Olympia Makes a Great Family Day Trip

The Washington Capitol is already a popular spot for school field trips and other educational excursions, but the surrounding city of Olympia has plenty of other activities for kids to explore. Located just 63 miles from Redmond, the town can provide a full day’s worth of family fun or serve as a great lunch stop on the way to the mountains and beaches of the Olympic Peninsula.

Hands On Children’s Museum

If you have kids age 10 and under you’ll want to visit the Hands On Children’s Museum on 106 11th Ave. SW across from the state capitol building. Off I-5 going south take exit 105-A. There is parking available just down the street one block east. Bring quarters or dollar bills to feed the automatic parking machines, which charge fifty cents an hour.  If you are going on the weekend, parking is free.

Admission for kids age two to 12 is $7.95, toddlers under two are $5.95, and babies are free. Adults are $7.95, and seniors age 62 and up are $6.95. There is a coupon on the museum website  for “out of county visitors” to save a dollar.

The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The museum also is open late every first Friday of the month from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. with free admission.

The museum offers a number of great exhibits that are engaging and educational.  Kids love the Working Waterfront room, where they get to unload cargo and sail boats and learn about currents on a giant water table. Budding engineers enjoy the Build It area, which includes a giant magnetic ball run, a kid-scaled construction zone and a kid-sized dump truck.

The museum’s Art Studio provides a large assortment of materials and project ideas and drop in classes.

Your nature lover will enjoy the Backyard Wilderness area that features a tree house, Wildlife rescue center (with animal puppet residents) and a puppet theater. This area also has a great backyard stage where kids can act out with costumes and lighting and sound effects.

Toddlers enjoy the TotSpot area with its age-appropriate play areas and toys. This area also offers a wealth of parenting books for parents to enjoy while at the museum. The TotSpot area is quiet and out of the way and probably the best place in the museum to nurse.

Your budding medical professional will enjoy the museum’s Good For You exhibit, where they can work a shift in the Emergency Room, complete with a Medic One van. Nearby is the pretend grocery and family kitchen which is also popular for pretend play.

The museum has a coffee area set up for parents to enjoy and a small gift shop featuring some great educational toys so consider letting your child bring some spending money. 

Next year the museum will move to a new building on the waterfront. The new museum’s website gives all the details on this fabulous new building's location on Olympia’s East Bay, which will feature both indoor and outdoor learning and play centers.

Great Family Meal Options

If your family is hungry for lunch or dinner after your museum visit, head down the street to Wagner’s European Bakery and Café on 1013 Capitol Way S.  This family-owned bakery has been in business since 1938 and is open seven days a week. Have one of their delicious sandwiches for lunch. Bring home a box of delicious baked goods including éclairs and amazing cinnamon bread. Other options for lunch nearby include Subway and Meconi’s Italian Subs.

Olympia’s Farmers Market

Located just a short drive from the museum, at 700 Capitol Way, is the Olympia Farmer’s Market. There is plenty of free parking behind the market.  The market is open Thursday to Sunday, April to October and Saturdays and Sundays November and December. The market is the second-largest farmer’s market in the state and offers live entertainment and more than 100 vendors selling locally grown produce, meat and dairy, fresh and dried flowers, handmade soaps, art, honey and baked goods. There is also a food court.

Kayak Rentals at Tugboat Annies

Explore Bud Inlet in a kayak rented from Tugboat Annies restaurant at 2100 Westbay Drive. You use at your own risk and need to be able to launch and dock without assistance. You and your kids must be strong swimmers, and everyone needs to wear life jackets at times. Reservations are recommended: Call 360-943-1850. More information is available on the Tugboat Annies website. Ask about the “Kayak and Breakfast special,” where for $45 you get breakfast for two, coffee and kayaks (including doubles if you call to request them ahead of time). They also offer great kids meal options, including fish and chips and corn dogs.

Outdoor Shopping Heaven at Cabela’s

On the way home, if you have a hiker, fly fisher, boat lover or camper in your pack, head to Cabela’s, the mother of all outdoor stores, just north of Olympia in Lacey at 1600 Gateway Blvd. NE. Take exit 111 off I-5. Open seven days a week, this store is so big it has its own restaurant and an indoor archery range. 

My frugal family appreciates the store’s Bargain Cave, where we’ve gotten great deals on hiking boots, coats and other outdoor gear. 

My son likes to marvel at the many museum-quality stuffed animals and the residents of the store’s several huge aquariums, while my husband loves all the fly fishing gear.  

Cabela's is a great place to get outdoor gear for kids and toddlers, including super-warm coats, kid-sized hiking shoes, study water sport sandals and youth fishing waders.  

Fair warning, it takes awhile to get from the I-5 exit to the store.  You will play a few rounds of “are we lost and this can’t be the way there” before you arrive.  I think they do that on purpose so you feel the need to buy some supplies to survive the trip back to I-5.

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