Olympia Washington Rafting

In 1889, Olympia won a heated battle with Seattle and several other challengers to become the state capital. Today, residents and visitors reap the rewards of that first legislative victory: an impressive 82-year old Capitol Building, Vietnam and World War II memorials, the State Library, Governor’s Mansion, Capitol Museum and a Capitol Campus with alluring gardens, a conservatory and vistas of the Sound, mountains, forest and city.

North of the Capitol, Lacey lures outdoor enthusiasts with 425 acres of wooded parkland, four golf courses, three freshwater lakes, and several miles of protected, undeveloped Puget Sound shoreline. Every fall, visitors go eye-to-fin with spawning salmon in Tumwater’s Deschutes River canyon. Year-round, a wooden footbridge over Tumwater Falls, panoramic views of a century-old brew house and historic markers make the area a popular retreat.