagon Alley." Browse hundreds of eclectic spices from around the world. Buy as little as a pinch for your favorite recipe or as much as a jar to take home! Ordering available online too.

Arts & Culture

Beautiful location for kids to explore science, art, and PNW culture.
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Interaktiivinen lastenmuseo
414 Jefferson St NE
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Beautiful location for kids to explore science, art, and PNW culture.
Our state capitol building is open to the public, and one of the grandest state capitol buildings in the US. The gift shop is great too! Free tours are available as well.
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Washington State Capitol Building
416 Sid Snyder Avenue Southwest
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Our state capitol building is open to the public, and one of the grandest state capitol buildings in the US. The gift shop is great too! Free tours are available as well.
Long-time locally owned art gallery. Visit the gallery & then take a walk along the boardwalk!
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Childhood's End Gallery
222 4th Ave W
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Long-time locally owned art gallery. Visit the gallery & then take a walk along the boardwalk!
Locally made, affordable artwork & handicrafts. Managed as a co-op by the artists whose work is displayed inside.
Gallery Boom
3959 Martin Way East
Locally made, affordable artwork & handicrafts. Managed as a co-op by the artists whose work is displayed inside.
A co-op gallery run by local artists. Gallery is on the boardwalk downtown.
Splash Gallery of Olympia
501 Columbia St NW
A co-op gallery run by local artists. Gallery is on the boardwalk downtown.

Getting Around

Olympia's city busses are now FREE! This is the downtown bus station. Direct link to Olympia Amtrak station. Connections to Seatac airport.
Intercity Transit
205 State Ave NE
Olympia's city busses are now FREE! This is the downtown bus station. Direct link to Olympia Amtrak station. Connections to Seatac airport.
Reliable & friendly airport shuttles from SeaTac airport to Olympia. Door to door service.
Capital Aeroporter Airport Shuttle
Reliable & friendly airport shuttles from SeaTac airport to Olympia. Door to door service.

Shopping

Olympia's original gift & curiosity shop. Hilarious trinkets, wacky hats, stockings, glasses & their own line of lotions & fragrances.
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Archibald Sisters
406 Capitol Way S
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Olympia's original gift & curiosity shop. Hilarious trinkets, wacky hats, stockings, glasses & their own line of lotions & fragrances.
Locally owned splurgy shop with the most adorable selection of housewares, gifts, paper products, & PNW inspired items.
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Compass Rose
416 Capitol Way S
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Locally owned splurgy shop with the most adorable selection of housewares, gifts, paper products, & PNW inspired items.
A neat fair trade market, and also a GF, vegan, vegetarian friendly cafe plus ice cream shop!
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Traditions Fair Trade
300 5th Ave SW
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A neat fair trade market, and also a GF, vegan, vegetarian friendly cafe plus ice cream shop!
Our spectacular market, with both fresh & preserved food, baked goods, handicrafts and a food court. Live music is fun for the kids too. Usually open Thurs-Sun 10-3 in summer, down to 1 day/week in winter. Check webpage for current hours. Take a walk along the boardwalk afterwards.
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Olympia Farmers Market
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Our spectacular market, with both fresh & preserved food, baked goods, handicrafts and a food court. Live music is fun for the kids too. Usually open Thurs-Sun 10-3 in summer, down to 1 day/week in winter. Check webpage for current hours. Take a walk along the boardwalk afterwards.
The best fresh seafood for cooking at home. Or get a whole cooked dungeness crab & eat like a true local. Try the smoked salmon dip, my fave. Hit up the Wine Loft nextdoor to complete your meal.
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The Olympia Seafood Co
411 Columbia St NW
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The best fresh seafood for cooking at home. Or get a whole cooked dungeness crab & eat like a true local. Try the smoked salmon dip, my fave. Hit up the Wine Loft nextdoor to complete your meal.

Entertainment & Activities

Kayak rentals & pub-style food. Great breakfast + kayak combo for a great price (call ahead for hours). See seals, herons & eagles in our harbor after a good meal.
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Tugboat Annie's
2100 W Bay Dr NW
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Kayak rentals & pub-style food. Great breakfast + kayak combo for a great price (call ahead for hours). See seals, herons & eagles in our harbor after a good meal.
Rent kayaks or stand-up paddleboards. A small convenience store & summer-only food window are a nice treat after a paddle. They often have fresh seafood for purchase.
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Boston Harbor Marina
312 73rd Ave NE
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Rent kayaks or stand-up paddleboards. A small convenience store & summer-only food window are a nice treat after a paddle. They often have fresh seafood for purchase.
If you want to rent a powerboat to explore the Puget Sound, this is your place! Rent a ski boat, pontoon boat, fishing boat, or sailboat.
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Zittel's Marina Inc
9144 Gallea St NE
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If you want to rent a powerboat to explore the Puget Sound, this is your place! Rent a ski boat, pontoon boat, fishing boat, or sailboat.
Squaxin Park was formerly known as Priest Point Park. Large & spectacularly forested waterfront city park with play toys, hiking trails, and picnic opportunities.
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Priest Point Park
2600 East Bay Drive Northeast
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Squaxin Park was formerly known as Priest Point Park. Large & spectacularly forested waterfront city park with play toys, hiking trails, and picnic opportunities.