Travel Tips

If you are looking for a romantic getaway, look no further than Seattle Washington for your next vacation. There are so many wonderfully romantic things to do in this wonderful city and it rains literally half the time, which provides an excellent excuse for cuddling beneath an umbrella. Even those who are romantically challenged would be hard pressed not to find something romantic to do in this great city.

If you are at a complete loss as to where you should start, start by holding hands. Then you can hold hands all the way through the Woodland Park Rose Garden. Admission to the garden is free and scents and scenery are quite romantic, especially if your date is a flower lover. If he or she is not, then there are many other options so don’t despair.

Among those other options would be a wine tasting. If your date enjoys a nice glass of wine, there are several vineyards in and around Seattle that offer daily wine tours which end in a wine tasting. Even if this would be your first time drinking wine as a couple it could be a great deal of fun and you could have fun learning about each others likes and dislikes when it comes to wine. On the flip side there are also several breweries in the area where you and your date could sample beers and microbrews as well. Either way, trying new things together is a great way to strengthen your relationship, even early on.

If you really want to impress your date, book a hot air balloon ride. A ride like this, especially at the right time of day can not only be a lot of fun, it can also be extremely romantic. There is someone else to do the driving and the two of you are left to talk and enjoy the magnificent scenery that surrounds the great city of Seattle.

In addition to each and every one of these ideas there are several other things you can do to bring out your inner romantic fool. Try walking in the rain without an umbrella. You are in Seattle after all; there should be rain at some point during your travels. Try a night at the theatre or ballet. Guys you cannot imagine how effective this is in proving your love to your lady. There are several theatres within the city to choose from. If you like old silent movies and will be in town on Monday night, you can catch Silent Movie Mondays at the Paramount.

You can ride the Space Needle to the Observation Deck and look out at the city lights or you could take a romantic sunset cruise on one of the many charter boats in and around the city. The Wooden Boat Museum is a great place to find a nice romantic boat to charter, or if you would rather go during the day in hopes of sighting some whales, there are several larger excursions that you could charter as well.

The bottom line, is that anything you do together that you both agree on and look forward to can be a romantic outing. The purpose of your trip is to build your relationship and have fun together. So go out, have fun, and remember why you love each other in the first place.

If you love learning, and I hope you do, because once you stop learning, there really is no need to continue existing, then there will be plenty of museums in and around Seattle Washington that will feed the mind while entertaining you and your family. The vast number of museums in this area makes it a very interesting place to visit. There are museums here that cover everything from the Klondike Gold Rush to Log Houses and many, many things in between.

In addition to the two museums mentioned above there are several interesting museums to visit while in Seattle. The first one is the Museum of Flight. This is probably one of the museums that Seattle is most proud of. It is consistently voted one of, if not the best of its kind in the country. Learn about the history of flight and even take a ride in a flight simulator or tour the original Air Force One. No matter how you feel about flying, I’m almost certain that someone in your group (especially if there are any boys) will find this museum to be of great interest.

The Northwest Railway Museum is another museum that is not only educational but also fun for everyone in the family as well. Visit the Depot, which has been fully restored to its originally splendor or take a ride on one of the trains. Whatever you fancy, your little guy’s (even your not so little guy’s) eyes will light up at the idea of riding the rails. The mission of this museum is to educate the public on the vital role that railroads have played in the development of Washington State throughout history. I think they are achieving their goal quite nicely and am happy to be able to make more of the public aware of them and their mission.

The next museum that is a little out of the ordinary and yet vastly interesting and educational is the Whale Museum. This is of particular interest if you intend to do any whale watching while you are visiting the great city of Seattle. Whale watching is always a great deal of fun and it is even more fun if you are armed with the knowledge that can be gleaned by spending a little time learning about whales at the Whale Museum before you go on your whale watching excursion.

The Odyssey Maritime Discovery Center is another of the great museums that can be found in Seattle. This museum not only offers great resources and information about the maritime history that is so important to Seattle today but interactive displays that encourage children to learn and explore by doing. This is a great place to spend the day, but pay close attention to their hours for the day you are planning to attend as this center has shorter weekday hours than most museums.

The Wing Luke Asian Museum is the only museum of its kind in the U.S. This museum is devoted to preserving and promoting Asian Pacific American culture, history, and art. This museum has a permanent exhibit that is set up to remind us of the internment camps that were used for Japanese Americans during the Second World War. I think that this, more than anything else is an important reminder and well worth the visit and there are many more exhibits that offer entertainment and education.

I hope that you will visit one or more of these great museums. I think you will be surprised to find how educational and fun they really are for the entire family.