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Family Travel Ideas

July 12, 2020

Tips for a Safer Family Vacation During Coronavirus Pandemic

A beach on the Kitsap Peninsula with rocks, saltwater and firs.
Eglon Beach, Washington State

Is it possible (or responsible) to take a family vacation during a pandemic? How about getting a vacation rental?

I say yes—maybe. While it is an individual risk decision, I’m also making a judgment call and taking a risk for those in my family, my community where I usually live, and the community I’m visiting. So I wouldn’t undertake it lightly, and wouldn’t go if under stay-at-home restrictions were in place.

I’ve done enough reporting on the topic to hear doctors describe the death process for those with COVID-19: they die alone, without loved ones around. Their last human interaction is with a doctor or nurse who is fully suited up in protective gear, holding an iPad while you say goodbye to your kids or grandkids over Zoom. I don’t want to be responsible for that person’s exit—whether burdening family, physicians, coroners or even strangers.  

We went on a “pandemic vacation” this year, and these were the boundaries that felt right for me and our family of six (kids ages 7, 9, 14, 20), which I hope made it safer. There are no guarantees with this coronavirus, and we’re finding out more every day.

1. Choose a Hyperlocal Travel Destination

I would never travel out of state, for public health and safety reasons. We chose to be within 90 minutes to two hours of our own community/town. We wanted to reduce the need to stop en route. So we went to a rural area outside of Poulsbo, reachable by a ferry ride and a short drive.

We chose to be close, because if we needed medical assistance or anyone became ill, we would return to Seattle. Most rural communities have far fewer healthcare resources than we do in the city. Those rural resources should be reserved for the people who live there—not tourists. I also wouldn’t visit a destination with uncontrolled pandemic numbers, low mask usage and overwhelmed healthcare facilities, such as the Tri-Cities. They have enough problems, they don’t need more humans on their roads or streets.

For Seattle residents, the 90-minute to two-hour zone is a fairly large area, and includes the Cascades’ western slopes, north to Bellingham, south to Olympia, and areas of the Olympic Peninsula.

As well, if someone were to get injured or end up in the ER for an emergency condition, or got suddenly sick while 12 hours away, we’d be stuck there. I didn’t want to be stuck in rural Oregon for an extended period with a COVID-19 infected loved one, taking up a hospital spot while also paying for a long-term rental.

2. Pandemic Road Trip Tips

We didn’t have far to go, but we still packed for any emergencies. We had lots of water, snacks, hand sanitizer, wipes, disposable gloves and masks. So many masks. We didn’t want to stop en route, so fueled up and encouraged bathroom breaks before we left.

We limited any interactions with the local community; any interactions that happened indoors happen with masks. We may be infected and not yet showing symptoms—we don’t need to infect others. Others may be asymptomatic but contagious—we don’t need them to infect us.

On the ferry, we didn’t get out of the car. We didn’t use the public bathrooms on the ferry, or anywhere else. We wore masks when interacting with toll workers. In line, I did see an SUV with Arizona license plates, and I can only hope it was someone who’s moved here and hasn’t changed their plates yet.

3. BYOG (Bring Your Own Groceries & Gear)

Most evidence has shown that COVID-19 is efficiently transferred indoors. So we brought most of the groceries we needed, then one adult picked up perishable groceries once.

At the same time, I wanted to support small business owners struggling to make ends meet during pandemic times. We ordered doughnuts once from Sluy’s, and to-go Indian food from Punjab.

4. Find the Right Vacation Rental

We found a vacation rental through AirBnB, not a hotel—and made sure it had plenty to do on-site. We rented a large house with a full kitchen, grassy area and woods for exploring—and cabinets full of board and card games. It also has an outdoor firepit for s’mores.

The house we rented leaves it empty for four days between guests to decrease surface transmission chances. We didn’t interact with the owner other than briefly, outdoors, more than 6 feet away. Everything else was done over AirBnB text.

Camping also seems like another great and affordable option, if you can swing it (or find a site). Sharing a campsite bathroom could be problematic, but hopefully, it’s a safe choice with enough masks and hand sanitizer.

5. Shelter-In-Place Vacation, On-Site

We set expectations early—while I would love to take everyone to the local museums, go shopping, dine out or browse bookstores, we can’t bring our family into that situation.

Surrounded by fir and maple trees and greenery on the Kitsap Peninsula, there are plentiful outdoor beach and forest hikes nearby (and not many people). It’s different and beautiful than our normal city life.

6. Don’t Travel with Others

We have a blended family, meaning that the children transition between houses. Even though it sounded fun to bring along a friend, there’s just no way to safely travel in one car with someone outside the family, unless planning to quarantine before or after or get swabbed.

Many outbreaks along the Oregon Coast have been traced to multi-family or extended-family gatherings in beach houses.

Before leaving, we ensured exes were okay with where we were going, how long we were going for, and the family group’s makeup.

7. Keep Costs Down

We’re lucky to have had some savings that we put aside for a trip this summer (and a sweet AirBnB coupon to make up for a host cancellation last year). So many people have no work, and even I’ve been hustling to make up for lost clientele. This is probably the only trip we’ll be on in the next year, and it’s the first time we left Seattle since February.

But I feel lucky to be alive and healthy, and I take my luck seriously. I’d love it if we could return to jobs and travel and some semblance of normalcy—as our neighbors in Canada are enjoying, currently.

But that will require us all to wear masks and take our neighbor’s health as seriously as we take our own.

If you went on a trip recently or want to share some pandemic-travel tips, please share them below.

Filed Under: Poulsbo, Road Trips, Seattle-Tacoma

February 4, 2020

18 Tips for Visiting Great Wolf Lodge

Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, Washington is undoubtedly one of the most well-known Washington Water Parks. Whether you’re going for a birthday party, with one of the new day passes, or for a warm, light-filled spring break from always-rainy skies, Great Wolf Lodge is definitely a family favorite.

But before heading to any big-ticket, big-adventure resort with kids, it’s always best to ask an expert for tips. So I asked three British Columbia and Washington State moms who are repeat guests of Great Wolf Lodge for their best tips, and added a few more tips from my own research.

Of course, these are just opinions and suggestions. You may have your own spin on a Great Wolf Lodge stay with kids.

New Post: Great Wolf Lodge Day Passes: Are They a Good Deal?

Great Wolf Lodge: Basic Tips

Tip 1. Save money on your room

If you think about it, you’re mostly going to Great Wolf Lodge for the water and family-friendly environment, not the room. So this is an area to save, unless you plan to spend a lot of downtime in the suite.

The themed suite rooms (Wolf Den, KidKamp and Kid Cabin) at Grand Mound Great Wolf Lodge are cute and fun, “but we have found that you are not in your room long enough to make them worth the cost, if you can fit in a smaller room,” says frequent Great Wolf Lodge visitor and Kelso mom Melissa Parcel.

If you’re going with another family, have a very large family, or are thinking about a birthday party at Great Wolf Lodge, consider one of the premium rooms, where you can squeeze more people into a suite—with water-park wrist bands for everyone, up to the room’s maximum capacity. 

As well, although I’ve stayed primarily in smaller rooms in the past, last year I got to experience the much larger Majestic Bear Suite while staying at Great Wolf Lodge Grand Mound with three kids. It was pretty amazing to have the mental and physical space.

A perfectly fine room at Great Wolf Lodge Grand Mound
A suite room at Great Wolf Lodge Grand Mound with fold-out couch bed

Check Great Wolf Lodge’s website with special deals and coupon codes when booking, or sign up for sales alerts by providing your e-mail and cell number.

Remember that the resort fee ($29.99) and taxes do add a hefty amount to the final price. You can also check for Great Wolf Lodge Groupon deals.

You can also now request late-check out at 2:00, for $54.99, which ends up being about $18/hour. Is it worth it? Hard to say.

Find more tips for saving money at Great Wolf Lodge at the site Thrifty NW Mom.

Tip 2.  Sleep soundly—even at a crazy-busy water park.

For a quieter room, request a room away from the stairwells and on the opposite side of the I-5 freeway. Ask when making the reservation and upon check in.

Although there’s a rule about “quiet time” in the evenings, guests do say that unaccompanied children playing MagiQuest down the hallways can be an earful. Pack earplugs.

Tip 3. Book Great Wolf Lodge meals and activities in advance to save money and hassle.

If you’re really sure you want the on-site breakfast buffet at The Loose Moose Cottage (Yes, that’s the real name, 2.5 stars on Yelp), you can add a “Wolf Wakeup” breakfast package for $57.36 for four people (age doesn’t matter), whereas in person, a buffet meal may cost up to $20/adult. The total is lower when  purchased in advance and includes drinks. If you buy buffet on-site, it’ll cost more, and does not include drinks.

Tip: Children 3 and under eat in The Loose Moose for free, when another meal is purchased.

If you’d like to pay one price for all activities, add a Pup Pass, Wolf Pass or Paw Pass package to your stay. The Paw Pass is $59.99, and includes a lot MagiQuest or ShadowQuest wand and game, 20 points to use at the arcade, a 12-ounce candy cup (THIS IS A LOT OF CANDY BRING TOOTHBRUSHES), a scoop of ice cream, a round of glow golf, and a bag of gems from the Oliver’s Mining Company experience.

Dance party at Great Wolf Lodge Grand Mound

Tip 4. BYOB: Bring Your Own Breakfast

Or you could forgo resort breakfast altogether, as there’s a fridge and microwave in all Great Wolf Lodge Grand Mound rooms.

Korene Torney brought her own breakfast and snacks (cereal, yoghurt, fruit and vegetables) for the mini-fridge. Melissa Parcel brought along cereal and doughnuts for breakfast and sandwich making items for the next day’s lunch.

Don’t forget to bring camping-style dining equipment (i.e. paper or tin plates, cups, bowls) for your in-room service.

Korene Torney’s family also went to two Oregon-born restaurant chains in nearby Centralia: McMenamins Olympic Club and Burgerville (two thumbs up for both of those destinations from Lora!).

Tip 5. Go for a midweek Great Wolf Lodge resort stay.

To avoid crazy lines at these Washington water slides and to take advantage of great deals, head to GWL during the midweek, suggests Korene Torney, a Victoria, British Columbia mom to two girls.

But first ask if the hotel’s hosting a convention during your stay, she says. Conventions can stretch the hotel’s capacity.

Tip 6. Display your cell smarts.

When you check in, you’ll get an information packet that offers a cell phone number to register on your phone. “I did this, and coupons were texted to me, “ says Kirkland, Wash., mom Shannon Maher Longcore, a mom to three kids and frequent Great Wolf Lodge guest. “It saved us some money in their restaurants.”

Tip 7. Bring these items to Great Wolf Lodge.

Some items are very, very spendy to replace on-site, should you forget them at home. Pack swim goggles, earplugs, flip-flops, Aqua Socks (if your bare feet don’t like all that pebbly concrete) and a swimsuit cover-up. A plastic or reusable bag for wet swimsuits is also recommended.

Swimsuit cover-ups are particularly necessary, Torney says: “You want one because otherwise you’re forced to wear clothes over your suit to get between room and pool.” Men should bring t-shirts or a robe.

Pajamas or warm bedtime clothing are good to bring for storytime.

You can also reserve a pack ‘n’ play for babies, but they’re first-come, first-served.

However, you don’t need to pack a towel—towels are provided for free by Great Wolf Lodge. Life jackets also come in several sizes, notes Longcore, so there’s no need to bring one from home.

If you forget something and don’t mind going out, there’s an outlet mall nearby where you can resupply.

Tip 8. Avoid financing your GWL stay

The lodge, in partnership with Affirm, now offer loans for GWL stays. The rates, however, are quite high, and can run up to 30% APR, higher than many credit cards. As well, the estimated payment amounts don’t include taxes and other fees.

Great Wolf Lodge Activity Tips

Tip 9. Dive into a two-day Grand Mound resort stay

Your pass into the GWL starts at 1 p.m. (you can access your hotel room after 4 p.m.), as long as you stop by the front desk to pick up your waterpark wrist bands.

On the second day, check-out time is 11 a.m., and you can stay until closing (8 or 9 p.m.).

There are changing rooms and lockers for use before check-in and after check-out, but the lockers are fairly expensive.

“We just put our suitcases in the car, and had a small day pack with our necessities in it. That worked out great,” says Longcore.

Tip 10. MagiQuest Pros and Cons

A complete MagiQuest or ShadowQuest game will come to more than $30 total. That’s around $16-$22 for the wand, and about $15 per “game.”

If it’s your first visit, Melissa Parcel says you may want to wait to purchase the wands: “On our first trip, we caved and bought one for our son, but we spent all of our time in the water park and didn’t get any use out of the wand.”

Older kids seem to love the wand game, however, and repeat visitors seem to love playing MagiQuest.

If you leave near Great Wolf Lodge, you can visit at anytime just to play the MagiQuest game and run around the resort, which Melissa Parcel has done twice.

“It’s a pretty inexpensive day trip if you live a short distance away,” she says.

If you want to re-engage the wand, you’ll pay again, with each new visit. You can also use the wands at other properties (provided you pay the “re-up” fee).

Tip 11. Learn how to entertain teens at Great Wolf Lodge.

Teens will probably enjoy Great Wolf Lodge’s wave pool best, but they’ll probably also enjoy the arcade and newer Howlers Peak Ropes Course (not open in winter) for the day, at $19.99. The putt-putt golf is fine, but very small.

Teen activity at Great Wolf Lodge: Howlers Peak Ropes Course

The best way to bring a teen to Great Wolf Lodge is by allowing them to bring a friend and eat a lot of candy, IMO. 

Tip 12. Host grandma or friends while staying at the resort.

Purchase additional water park wristbands (for $41.20 each) for people visiting you at the water park, even if they’re not staying overnight.

Tip 13. Freeze Great Wolf Lodge-related tantrums and meltdowns.

“I think limiting pool play to three hours at a time works well,” Korene Torney says. After three hours, Torney’s family lets the kids eat and relax in the room.

It can also help to construct a schedule. Torney’s family wakes, eats in the room (with Starbucks from the lobby, delivered by her husband), goes on the morning “Howl Walk” at 9 a.m. (which includes a free craft), then pool time from 10-1.

They rest, and eat in the room or drive to Burgerville for lunch. Then it’s back into the pool around 5-7 p.m.; out in time for evening stories.

Tip 14. Water, water everywhere…but bring a drop to drink.

“The pool room is very warm, so just remember to  drink some fresh water while there,” says Longcore.

Longcore saw some episodes of possible kid-dehydration, despite all that chlorinated water around, some children forget to sip their drinking water. A Hydroflask keeps water nice and cold.

Tip 15. Carefully select GWL activities while on site.

There are many activities on-site, and at times, Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound feels like Vegas for kids. There’s glow-in-the-dark putt-putt golf, an arcade with prizes, a ropes course, Build-a-Bear workshop, Moonstone mine…it’s a lot.

I would limit kids to one activity while there, or you could end up spending hundreds of dollars and endure endless whining. Tell the kids they’ll get to pick one activity to do on the second day. Visit each location when you first arrive, and let the children carefully consider and weigh their options.

Or do as Korene Torney does, by giving kids an allowance of $15-20 each. “With $15, the kids can enjoy a craft, buy snacks or candy, a cheap souvenir, or pool the money together for one wand.”

As is usually the case with an allowance, this provided the perfect opportunity to teach them about the value of money while eliminating the perpetual ‘I wants,’” Torney says. “It worked great for us this year. They both bought ridiculous souvenirs, but enjoyed every minute of it.”

Tip: Bring your own hands-on activities, Torney says, and avoid spending too much on all the extras that cost extra (stuffed animals, putt-putt golf, and so on). You can pick up an inexpensive craft kit at Marshall’s or another discount store. 

Tip 16. Keep an ear and eye out for GWL freebies.

At times, there may be special free servings of cupcakes or cookies, free yoga classes, free crafts, evening dance parties, or other options you’d like to try out. Check the daily activity board, and read up on activity options in advance. Kids under age 3 eat for free in the Loose Moose, too.

Oh, and a set of wolf ears are included with your resort fee.

Tip 17. Snag your Great Wolf Lodge poolside spot.

“Friends of ours get down to the water area early and camp out at a table,” Longcore says. “If your kids are much older, and don’t need parents hovering, a table would be great.”

You can find more answers on the Great Wolf Ask-A-Mom site (but these answers seem to be pre-vetted by a corporate PR firm). 

Tip 18. Try some grown-up Great Wolf Lodge fun

The best part about taking older kids to GWL is that adults enjoy a cocktail or beer in the Lodge Wood Fired Grill while the kids watch a movie in the room or play MagiQuest. Or so I’ve heard. Your howlage may vary, depending on your kid’s maturity levels and ability to not go running into traffic. Leave lone wolves at your own risk.

Lodge Wood Fired Grill

Do you have great tips (or a promo or coupon code!) for families headed to the Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, Washington State? Leave your tips in the comments.

Read more about British Columbia (BC) Water Parks and Water Slides.

Filed Under: Great Wolf Lodge, Water Parks, Pools & Amusement Parks Tagged With: Great Wolf, great wolf lodge, tips, Washington State, water parks

February 2, 2020

13 Washington Spring Break Ideas for Families

Whether you plan to take the train for car-free daytrip, or want a multi-day road trip, there’s a Washington State destination just right for your family spring break getaway.

Northwest Washington Family Spring Break Ideas

1. Bellingham. A sweet little city often overlooked by families motoring up I-5; the college town of Bellingham deserves it own multi-day stay. See my post on 20 Things to Do in Bellingham with Kids, go on a scenic drive (stop often for candy!) and play in the snow at Mt. Baker.

2. San Juan Islands. Watch for whales on the Washington State Ferries  ride, then arrive in the supercute village of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, where you’ll probably stay, unless you go out to Roche Harbor. Drive around the island, using the article 13 things to do with kids on San Juan Island as your guide. Great vacation with bigger kids (elementary age).

3. Whidbey Island. An often less-expensive alternative to San Juan Island, Whidbey Island’s got it all: great dining, an unbelievably cool bookstore-puppet shop, and plenty of hikes and beach excursions.

Seattle-Area Spring Break Ideas

4. Seattle. Spend a day or two at Seattle Center, and don’t miss these 35 free and cheap things to do with kids in Seattle. You could also combine a trip here with Bainbridge Island, just a ferry ride away. Check out Bainbridge Island’s guide to kids’ activities.

5. Tacoma. Yes, you’re very near Seattle, but Tacoma deserves its own spring break exploration, in my opinion, particularly with toddlers and preschoolers. Visit the beluga whales at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (and let the kids go nuts on the great outside play structures) then bring toddlers to the new Children’s Museum of Tacoma.

6. Great Wolf Lodge. Read up on these 18 tips for staying at Great Wolf Lodge (in Grand Mound, about halfway between Portland and Seattle). You could combine a trip here with a stop in Olympia (Olympia is cool, but not worth an overnight stay, IMO). As well, Great Wolf Lodge now offers day passes, so you can also visit for around 10 hours of pool play—without staying overnight.

Washington Coast & Olympic Peninsula Family Spring Break Ideas

7. Long Beach. Washington’s low-key answer to the Oregon Coast, with plenty to keep you busy for a weekend. Ride a horse, visit Jake the Alligator Man at Marsh’s Free Museum, play in the Long Beach sand (well, after you’ve put on a raincoat) and tour Cape Disappointment State Park.

8. Port Townsend. This Victorian seaport is inherently charming, and offers great family-friendly dining and activities for families. You could easily spend a few days here, with excursions to visit Port Angeles‘s kid-friendly picks.

Eastern Washington and Southwest Washington Family Spring Break Ideas

9. Columbia Gorge. I grew up here! But don’t hold that against the Columbia Gorge. Check in at the Skamania Lodge (offering MANY kid-friendly spring-break activities), then go for a Columbia Gorge hike and count the violets for me.

10. Leavenworth and Lake Chelan. Tiny Leavenworth is great for a day or two—check out these quick guides on things to do with kids in Leavenworth and kid-friendly dining. But this destination can be combined with other destinations. Or head to Lake Chelan. This popular destination is another two hours away, but if you’re willing to make this a road trip, Lake Chelan’s pedestrian-friendly town and lovely lakeside views are worth another day or two.

11. Spokane. A wonderful getaway with chilly (but probably sunny) weather. Check out my article on the best of Spokane with kids and enjoy the brand-new Mobius Science Museum.

12. Suncadia. Combine a resort stay at Suncadia with a tour of the still-very-vintage (AKA rustic) ex-mining town of Roslyn-Cle Elum.

13. Walla Walla. If you like to unwind from a family day with a glass of wine, Walla Walla has you all set, with more than 100 wineries in town. But there’s plenty of non-vino activities (thank goodness!) to keep kids occupied, including a children’s museum.

This post was updated in February 2020 with fresh content and links.

Filed Under: Pacific Northwest Spring Break with Kids, Washington State Tagged With: Families, Seattle, spring break, Tacoma

January 19, 2020

Family Day Trips from the Seattle Area

If you’ve only got a day, try one of these family-friendly daytrips from the Seattle area for winter break, spring break or a weekend escape:

Bellingham with Kids Daytrip

Take I-5 North to Bellingham and enjoy the town’s artsy vibe, parks and museums, then get a cool scoop at Mallard Ice Cream. In fact, there are over 20 family-friendly things to do in Bellingham.

If you don’t want to drive as far as Bellingham, try the picture-perfect, riverfront town of La Conner for spring’s tulip festivals or just to stroll streets stacked with bookstores, toy shops and museums.

A typical storefront in La Conner

Don’t forget to try the Banana Coconut Cakes at Calico Cupboard Cafe.

Time one-way to Bellingham: About one hour, 40 minutes.

Kitsap County with Kids Daytrip

A quick ferry from downtown Seattle delivers you to Bremerton, where you can pick up a pack of Belgian frites at Fritz European Fry House or tour the U.S.S. Turner Joy warship (my son loved the maze of sleeping bunks and chow hall). At Bremerton’s small, affordable Quarters Arcade, you can pick up plenty of skeeball points and questionable prizes (that kids love).

You can do this passenger-only, and walk around downtown Bremerton, but pay close attention to return-ferry times.

Maybe you can find your sea-legs aboard the U.S.S. Joy — I obviously didn’t!

If you brought a car, drive up the peninsula to enjoy the Nordic themes and the SEA Discovery Center in Poulsbo, which has a replica tide pool and doesn’t charge an admission fee. If you’re not exhausted yet, end your day at Bainbridge Island’s KiDiMu. Ride the ferry home, from Bainbridge to Seattle.

Time one-way to Bremerton: About one hour, but pack lots of snacks if you embark on this trip, which is considerably longer.

Olympia Daytrip with Kids

Visit Olympia’s stellar Hands On Children’s Museum with little kids or the Washington State Capitol Building with big kids. Then spend a few hours in the local toy stores, cafes and at Olympia’s April-December farmer’s market. Read more here: Daytrip: Olympia with Kids.

Finding out what’s up with George at the Washington State Capitol

Need more to do? On the way down, you can always make a stop at Tacoma’s Point Defiance Zoo. Or visit the 19th-century fort at Fort Nisqually’s Living History Museum, which now has an escape room.

Time one-way to Olympia: About one hour

Snoqualmie Pass Daytrip with Kids

If the snow skipped your neighborhood, there’s still a chance of catching the white stuff up on Snoqualmie Pass, even into early spring. Whether sledding or snowshoeing at Hyak, skiing at Summit West, tubing at Summit Tubing Center or just playing in the snow, the Cascades offer dramatic vistas of cloud-wrapped, evergreen-studded peaks. Read more at The Summit at Snoqualmie website.

Sledding and snowshoeing at Hyak

In summer, either stay mountaintop and enjoy the cool breezes or push on just a little further over the mountains and let the kids visit “The Dry Side.” Central-Eastern Washington features a dry, hot, arid landscape and rolling hills of bleached grass. Your kids might not think they’re still in Washington. A prime pick: Washington’s weird little Petrified Gingko Forest (about 2 hours from Seattle; head to downtown Ellensburg for food).

Time: 45-90 minutes or more , depending upon road conditions. In winter, pack chains and check road conditions before leaving.

 

Filed Under: Day Trips, Kid-friendly Trip Ideas, Seattle Tagged With: daytrips, kids, Seattle, small towns

January 7, 2020

Washington National Parks with Kids

Get the kids excited about your upcoming trip to a National Park, National Recreation Area or National Historic Site in Washington State. Here, I’ve gathered information on great kids’ programs, Junior Ranger programs, camps and living-history museums. Don’t forget that if you have a fourth-grade child, you can get free admission to certain parks.

At the larger parks, I suggest stopping by the visitor centers, which may offer local pelts to pet, replica ranger cabins, models of the park’s range and other hands-on activities.

Western Washington Family-Friendly National Parks

Olympic National Park. Western Washington State. For kids: Check out the well-loved Junior Ranger program, this list of Olympic National Park activities for families and children, plus volunteer and ecological adventure camps for teens in the Olympic National Park.

Olympic National Park with Kids
Stopping by Olympic National Park’s Discovery Ranger Station with kids

Lewis and Clark National Historic Park. Southwest Washington (Coast). This park is shared between Washington and Oregon locations, as ol’ L&C ended their journey at the mouth of the Columbia River. Print out the Junior Ranger workbook in advance to give kids context (ages 4 and up), but I recommend Oregon’s Fort Clatsop, just over the border, which seems frozen in time. Check out the National Historic Park’s summer camps, too.

Mount Rainier National Park. Western Washington State.For kids: Get sworn in as a Junior Ranger after filling out the workbooks available at the Paradise Jackson Visitor Center. Stop by the new Sunrise visitor center and hike a trail. Find more to do with kids and teens at the Mount Rainier National Park.

Mt. Rainier with Kids
Mt. Rainier with Kids

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. Vancouver, Washington. For kids: Learn about life in the 19th century! New playground, junior ranger program (download the Junior Ranger workbook), overnight and day camps and The “Kids Dig” archaeology program for ages 8-12, but only 20 spots are available. Reserve in advance.

Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve. Northwest Washington. Download the Junior Ranger workbook before you go to the wildlife-rich location, or pick up a copy while there.

Klondike Gold Rush — Seattle Unit. Seattle, Washington. Right in downtown Seattle, learn about the region’s intertwined history with gold at this indoor museum (it is NOT an actual park). Do the Junior Ranger thing or listen to a live performance on the second Sunday of the month.

San Juan Island National Historical Park. San Juan Island, Washington State. Earn that junior ranger badge! Here’s a tip, mom and dad — print out the workbook in advance, then bring the completed pages to the English Camp or the American Camp. But the costumed story-tellers and reenactments are the most intriguing and unique elements here, so check out the schedule before boarding the ferry.

Central Washington Family-Friendly National Parks

North Cascades National Park. North-Central Washington State. For kids: New Junior Ranger and Scout Ranger programs, helpfully broken down into age-appropriate junior ranger materials for ages 3 and up. Download forms before you go and you’ll have plenty to keep the kids occupied en route. Discover more via the North Cascades NP’s site for kids.

North Cascade Lakes with Kids
North Cascade Lakes with Kids

Eastern Washington Family-Friendly National Parks

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. Northeastern Washington. Roosevelt offers a Junior Ranger program (check in at the Fort Spokane Visitor Center), attend a ranger-led program and learn about wildlife and frontier life.

Whitman Mission National Historic Site. Southeastern Washington. No one is as polarizing as Narcissa Whitman. As recently in the 1980s, many of us learned that the missionary Whitmans were basically sacrificial saints. Not everyone feels this way, suffice it to say. Head here to explore the controversy and get a Junior Ranger badge.

Filed Under: Get Outdoors! Camping & Hiking Trips, Kid-friendly Trip Ideas

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