This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Family Roundup: Road Trip to Olympia

Our state capital offers many diversions for families.

Maybe this week while the Bellevue School District is on mid-winter break, it might be a good time to take a quick and fun day trip to our state capital. Olympia, located 64 miles from Bellevue, offers activities for a day’s worth of family fun from museums to kayaking or can be a great lunch stop on the way to the mountains and beaches of the Olympic Penisula.

Hands On Children’s Museum

If you have kids age 10 and younger you’ll want to visit the Hands On Children’s Museum on 106 11th Ave. SW in Olympia, across the street from the northeast corner of the state Capitol campus.

The museum offers a number of great exhibits that are engaging and educational. Kids love the Working Waterfront room where they get to unload cargo and sail boats and learn about currents on a giant water table. Budding engineers enjoy the Build It area which includes a giant magnetic ball run, a kid-scaled construction zone and a kid-size dump truck.

Find out what's happening in Bellevuewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The museum’s Art Studio offers a large assortment of materials and project ideas and drop in classes.

Your nature lover will enjoy the Backyard Wilderness area that features a treehouse, wildlife rescue center (with animal puppet residents) and a puppet theater. This area also has a great backyard stage where kids can act with costumes and lighting and sound effects.

Find out what's happening in Bellevuewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Toddlers appreciate the TotSpot area with its age-appropriate play areas and toys. This area also offers a wealth of parenting books for parents to enjoy while at the museum. This area is quiet and out of the way and also probably the best place in the museum to nurse.

Your budding medical professional will enjoy the museum’s Good For You exhibit where they can work a shift in the Emergency Room, complete with a Medic One van. Nearby is the pretend grocery and family kitchen which is also popular for pretend play.

The museum has a coffee area set up for parents to enjoy and a small gift shop featuring some great educational toys, so consider letting your child bring some spending money. 

Next year the museum will move to a new building on the waterfront. The new museum’s website  gives all the details on this fabulous new buildings location on Olympia’s East Bay which will feature both indoor and outdoor learning and play centers.

If you go: Head south on Interstate 405 to connect to soutbound Interstate 5. Keep driving until you get to Exit 105-A. Street parking is available in the immediate area. Bring quarters or dollar bills to feed the automatic parking machines. You can also park in the state's pay parking garage on the same block, but that garage can get crowded when the legislature is in session, as it is now. If you go on the weekend, street parking is free.

Admission - kids age 2 to 12 are $7.95, toddlers younger than 2 are $5.95 and babies are free. Adults are $7.95 and seniors age 62 and older are $6.95. There is a coupon on the museum website  for “out of county visitors” to save a dollar.

The museum is open Monday to Saturday 10 a.m to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. The museum also is open with free admission from 5 to 9 p.m. every first Friday of the month.

Great Family Meal Options

If your family is hungry for lunch or dinner after your museum visit, head down the street to Wagner’s European Bakery and Café on 1013 Capitol Way S. This family-owned bakery has been in business since 1938 and is open seven days a week. Have one of their delicious sandwiches for lunch. Be patient with the often slow and spacey college student staff and bring home a box of delicious baked goods including éclairs and amazing cinnamon bread. Other options for lunch nearby include Subway and Meconi’s Italian Subs.

Olympia Farmers Market

Located just a short drive from the museum, at 700 Capitol Way, is the Olympia Farmers Market. There is lots of free parking behind the market. The Market is open Thursday through Sunday from April to October and Saturday and Sunday in November and December. The market is the second-largest farmers market in the state. The market offers live entertainment and more than 100 vendors selling locally grown produce, meat and dairy, fresh and dried flowers, handmade soaps, art, honey and baked goods. There is also a food court.

Kayak Rentals at Tugboat Annies

Explore Bud Inlet from a kayak rented from Tugboat Annies restaurant at 2100 W. Bay Drive. Kayaking is not for every family. You kayak at your own risk and need to be able to launch and dock without assistance. You and your kids need to be strong swimmers and everyone needs to wear their life jackets at all times. Reservations recommended by calling 360-943-1850. More information is on their website. Ask about their “Kayak and Breakfast special,” which gives you breakfast for two, coffee and kayaks for $45. The special includes kayaks for doubles if you call to request them ahead of time. They also offer a great kids meal options including fish and chips and corn dogs.

Outdoor Shopping Heaven at Cabela’s

On the way home, if you have a hiker, fly-fisher, boat lover or camper in your pack, head to Cabela’s, just north of Olympia at 1600 Gateway Blvd. NE, Lacey. Take Exit 111 off I-5. The store is open seven days a week and it is so big it has a restaurant and an indoor archery range. 

My frugal family appreciates the store’s Bargain Cave where we’ve gotten great deals on hiking boots, coats and other outdoor gear. 

My son likes to marvel at the many museum-quality animal displays and the residents of the store’s several huge aquariums. My husband loves all the fly-fishing gear.  

Fair warning, it takes a while to get from the I-5 exit to the store. You will play a few rounds of “are we lost and this can’t be the way there” before you arrive. I think they do that on purpose so you feel the need to buy some supplies to survive the trip back to I-5.

Looking for family events this week?

Check out this week's Bellevue Patch Grab & Go Kids Planner, by Ruby Slipper Guide. You can also check out this week's deals at .

You can follow Bellevue Patch on Facebook and Twitter!

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Bellevue