ICONIC SEATTLE SIGHTS / HANDY TRAVEL TIPS / LOCAL FOOD & DRINK WASHINGTONSTATE INTERNATIONAL VISITORS’ GUIDE ESCAPE TO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST A GATEWAY TO MOUNTAINS, FORESTS, BEACHES, ISLANDS, AND MORE 10 UNIQUE REGIONS AND WAYS TO PLAY OUTSIDE / INTRO to ELCOME / WASHINGTON Seattle is a city where art meets nature and exquisite northwest cuisine pairs perfectly with local Washington wines. With over 200 cruise ship departures offering a variety of Seattle to Alaska itineraries and convenient international flights, it’s also where your Pacific Northwest and Alaska adventure begins! Why not add on a few days in Seattle to experience the city’s celebrated coffee culture and outstanding shopping? Maybe the natural beauty of Washington State is what you crave. Explore stunning national parks, volcanic mountains, lush rain forests, wild Pacific Ocean beaches and historic seaport towns. You C may even catch a glimpse of our local resident orcas on a visit to one of the M beautiful San Juan Islands. Y CM MY For more information on Seattle or Washington State CY visit www.Seattle-WashingtonStateUK.co.uk CMY or www.visitseattle.org K Diablo Lake in North Cascades National Park COVER IMAGE: JUSTIN BAILIE / TANDEMSTOCK.COM; THIS PAGE: CHECUBUS SHUTTERSTOCK.COM NESTLED IN AMERICA’S PACIFIC NORTHWEST, Washington state is a kaleidoscope of landscapes, cultures, and experiences. Bustling cities give way to evergreen forests, rocky coastlines, majestic mountains, rolling WWW.PORTOFSEATTLE.ORG WWW.VISITSEATTLE.ORG wheat fields, roaring rivers, and more. Spend your holiday diving into our unspoiled wilds and wandering our urban centres and small towns. Embrace the sights, flavours, and personalities that make Washington truly unforgettable. www.portseattle.org We welcome you to the Evergreen State! WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM WWW.SEATTLE-WASHINGTONSTATEUK.CO.UK / WASHINGTON STATE INTERNATIONAL VISITORS' GUIDE / 1 / METRO / EATTLE SIGHTS NICKNAMED THE EMERALD CITY, SEATTLE IS BURSTING WITH UNFORGETTABLE ATTRACTIONS AND EXPERIENCES. HERE ARE SOME YOU JUST CAN’T MISS... Space Washington Needle / State Ferry FROM LEFT: SPOTMATIK LTD / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; ARTAZUM & IRIANA SHIYAN SHUTTERSTOCK.COM 2 / WASHINGTON STATE INTERNATIONAL VISITORS' GUIDE / WWW.SEATTLE-WASHINGTONSTATEUK.CO.UK WASHINGTON STATE INTERNATIONAL VISITORS' GUIDE / 3 / METRO / Great Wheel EMP Museum Pike Place Seattle Seahawk Market Richard Sherman SPACE NEEDLE CHIHULY GARDEN WASHINGTON SEATTLE GREAT WHEEL UNDERGROUND TOURS MUSEUM OF HISTORY FREMONT TROLL SPORTS TEAMS AND GLASS STATE FERRIES & INDUSTRY (MOHAI) Built for the 1962 World’s The largest Ferris wheel Below the streets of Famous for appearing in Experience epic American Fair, this unique structure A popular visitor attraction on America’s West Coast is At the foot of the Space Seattle’s historic Pioneer Discover what makes movies like the 1999 Heath sport like a local, just south is the symbol of the city. Needle, this art showcase is in Washington state is 53 metres tall and perched Square neighborhood are Seattle the city it is today at Ledger flick 10 Things I Hate of downtown Seattle. Here Take a lift up to the open- devoted to world-renowned hopping on a ferry boat on the edge of Pier 57, the remains of the city’s this museum on the shores About You, this sculpture you’ll find CenturyLink Field, air observation deck, where glass artist—and native Pacific across Puget Sound. These overlooking Elliott Bay. original downtown. Several of Lake Union. Explore beneath the Aurora Bridge home of American football’s the region’s rich maritime you can revel in the views Northwesterner—Dale Chi- massive vessels depart from Clamber inside one of the companies offer guided tours makes for a unique photo op. Seattle Seahawks, as well as heritage, its legacy of of cityscape, Elliott Bay, and huly. See his colourful glass downtown Seattle at Pier 52. weatherproof gondolas for of the underground labyrinth, Climb onto its shoulder and soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC. technology and innovation, distant mountain ranges. For works in the exhibit halls, or Walk or drive on board to an up-close view of the city so you can walk through check out the real Volkswagen Baseball’s Mariners are at wander the garden to take in and snapshots from the past an unforgettable meal, stop at soak up the views of the city skyline, the action-packed subterranean sidewalks Beetle in its hand. Safeco Field, next door. sculptural pieces that stud the several decades. the SkyCity restaurant up top, skyline and forested islands waterfront, and the ferries and learn more about the landscape. In the glasshouse, which rotates 360 degrees before landing in the quaint gliding by. Each ride goes pioneers who built the city. an installation 30.5 metres in Chihuly Garden every 47 minutes. towns of Bainbridge Island around three times, so there BALLARD LOCKS and Glass length is suspended overhead. or Bremerton on the Kitsap are plenty of opportunities KLONDIKE GOLD PIKE PLACE MARKET Peninsula. Ride home at dusk to take pictures and Opened in 1917, this CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: CPAULFELL / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; MAX HERMAN / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; STEVE LAGRECA SHUTTERSTOCK.COM RUSH NATIONAL EMP MUSEUM for a sunset view. enjoy the various sights. engineering marvel, More than 10 million HISTORICAL PARK officially named the Hiram people visit Pike Place Market Architect Frank O. M. Chittenden Locks, lets Fremont Troll every year. It’s one of the Gehry designed the The Yukon gold rush of a parade of boats travel oldest continuously operat- colourful stainless steel 1897 brought hordes of between a freshwater lake ing markets in America and and aluminium curves of prospectors to Seattle hoping and the saltwaters of Puget has more than 200 vendors this museum. Inside EMP to catch a boat to Alaska and Sound. Watch as the water selling produce, flowers, food, is equally stunning with strike it rich. Take a walk in levels rise and fall to allow fish, and crafts. Snap a picture interactive exhibits about their gold-seeking shoes at everything from sailboats to in front of the famous neon music, pop culture, and this Pioneer Square museum, barges pass through. Then sign, gather with the crowds science fiction. Learn about where exhibits include gold- explore the neighbouring to watch the fish-tossing rit- fantasy worlds, see what’s panning demonstrations, botanical garden and a fish ual, queue up at the original scary in horror films, and walking tours of the historic ladder, where you may see Starbucks, or just browse the record a unique track as neighbourhood, and artefacts salmon leaping up the steps stalls for seasonal flowers. your own jam band. from that time. during spawning season. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: CDRIN / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; LARRY MAURER COURTESY SEATTLE SEAHAWKS; CHIHULY GARDEN AND GLASS 4 / WASHINGTON STATE INTERNATIONAL VISITORS' GUIDE / WWW.SEATTLE-WASHINGTONSTATEUK.CO.UK / PARKS MT. RAINIER NATIONAL PARK Fire meets ice at America’s most notable volcano. Visible from many viewpoints / GREAT OUTDOORS in the state, including Seattle, Mount Rainier is a 4,392-metre-tall volcano clad in glaciers. The iconic peak is a symbol of the state’s unspoiled beauty. Within WASHINGTON FEATURES WONDERFUL WILDERNESS, WITH THREE NATIONAL PARKS Mt. Rainier National Park, find some of the finest old-growth forest, including AND DOZENS OF STATE PARKS AND NATIONAL MONUMENTS DEDICATED TO the Grove of the Patriarchs, which has trees more than a millennium old. Reach alpine fields by hiking from Paradise through wildflower meadows in PRESERVING THE MAGNIFICENCE OF NATURE. FROM MOSSY OLD-GROWTH summer. Even a relatively modest walk from the Paradise Visitor Centre affords FORESTS AND WILDFLOWER-LADEN MEADOWS TO IMPENETRABLE MOUNTAINS, expansive views of the Puget Sound basin. For a more relaxed experience, drive to the Sunrise area, the park’s highest point accessible by vehicle, to glimpse ROARING WATERFALLS, AND PACIFIC COAST BEACHES, WASHINGTON IS THE the breathtaking vista spread out below. Crane your neck upward to inspect the PLACE TO TRULY EMBRACE THE GREAT OUTDOORS. glacier-clad summit and experience this truly majestic place. Hiking at Paradise in Mt. Rainier National Park TUSHARKOLEY / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM » 6 / WASHINGTON STATE INTERNATIONAL VISITORS' GUIDE / WWW.SEATTLE-WASHINGTONSTATEUK.CO.UK WWW.SEATTLE-WASHINGTONSTATEUK.CO.UK / WASHINGTON STATE INTERNATIONAL VISITORS' GUIDE / 7 / PARKS / OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK One of America’s largest and best-known parks is vast and diverse. With almost one million acres, Olympic National Park is home to impressive temperate rain forests, towering Douglas firs, jagged cliffs, and rocky Pacific Coast beaches. The park was declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 1976 and a World Heritage Site in 1981. Locals and visitors flock here in summer, when the park’s 600 miles of hiking trails are open for exploration. Highlights include Hurricane Ridge, a massive mountain NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK adventures to wilderness backpacking treks. One of the most playground featuring trailheads popular ways to explore is the Cascade Pass hike. Traverse and accessible adventures. This wilderness preserve offers a gorgeous alpine landscape the seven-mile trail’s 30 or so switchbacks until saw-toothed Elsewhere, explore gems like of jagged peaks crowned by more than 300 glaciers. Old- Johannesburg Mountain comes in view. At the pass itself, fields the mystical Hoh Rain Forest, growth trees tower skyward, and a profusion of wildflowers of flowers beckon, and