I have been fortunate in my life to have lived in many different states in the US with very different cultures and backgrounds. From Florida to North Carolina to Arizona to Alaska – it has truly been an amazing adventure that I am happy is not over. One of the prettiest places I have lived and the home of Clinton and Kyzer, Washington State has been amazing place to visit and live for over a year.

Some of the most amazing and picturesque places in the entire world are located in Washington State. When I first visited Mt. Rainier with Clinton and my mom, we drove across the start from Spokane for five hours to make it to the Seattle area and stay there for a couple days. It was fantastic – and a great time for us all to bond. I had just moved out to the Spokane area, and it was perfect having my mom out visiting the area and seeing where my boyfriend at the time was born and raised.

Washington State boasts a variety of gorgeous and large national parks and public lands. Besides Mt. Rainier, there are the North Cascades, Olympic, Lewis and Clark Historical Park, Whitman Mission Historical Site, and Lake Roosevelt NRA. These are only the official National Park Service system parks, too! When we lived there, we also had a state park pass, which was perfect to use across the state to visit many of the gorgeous landscapes. One of the ones that we frequented was Riverside State Park. The Little Spokane and Spokane Rivers are within this park and had plenty of lovely places to swim – if you are okay with the cold water! They boast a campground located in the Bowl and Pitcher along with trailheads and meetup locations as park of their day use and overnight use recreation areas. What I loved about the area was that we could walk with friends, hike by ourselves, or bring our dog who was a puppy at the time to play in the fields!

Another place to spend time in Washington if you are able is the gorgeous little town of Leavenworth. Tucked into the valley of the Cascade Mountains, this quaint German (specifically Bavarian) village thrives on their themed Oktoberfest attractions but their breathtaking views of the mountains. It is highly recommended that if you are able to divert to this town that you do so! Because it is tucked away in the mountains, it will get snowy and cold in the winter so plan your trip for the summer months. I had the fortune of visiting for the first time to see a close friend of mine run her first marathon! What a wonderful place to celebrate such a great milestone.

Seattle is such a vibrant yet laid back city, famous for Pike Place Market and grunge music, but there is so much more to it. You can head up to the space needle, and see the city from a complete birds eye view. Walking around town is easily a workout since it is very hilly with narrow streets and long areas to get back and forth to places. I suggest eating from a side vendor clam or salmon chowder – it is delicious and worth the experience! I’ve stayed many nights in different parts of the city and enjoyed each experience. I found it a very walkable city and worth going to both the touristy places as well as walking like a local.

Washington State is a gorgeous state that is worth the exploration – and you might have to go back again and again to truly see the whole thing!