For the past few years, Americans have wondered when traveling will return to pre-pandemic times. Since the World Health Organization officially ended the global health emergency in early May and Washington state immediately followed suit, this season is shaping up to be the first real post-COVID summer since the 2020 outbreak.
AAA predicts that about 7% more travelers will be out and about than in the summer of 2022. During Memorial Day weekend alone, more than 42 million Americans are expected to travel.
Washingtonians will no doubt be looking for weekend destinations. Travel blog Travel Lemming recently curated a list of travel destinations;elm:context_link;itc:0″ class=”link “America’s top 150 summer travel destinations, and several Washington state locations are listed as top choices, with Olympia ranked as 10th-best.
Olympia summer events and travel spots
The travel site states “Washington’s capital city represents the best of the state,” highlighting its vibrant artistic community, performances at local theaters, and live downtown and summer festivals.
Olympia is also a great access point for much of western Washington’s diverse scenery, including rainforests, coastal beaches, state parks, national parks and more, Travel Lemming says. Its location on the southern shore of Puget Sound makes it perfect for kayaking and boating. And it lists following environments as a drive of two hours or less from Olympia:
Olympia also has an abundance of outdoor festivals in the coming summer months. Among them:
Other notable WA destinations
Travel Lemming ranks other Washington locations among the top spots to check out this summer, including one central Washington city at #2.