In no particular order, here are 10 of my favorite places in my home state of Washington!

1. La Push, WA

First Beach

Rainy drive around Crescent Lake

My sister Tahnee at Lake Crescent 

Nutella Latte 

Me and my Dachshund, Mud at First Beach.

I can't help but think of the word magical when I think of La Push. When I go there, I feel like I'm in a make believe world. The journey to get there is one of my favorite parts; taking the ferry and passing through Port Angeles and Lake Crescent, two places that are worthy of their own number on my list. Something else I love about it there is that even if it rains, it doesn't ruin anything. There is usually an abundance of fog everywhere and it just adds to the mysterious atmosphere that I love so much.

My favorite things to do here:

• Stay at the Quiellete Oceanside Resort
• Have a fire on first beach (I believe you can only do this if you're staying at the resort and you buy a permit from the office there.)
• Hike to Second Beach 
• Walk Rialto Beach

Food:

• J'aime Les Crepes in Kingston. This is place is right by the ferry terminal and is always super busy. My favorite crepes are the The Canadian and the Lavender Sugar. And their Nutella Latte is the greatest.
• Frugals in Port Angeles. This is a super cute little drive thru right off the main drag when you're first getting into the city of Port Angeles. 
• Papa Murphy's in Port Angeles. Ok so this one may not be all that unique, BUT, it's a drive thru Papa Murphy's which is pretty sweet and anytime we stay in the cabins at first beach we make a stop here to pick up some pizzas to bake in the oven at our cabin. So that's my tip if you're planning to stay overnight.

2. North Bend, WA

Rather than there being a specific destination in North Bend, it's really just a beautiful place to meander through. It's often foggy and has this majestic vibe that I can't get enough of. My car really does drive me here all by itself, pretty much every time I get in it. Heh. It's also close to some of my other favorites; Gold Creek Pond, Snoqualmie Falls, and Lake Keechelus.

 3. Snohomish, WA

Sunset at the Snohomish River

Photographing my friend Kendal one summer in the Snohomish Valley.

Snohomish isn't necessarily considered a vacation destination or full of crazy views, but it's close to my heart so I had to include it. One of my favorite things to do is drive through the Snohomish Valley with my music loud, especially during sunset because of the wide open sky. It's a beautiful and calm countryside and I've always felt at home there. The actual city of Snohomish is on a river, and is full of super cute antique shops, cafes, and dessert places. It's a good place to visit in the spring because there are LOTS of blooming flowers in the cute old neighborhoods and historic homes.

My favorite place to eat in Snohomish is definitely Pilchuck Drive In. They have the best grilled cheese sandwich and peanut butter shake of all time.

4. Roslyn, WA

Sunset at Lake Cle Elum in the summertime

Roslyn is just one of those places I always think of when the weather gets hot. I have some amazing memories of driving there with friends with our music up and our windows down, grabbing snacks at the little country store in town, hanging out at Lake Cle Elum to catch the sunset and camping at Salmon La Sac campground. The actual town of Roslyn is super cute and known for being the filming location for a show called Nothern Exposure. My mom used to love that show, so we would often take trips there as a family when I was younger and find all the places we'd seen on TV.

5. Leavenworth, WA

Somewhere on a backroad near Leavenworth

Leavenworth and the entire drive there is another place I grew up going often with my family. It's an insanely beautiful drive that curves around huge rocks, rivers, tree covered hillsides, and tiny waterfalls. 

The town of Leavenworth is a Bavarian town and it's totally a must see. Especially because it's surrounded by mountains and really makes you feel like you're in a different country or something. There are tons of gift and candy shops, restaurants, and other unique things to see. It's super hot and fun in the summer, but the best time to go in my opinion is in winter before Christmas because they light up the whole town and it's super cute! I also love driving down Icicle Creek, which is the first right turn just as you're getting into the town. It winds around to some pretty river views and through neighborhoods of cute cabins. Also, be sure to stop by Posy Handpicked Goods and Plain Hardware - they're super cute shops that both carry our clothes!

6. Index, WA

Index is a tiny little mountain town on the way to Leavenworth. But it's still a destination place in my mind because it's just so interesting to me and the surrounding views are incredible. My favorite way to get here is to take Reiter Road, because Reiter is crazy beautiful no matter what time of the year, but especially in the fall.

7. Diablo Lake

Pretty much the best way to describe Diablo is "epic", and as overused as that word may be, it really is accurate for this place. There are an abundance of photos of it on Instagram, and yet it's still incredibly stunning and different every time I see it. I've been there when the water is bright turquoise and when it's a deep navy blue, and both are equally stunning. But if you really wanna see it at its brightest, definitely go in the summer. Also, cross the Diablo dam bridge if you can find it. The bridge itself will make you feel like you're in Russia, and the crazy steep view over the side is something straight out of Goldeneye (speaking of, did anyone else play Goldeneye 007 obsessively on N64 as a kid? Or as an adult...? Heh.) There's also a little ferry boat you can take around the lake. I have yet to do that, so if you've done it before, I'd love to hear what it's like!

8. Mt. Baker National Park

You can't really go wrong with National Parks, ya know? It's a beautiful place to explore in any season. I could hardly believe Picture Lake was real the first time I saw it, felt like I legit stepped into a painting. I've only been to this park a handful of times and can't wait to go back!

9. Seabrook, WA

Seabrook is a relatively new resort/town near Pacific City. My husband and I stayed in a little beach house there for our anniversary one year and we both totally fell in love with it. I unfortunately can't find any of the photos I took while we were there, but google it and you'll see how cute it is. It's the perfect combination of woodsy/beachy + they have some fun things to do for families in the little neighborhood, and a lot of the houses are super dog friendly. Definitely consider this place if you're looking for a weekend getaway!

10. Mt Rainier National Park

I mean let's be honest, Mt. Rainier doesn't really need any description. It speaks for itself. If you have one free day to spend and you want to see classic PNW scenery, this is the place to go.

There are so many more parts of Washington and the surrounding PNW region that I can't get enough of, but I hope this list gives you some ideas of spots to check out and things to do! For more photos of my fav places, see my Instagram :) And just let me know if there's anything else you want a blog post about.

Xo

Tory

All photos by @torysavannah