Start from 35 curated places around Olympia, WA, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Budd Bay Cafe
A longtime waterfront mainstay on Percival Landing with big windows over Budd Inlet and a Northwest seafood menu built around local salmon, oysters, and crab. The Sunday brunch spread is the thing locals bring out-of-town guests for; otherwise it's a reliable sit-down lunch with a view.
Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar
A counter-and-tables oyster bar inside the 222 Market run by a working South Sound shellfish farm, so the oysters are about as local as it gets. Expect a tight, seafood-forward menu, a strong cocktail list, and a clam chowder regulars order on repeat; it's the spot for a date-night raw bar downtown.
Trails & outdoors
Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk and Twin Barns Trail
A flat, accessible boardwalk that carries you out over the Nisqually River delta at the Billy Frank Jr. National Wildlife Refuge, a short drive northeast of Olympia. It's the region's premier birding walk -- herons, eagles, otters, and seasonal migrations -- with the long estuary boardwalk as the payoff at the end.
Watershed Park Trail
A shaded mile-and-a-half loop on gravel and boardwalk through a pocket of second-growth forest within the city, following a creek past the old waterworks. It's the close-in nature walk locals use to run or decompress -- big mossy trees, ferns, and no elevation to speak of.
Things to do
Hands On Children's Museum
A large, LEED-certified children's museum on the East Bay waterfront with dozens of interactive galleries and a big outdoor discovery area. It's the rainy-day anchor for families in Olympia -- science, art, and water-play exhibits aimed at younger kids -- with the harbor and Farmers Market right outside.
The Washington Center for the Performing Arts
Downtown Olympia's main performance hall, a restored theater hosting touring music, dance, theater, and the regional symphony. It's the dress-up evening option in town -- a proper proscenium house -- and the hub of the city's Creative District programming.
Landmarks & sights
Washington State Capitol
The seat of Washington state government, anchored by a sandstone Legislative Building whose dome is one of the tallest masonry domes in the country. Free guided tours walk you through the rotunda, the Tiffany-designed chandelier, and the chambers; the surrounding campus has lawns, fountains, and a cherry-tree allee that blooms in spring.
Percival Landing Park
A mile-long wooden boardwalk wrapping the head of Budd Inlet, lined with public art, a viewing tower, and moored sailboats. It's the spine of downtown's waterfront -- locals use it for morning walks and sunset laps -- with sightlines to the Capitol dome and, on clear days, the Olympics.