Experience Olympia's Public Art
Take a self-guided tour. Each piece of art on Olympia's mile-long, waterfront Percival Landing boardwalk has a red sign noting a phone number you can call from your cell phone for a recorded message about the piece.
Be awed by the Salmon Run art exhibition in the lobby of The Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St NW, in downtown Olympia. Each sculpture was handcrafted by a local artist or group.
While at The Olympia Center, reflect on the beauty of Dale Chihuly's Spectra Yellow Macchia with Turquoise Lip Wrap. The Olympia Center is home to the City of Olympia Parks, Arts and Recreation Department and the Olympia Senior Center.
View Olympia's Public Art Collection.
Savor a Taste of the Northwest
Your visit to the Capital City isn't complete without a stop at the largest farmers market in Washington State, the Olympia Farmers Market. Picturesquely located at Olympia's waterfront, foot of Capitol Way. Open April thru December - Thursday thru Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Enjoy some Family Fun
FREE Community Festivals. Check our list for information.
Voted the "Best Place To Take Kids" for nine years in a row, the Hands On Children's Museum is one of the Northwest's premier youth museums! Designed for children and parents to enjoy together, the Museum features four major exhibit galleries with hundreds of interactive exhibits, a Young at Art Studio, and the TotSpot Early Learning Center designed for children ages birth to four. Visit Hands On for the day or the weekend and discover why Olympia is ranked as one of the best places in the nation to raise a family! Check the Museum's website for hours. Small admission fee.
Be Young at Heart
Splash in Olympia's Heritage Park Fountain at 330 5th Avenue SW in downtown Olympia (closed Wednesdays).
Bring a picnic lunch. Enjoy scenic views of the Capitol dome to the south and the Olympic Mountains to the south.
Step Back in Time
Visit the Bigelow House Museum, Olympia's oldest wood framed residence. The Bigelow House was built in 1860 by Oregon Trail pioneer Daniel Bigelow and his wife Ann Elizabeth Bigelow. The Bigelow House displays original family furnishings, Victorian-era artifacts, and reproduced wallpaper patterns and carpeting. Address: 918 Glass Street, Olympia.
Explore two floors of regional Native American and Olympia history exhibits at the State Capital Museum. The elegant C.J. and Elizabeth Lord mansion in Olympia's historic South Capitol residential neighborhood is home to the Washington State Historical Society's State Capital Museum. Address: 211 West 21st Avenue, Olympia.
Learn about early Tumwater pioneer Nathaniel Crosby and his wife Cordelia Jane Smith Crosby (grandparents of famed singer Bing Crosby) with a tour of Tumwater's 1858 Crosby House. The Crosby House is one of the oldest wood framed houses in Washington State. Its furnishings include a grand piano that was shipped around Cape Horn. Address: 703 Deschutes Way SW, Tumwater.
Unwind for the Day
Enjoy forest solitude in Olympia's Watershed Park. Hike the 1.5 mile, mixed surface trail loop (including boardwalks and steps) that winds through a portion of the 153 acre park - temperate rain forest, springs, and Moxlie Creek. Home to owls, deer, and salmon. Location: Trailhead parking lot on Henderson Boulevard, south of Interstate 5 in Olympia.
Descend from forest to salt water along the Ellis Cove Trail at Priest Point Park. Site of ancient Squaxin Island family vilages, now characterized by towering trees and nesting osprey. The tidal shoreline trail crosses watersheds before ending on the Puget Sound shore; gravel beach and mud flats at low tide. Opportunities to see waterfowl and waterviews. Location: 2600 East Bay Drive NE, Olympia, at Priest Point Park. 2.4 mile trail, mixed surfacing including boardwalks and steps. East side of park has shorter trails.
View a list of City of Olympia Parks and Trails.
Moor your boat and stroll along Olympia's one mile waterfront boardwalk , Percival Landing. On a clear day, enjoy scenic views of the Olympic Mountains. Restaurants, shops, playground and restroom facilities line the walkway. Viewing tower at the north end within the Port Plaza. Location: downtown Olympia along the waterfront.
Bring your binoculars and explore the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge on the Nisqually River Delta. Three thousand acres of salt and freshwater marshes, grasslands, riparian, and mixed forest habitats provide resting and nesting areas for migratory waterfowl, songbirds, raptors, and wading birds. One (1) mile and 5.5 mile trails. The 1 mile Nisqually River Trail is ADA accessible and runs through a wooded plain with views to the scenic river. The Visitor Center is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Location: 100 Brown Farm Road, Olympia (Interstate 5 at Exit 114 - follow the signs).
Explore the Tradition of State Government
As Washington State's capital city, Olympia is home to one of the last great 
domed capitols built in America. Set on a bluff overlooking Puget Sound, it stands 28 stories high. Forty-two broad granite steps lead up to the entrance which symbolize Washington's place as the 42nd state in the Union.
A team of thirty artisans spent five years carving the building's details in sandstone, marble, and wood. Stone ox skulls circle the base of the dome in a frieze that commemorates Washington's ox-cart pioneers. Elaborate plaster ceilings, rich with eagles and gilded rosettes, crown each legislative chamber. Interior railings and doorknobs bear the official state seal. Louis Comfort Tiffany in the last of his major commissions, designed the building's floor lamps, sconces, and chandeliers. His five-ton Angels of Mercy chandelier, centerpiece of the rotunda, hangs from the dome on a massive 101-foot chain.
For tour information, check the State Capitol Visitor Information webpages, or call 360-586-8687. The State Capitol Visitor Center is located at 14th Avenue and Capitol Way. The visitor center is open 8-5, Monday through Friday, September through May. Summer hours are 8-5, Monday through Friday, and 10-4 Saturday and Sunday. For more information call (360) 586-3460.