Looking for things to do in Olympia, WA? I’ve got you.
Dan and I were looking for a quick weekend getaway and realized neither of us had been to our state’s capital only about an hour south of Seattle. So we packed our bags and spent 36 hours reconnecting over beautiful views, drinks, and laughs.
Whether you’re a local looking for interesting date night ideas or out of towner looking for a staycation idea, here are all the things to do in Olympia, WA that prove it should be your next staycation or getaway!
Things to Do in Olympia, WA
If you’re too tired to plan a getaway, let me plan a custom trip. I’ll do everything so all you have to do is show up and follow the custom itinerary I put together for you to explore the Washington state capital!
Visit the Olympia Farmers Market
If you’re leaving from Seattle for a one night staycation in Olympia, leave around 8:30 am to make the Olympia Farmer’s Market for when it opens at 10 am. But before heading into the market, stop at Dancing Goats Coffee (previously called Batdorf & Bronson) next door to sample some coffee.
Afterwards, with a to-go cup in hand, head to the market.
At the farmer’s market you’ll be able to browse more than 50 stalls selling local produce and handmade goods. There’s also food vendors and entertainment on site.
The market is open year round from 10 am – 3 pm. It’s Saturdays only January through March, but then expands its hours to Thursday – Sunday April through October. It reduces hours again to just Saturday and Sunday during November and December. Note, pets are not allowed.
Do a self-guided beer and capitol building tour
Dan and I love visiting Seattle breweries, so we once took a biking tour around Olympia breweries with a now defunct tour company. However, you can easily re-create the trip on your own and do a self-guided tour!
Olympia is a big biking town, so this is a great way to experience the city. Consider starting on the paved trail that takes you along Capitol Lake for gorgeous views. Then bike up to the Capitol Campus to take in views of the lake you just rode along and of course the state capitol building. This will get you amped and thirsty for a beer crawl!
Next head into the downtown area to start visiting breweries. You can find all the Olympia breweries on the South Sound Craft Crawl. Make sure to stop at ur favorite, Three Magnets Brewing!
Check out 222 Market
Olympia has its own food hall. It’s called 222 Market and it houses 5 restaurants and shops. Stop at The Bread Peddler to pickup some bread or try a sandwich. Head to Chelsea Farm Oyster Bar for some oysters and then finish of your meal with gelato from Sophie’s Scoops!
Visit Olympia’s wineries
If there’s a winery, I’m going to find it. Luckily, the Olympia area has 5 of them: Madsen Family Cellars, Medicine Creek Winery, Stottle Winery, Mill Lane Winery, and Walter Dacon Wines.
They’re part of the South Sound Wine Trail that weaves through Olympia, Lacey, Tenino, and Shelton. This trail is part of the larger Thurston Bountiful Byway, which maps out local farms, artisans, breweries, wineries, and bike trails. All of these make for fun things to do in Olympia, WA!
Seek out Olympia’s best eats
There are a lot of great restaurants in Olympia, WA. Here are some of my favorites.
Arepa Latin Street Food
Arepa Latin Street Food is a food truck inside an adorable food cart pod in downtown Olympia. I’ve had arepas that are dry and cardboard-y, but these are the real deal.
You can get the filled with different meats, but my go-to is the Cuban. It has succulent pork loin that almost tastes like a pork belly with crispy bits. The texture is just as good as the flavor!
Left Bank Pastry
Left Bank Pastry makes a bunch of French pastries and cakes, but it was recommended by Food & Wine for croissants. I was intrigued because I’m not the biggest croissant fan, so obviously I had to put it to the test.
Well folks, I loved it. The croissant is super buttery and has the perfect texture. It’s flaky, but not so much that it gets crumbs everywhere. But beware: you’ll need a napkin from all that greasy butter goodness!
Pro tip: There’s a cute, Instagrammable coffee shop across the street from Left Bank Pastry called Filling Station Espresso. I haven’t been yet, but I loved the retro vibe!
Rush in Dumplings
Rush in Dumplings is an unassuming restaurant focusing on Russian pelmeni dumplings. First you choose if you want them stuffed with beef, chicken, beef and pork, potato and cheese, or potato and mushroom. Then you decide if you want them served plain or loaded with different toppings like curry powder, bacon, and sour cream.
The curry powder version pictured below was way too spicy for me, but I absolutely loved their dumplings plain. They were swimming in the most addictive butter and had a really pronounced flavor.
Nineveh Assyrian
Nineveh Assyrian is one of the best things to do in Olympia, WA if you love Mediterranean food. It’s a food truck in the same food cart pod as Arepa Latin Street Food. They serve yummy shawarmas, hummus, and pita.
The meat in the shawarma is juicy while the fresh cucumbers and tomato, pickled vegetables, and addictive garlic sauce add a punch of freshness.
San Francisco Bakery
San Francisco Bakery is a neighborhood joint that locals line up for every day. You’ll find a ton of baked goods and bagels that would rival the best bagels in Seattle. When we went the line was out the door and service was pretty slow, but it wasn’t too bad to warrant not making a trip here.
We got a few baked goods we weren’t vibing on, but the tiramisu was out of this world. It was super fluffy and not boozy at all. I keep dreaming about the pillowy cream!
Visit a lavender farm
If you’re traveling in June-August, check out the 4-acre Evergreen Valley Lavender Farm. It’s owned by retired couple Thane and Peggy Bryenton, who decided to start a lavender farm after visiting the lavender farms in Sequim, WA.
They organically grow 11 different varieties of lavender, largely of the English variety because they are more aromatic. They sell them whole for decorating and cooking or as part of their homemade lavender products, such as soap and lavender oils.
This is a great place to sit, relax with a book, and take a ton of photos (you can see I did!). Be sure to check their hours, as they change with the seasons. And no one will judge you if you nudge your partner to do the romantic thing and buy you some flowers!
Frolic around a sunflower farm and corn maze
If you’re visiting August or October, check out Rutledge Corn Maze for festive farm activities. They host a sunflower festival each August where you can u-pick a bouquet to take home. You’ll find fun little props tucked all over the rows of flowers for pictures, such as a swing, wagon, and chairs.
If you’ll be in Olympia in October, get into the festive Halloween spirit by visiting Rutledge’s corn maze and u-pick pumpkin patch. They have a bunch of activities that makes this one of the best fall things to do in Olympia, WA.
Before you go, check Rutledge’s hours to make sure they’re open when you visit.
Walk around a wildlife refuge
About 15 minutes outside of Olympia is the Billy Frank Wildlife Refuge. It’s a protected estuary that houses a ton of different wildlife. That’s because it sits at the Nisqually River Delta where fresh water from the river combines with the salt water of the Puget Sound.
The Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is open daily and costs $3 per adult to get in. Once there, you can walk the 5-miles of trails (most are plank boardwalks) that take you through the reserve, where you can spot different bird species, deer, beavers, amphibians, and more.
Check out Olympia’s parks
Olympia has a bunch of parks popular for taking in the landscape and getting some vitamin D.
Percival Landing is the most popular of Olympia’s three waterfront parks thanks to its prime downtown location. It has 3.38 acres of area to explore with plenty of water views overlooking Budd Bay. You can take in the sights along the ~1 mile boardwalk weaving along the water.
Millersylvania State Park is a great option if you want 7-8 miles of hiking and biking trails, many of which take you along Deep Lake. It’s a popular spot fo glamping in Washington state come summer thanks to their posh safari tents.
Priest Point Park is another of the best things to do in Olympia, WA. It used to be the site of a church and mission, but it’s now a park perfect for hiking and wildlife watching. You can take a relatively steep trail down to the beach to explore during low tide, or take the 5-mile Ellis Cove Trail through the forest.
What to do near Olympia
Looking for other things to do within an hour or so of Olympia? Check out these areas after you explore all these things to do in Olympia, WA.
Kait Elizabeth says
What a fantastic looking trip! I love lavendar fields! Hugs, Kait
http://darling.designbybloom.co/
Adria Saracino says
Thank you, it really was! I spent way too much time in those lavender fields. I think the owners thought I was a bit of a psycho when I started sitting down, ha!
Rachel Teodoro says
Great recommendations! I lived far too close for far too long to not visit!
Adria Saracino says
Thank you! Olympia is a gem if you know where to look. I always thought it was a bit ho-hum until I realized the beer and local farm scene there. Highly recommended!
Stephanie says
As a born & raised Olympian, I think you found some good spots! I also love the 29 antique stores in our area – http://antiquevintageassociation.weebly.com
Disclaimer: I am a vendor in one of them. I can’t tell you how many Seattle/Portland/BC customers we get as the prices are better.
I also think Priest Point Park, Burfoot Park, & Tumwater Falls park are great.
Another fave thing to do is eat out. Cooper Pt. Public House, Dirty Daves pizza (order the gay ’90s with pineapple – it already has cashews!), Hearthfire restaurant for Happy Hour & enjoy the amazing floor to ceiling waterfront views. If you like burgers or corn dogs, you MUST go to Van’s On Yelm Hwy. I cannot eat enough of the strawberry tarts at Wagner’s Bakery on Capitol Boukevard. There are many great Italian spots in town: Casa Mia, Pellegrino’s, Mercato’s, Basilico. You can buy pizza by the slice at Old School Pizza in Olympia- that has vintage ’80s memorabilia on the walls & pinball machines! A fun bar is the Brotherhood Tavern, that’s decorated with bullfighters & kitsch galore. So many cute shops downtown, too. Hot Toddy has such cute clothing in vintage dress styles that are new. Psychic Sister is not only what the name suggests, but also offers thrifting of vintage fabulousness. The Capitol Theatre is home to The Olympia Film Society, as well as lots of live music. There’s many theatre companies in the area if you want to catch a show. TAO (Theatre Artists Olympia) does more unique, cutting edge pieces in the cozy Midnight Sun theatre downtown. harlequinproductions.org Is right in the heart of downtown and has a full season of shows. Hope you enjoy your return visit!
Adria Saracino says
Wow, these are SUCH good tips thank you! And I’m bummed I didn’t get a chance to go to the antique shops while I was there. I absolutely love antiquing. Definitely going to refer to these suggestions for next time.
Thane Bryenton says
Greetings Adria.
Thank you for the wonderful write-up about our lavender farm. We really enjoyed having you out there and showing you around. Please feel free to come visit us anytime in season. And thank you for sharing what to do in Olympia in just 36 hours.
Thane
Adria Saracino says
Of course, thank you for having such a beautiful farm and inviting people to enjoy its beauty! I will definitely be back when I come to Olympia!