Visiting Olympia
In 2008 we talked about how if we got married, we should do it in Granger, Washington. We stumbled through Granger, "Where Dinosaurs Roam" on our first road trip together. It's a sweet town that would love our tourist dollars, but it's also way out in the middle of the state. For the sake of our carless friends and folks visiting from out of town, we decided to convene somewhere just as close to our hearts. So Olympia it is.
Olympia, Washington, colloquially known as Oly, is the swingset of the Evergreen Playground. Home to salmon and geoducks, this once conservative capital city experienced a drastic social change when The Evergreen State College opened in 1971, and with it brought a younger, "alternative" crowd, eventually including Puck and Nat. There are many things to love about Olympia. Nat and Puck especially love the people, who can be found in various places through out the city.
Places to Sleep
Although Olympia has a few sweet bed and breakfasts, they're getting booked up pretty quickly. As of this writing it looks like Swantown Inn still has a room you could snatch up. If you're looking to share a suite with your family, Lighthouse Bungalow or Short Stay Lodgings might suit.
If you would be more comfortable in a hotel, Phoenix Inn is a great option. A little closer and cheaper (but less well recommended) is the Capitol Plaza Hotel - they can be reached at (360) 352-7202. Finally, and most affordable, there's Olympia's hostel, Chez Cascadia. It's not walking distance, but it's on the bus line.
We'd love to try to figure out housing for folks who are visiting but can't afford a place to stay, but we don't have too many friends with guest space at this point. If you're in need of or willing to offer a place to sleep, please let us know at puckandnataregettingmarried@gmail.com.
Places to Eat
Olympia has a high rate of delicious in its restaurants. Puck's favorite is Darby's Cafe, for its vegan biscuits and gravy and other delicious fried things. Nat's not-to-be-missed restaurants include Tofu Hut, which is out in Lacey but is worth the trip, and New Moon Cafe.
Also great are Old School Pizzeria, Nammy's Vietnamese Deli, and Quality Burrito. Less self-explanatory are le Voyeur for grungy vegan deliciousness and then the Bearded Lady for vegan delicious desserts. Saigon Rendez Vous is a "you love it or you hate it" kind of place, but they have a huge fake-meat vegan selection. Narai is Maia of Honor's favorite Thai place. There's Caffe Vita and Olympia Coffee Roasting for your coffee needs, and the Artesian Well for the best water ever.
The length of that paragraph suggests that its probably time for dinner.
Places of Entertainment
When we lived in Olympia we volunteered every week at Olympia Film Society. It's pretty awesome.
There are lots of nice places to walk around! Especially the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, out by where we used to live at Puck's Great Grandmother's house. It's also fun to explore downtown and look at all of the public art.
We have never been to Shankz Black Light Mini Golf but we are perpetually intrigued.
If You Are Shopping
...we recommend the Olympia Food Co-Op and Gravity Beer Market.