luckymom Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 If you live in any of the following states, please give me your one "MUST DO/SEE" and your favorite place to stay/eat: Washington Montana Wyoming If Yellowstone is on your list, what;s the best town to stay in? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 If you live in any of the following states, please give me your one "MUST DO/SEE" and your favorite place to stay/eat: Washington Montana Wyoming If Yellowstone is on your list, what;s the best town to stay in? Thanks. I'm in WA and I think most would say check out Seattle. What age are your kids? Start with checking into the Seattle area for kid-friendly things to do. For Wyoming, stay in Cody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennC Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 (edited) I live 90 miles from Yellowstone in MT. Depending on the type of travel you are doing (car, plane, camper, etc) there are several towns to choose from for lodging. The airport here is in Belgrade. It is a small town outside of Bozeman. It would be the cheapest place to get a hotel. It is 90 or so miles from Yellowstone. Big Sky is closer, 45 miles - and is a ski resort. Bozeman is the largest town 40-50,000 for a long ways. There is a museum in Bozeman, but mostly a Yellowstone trip just involves the park and West Yellowstone (very small town with a great visitor center, grizzly center and IMAX). If you would like more info or brochures- email me. IMO, Glacier park is a much "grander" place - think swiss alps. But again, no large towns or real "touristy" things. Both parks offer white water rafting on the nearby rivers, camping, hiking, etc. Both are wonderful places to visit. I would love to get you any info you need. Edited July 11, 2009 by JennC didn't finish my sentence the first time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillieBoy Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 What kind of a budget are you on? Do you want to get some education in at the same time? You can really rack up the bucks in Seattle, but well worth it if you can. Otherwise WA has some of the most scenic geography, from mountains, lakes, islands, to beaches, plains, and semi-arid deserts. Also plenty to do; ferry rides through the San Juan's, hiking in the Cascades, river rafting on the Skykomish, clamming or crabbing on the Peninsula, Antique shopping in Snohomish. If only in Seattle for the day I'd say Pike's Place, Pioneer Square, EMP (Experience Music Project), Space Needle (the food isn't the best but if you're gonna pay to go up might as well get a discount on lunch), Pacific Science Center (lots of hands on science for the kiddos)... Oh my WA :w00t: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 When I go to Yellowstone, I prefer to stay in the park if possible, or in West Yellowstone. I go for the geysers, and West Yellowstone is the closest entrance to most of the geyser basins. I love Glacier National Park. Like I said, I love the geysers at Yellowstone, but other than that, I'd go to Glacier instead if it weren't so much farther to drive there. As others have mentioned, there is so much to do in Seattle and the surrounding area, but everything is really expensive. For a quiet and beautiful place in Wyoming, I love Star Valley. The fall is particularly nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckymom Posted July 11, 2009 Author Share Posted July 11, 2009 I am on a tight budget and driving. We just need clean/safe places to stay. We like educational - particularly history. There is so much to do that it is hard to narrow it down. The dc are all between the ages of 4 and 12. We can do light hiking. No shopping at all. We are mostly preparing our own meals but do eat with locals if inexpensive. I would like to go to Seattle but have to see about the $$$. I also can't figure out whether to visit Olympic National Park (if so, what part) OR Mount Rainier - any thoughts? I would like to visit Glacier National Park but it seems like a LONG drive - and is it a light hike for the 4 year old? Yellowstone is a must - thanks for the west entrance info. Best place to stay in that area? Cody, Wyoming - any more details? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthwestMom Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 I'd say the mountain to see in Washington is Mt St Helens. They have a fantastic visitor center set-up. You start at one center, which has some interesting displays, a movie, and outside trails too, then you get in your car and drive about 15 miles to the next center, which has a different set of displays on a related aspect of the eruption. There are 4 or 5 centers to drive to, and it takes all day to see it. It is awesome, a great mix of history, outdoors, and museums. My kids love it (ages 10, 7, and 4). The Washington State History Museum in Tacoma is also really good, and is very close to the Tacoma Art Museum and Museum of Glass, if that sort of thing floats your boat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmilyK Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 If you are going to get as far south as Fort Vancouver, just over the river from Portland, Oregon, in Vancouver, Washington, I would recommend it since you like history. There's also a lot of good stuff in Oregon but I'm trying to restrain myself since you didn't have it on your list.:001_smile: I think we're planning a trip to Yellowstone or Glacier next year so I'm interested in reading all the other suggestions. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosy Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 I am on a tight budget and driving. We just need clean/safe places to stay. We like educational - particularly history. There is so much to do that it is hard to narrow it down. The dc are all between the ages of 4 and 12. We can do light hiking. No shopping at all. We are mostly preparing our own meals but do eat with locals if inexpensive. I would like to go to Seattle but have to see about the $$$. I also can't figure out whether to visit Olympic National Park (if so, what part) OR Mount Rainier - any thoughts? I would like to visit Glacier National Park but it seems like a LONG drive - and is it a light hike for the 4 year old? Yellowstone is a must - thanks for the west entrance info. Best place to stay in that area? Cody, Wyoming - any more details? Thanks. Clean safe places to stay in WA--in Seattle, we stayed at a Holiday Inn near Seattle Center many years ago. Not ritzy, but it did the trick, and we could walk to downtown. If you want to stay outside the city, you need to get a few minutes out--the areas immediately surrounding the city can be pretty dicey. Edmonds is nice if you're north, Kent or Sumner are nice if you go south. I would consider taking a Washington State Ferry, you can walk on to the Seattle-Bainbridge ferry, have lunch and walk around in Bainbridge Island (which is gorgeous), and then go back. It's around $25/car if you drive on, less to walk. The Olympic Peninsula is beautiful, but it's a long drive from Seattle--it's a 3 hour drive if you don't take the ferry to Port Angeles, and then another half hour or so up to Hurricane Ridge or out to Lake Crescent. The Hoh rainforest is another 1.5 hours. If you have the time, they are all beautiful, but the scenery is beautiful in the Cascades as well and much more convenient. Mount Rainier is beautiful. Snoqualmie Falls is good too. Historical--the underground tour in Pioneer Square is fun, there's also Washington State History Museum in downtown Tacoma (which is a nice area). Seattle is fun, and there is plenty to see without spending money. Pike Place Market, Alki Beach, Fremont (esp the troll under the bridge), the Ballard Locks, walking around Green Lake. I think Seattle would be worth the drive if you're not near the water--it is a beautiful part of the country, and this is the best time of year here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emeraldjoy Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 Dont forget about the rich Native American history in Montana. If I were in Washington I would not be able to miss the temperate rain forest on the coast, it is one of the few in the whole world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 We stayed just outside Yellowstone in West Yellowstone. If you can camp in the park, you will get places quicker. Driving in, we had major BISON roadblocks. Also - Cody, WY is a must - we took TWO days to see the museum there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 I'll echo a lot of what Rosy & emeraldjoy posted. The Hoh rainforest is neat but is a long drive from Seattle. Riding a ferry in the Seattle area would be really fun for the kids, imo. Mt. Ranier is awesome & gorgeous. Every time I've been out there, I always make a trip to Mt. Ranier because I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.