Olympia…Not Just a Law Makin’ Place…
August 15th, 2010 by Stacey Lovett
You
know what is lying not too far from Kitsap County?
Olympia…our state’s capital. And you know what it is filled
with? Family fun! For us, Olympia had always just been
a place to pass by on the way to Portland. However,
last
September on a rainy (dare I even say the word for fear that it may
come back?) Sunday we hopped in the car and went exploring.
This is what we found:
Wolf
Haven is a wolf conservation where you can get up close and
personal with the rehibilated animals. They offer kid
friendly tours on the hour and also provide day camps and howl-ins
(evening programs). It really is quite interesting to learn
about these spectaluar animals. Wolf Haven is located
southeast of Olympia about 15 minutes or so. They are open
limited days in the summer and only on the weekends in the
fall/winter. It is definatly worth checking out.
I wouldn’t touch the real live
wolves either if I were you girls…
I
don’t know who looks meaner…the wolves or the girls…
He
sure had a lot to say. In fact I think he was saying, “Hey tour
group…get out of my space!”…
We
learned from the pros…
Our
next stop was the Washington State Capitol building…the
birthplace of our state’s laws. http://www.ga.wa.gov/visitor/
The Capitol is a massive, beautiful building. You can
either take a self guided tour or jump in on a guided
one. They hand out packets for the kids and welcome
visitors with open arms.
George and his
peeps…
A’s favorite
part of the capital was the green, springy grass. “It is sooo
beautiful!” “Look how it sproungs back up after you step on
it!” “I love to run on it!” History making, shmistory making…the
Capitol’s got grass!!!
Right
across the street from the Capitol is the Hands On Children’s Museum
http://www.hocm.org/ This
museum is a little gem. We have been going since the girls
were wee little babes. It is small, but very well run,
interactive, and kids love it. And I just noticed on their
website that it appears they now have an outdoor exhibit and are
currently building a brand new facitlity that will open in the fall
of 2011.
Being
amused…
There
is also a great little bakery,
Wagner’s Bakery, right around the corner from the museum
in case you need to grab lunch or a sweet treat. Not to
mention The
Lemon Grass. The Lemon Grass is up the street a bit and
quite possibly the best Thai food I have ever eaten.
Yummmyummm!
The final
stop on our tour of Olympia was
Cabela’s off I-5 in Lacy, WA. While we are
not big outdoor hunter/fisherman (and by not big I mean not at
all), Cabela’s is pretty cool for the mere fact that it is filled
with all sorts of wild animals. They may not be alive, but
they are still pretty darn impressive. And you
can purchase just about anything you would ever need
pertaining to the outdoors.
Look
out…Look OUT…LOOK OUT…
And
that concludes our whirlwind tour of our state’s Capitol. I
know there is much more too see (like the outdoor farmer’s market
for one), but we only had a day. So go ahead and give Olympia
a snoop through. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in what
you just might find.
-Stacey is a mom of two and a wife of one who likes her family (good thing), traveling, reading celebrity gossip (I’m not ashamed), and cooking. You can read more about her and the crew at her blog Oh Happy Days.
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Tags: adventures, kid friendly, Olympia, travel
Five local, awesome moms take on motherhood, blogging, life in exciting Kitsap County and beyond! Join Wendy, Stacey, Michelle, Lisa and Jenny in their adventures together and separately - The Mom Squad!
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
August 26th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
That George is kinda hot.