Olympia, Washington

Hey y’all, and welcome to the Northwest Coast with us!!

This particular location holds a special place in our hearts, being three of our kiddo’s are here. This trip was for fun, and boy did we have butt loads of that!! 29 hours drive time without stops from Chickasha, Oklahoma to Olympia was the longest haul I’ve had to make yet, but it went smoothly and the hours flew by. (Check out this tiktok to get a glimpse of the shenanigans!)

This trip was particularly special, because it was my first time meeting 3 of Greg’s boys. When I tell you my heart grew a whole three sizes that week…. don’t underestimate that statement.

Olympia

Olympia is known as the counter culture hub of the United States and also for its arts scene. Although this isn’t exactly my cup of tea, I support the movement and I did VERY much enjoy the wide range of murals and sculptures we found everywhere we went. The most interesting to me in the arts realm is that grunge music was born here! For those of you who would like to dive deeper in general Olympia history- check this out!

Port of Olympia was my favorite place we went locally around Olympia. With parks for the kids, a boardwalk, water access and a plethora of shops and restaurants, it is such a cute little place to hang out for an afternoon! Timber resources are what fuels the economy in the area, and during WWII, Port of Olympia hosted ship building facilities and served as a transport hub for lend-lease cargo. The waters there are so beautiful!

However, I can’t deny that West Port was hands down my favorite part of our Washington visit, even though I can’t say a West Coast Beach even begins to hold a light to an East Coast Beach (you can take the girl out of the southeast but you can’t take the southeast out of the girl!). We spent some time playing in the water, even though it was WAY too cold to be in the ocean water there in August (#worthit)!

If I make any recommendation on what is a must see in the West Port area, go climb the 135 stairs of Greys Harbor Lighthouse! The staff was friendly, excited about sharing the history with us and it was a really neat place to be able to see and touch! (Also…. IT WAS CHEAP!!!)

Standing at 107′ tall, Greys Harbor Lighthouse, is the tallest lighthouse in Washington, and the 3rd tallest on the West Coast (Cape Charles on the east coast puts it to shame standing at 191′ tall). When the structure was started in 1897 and lit for the first time in 1898, the lighthouse became an automated light in 1960. When construction began, the base stood 400ft from the waters edge, but due to the jetty system, is now 3,000ft from the waters edge at high tide. (What is a jetty, and what does it do? <<–Fascinating!)