Travel

How to Prepare for the Ultimate Staycation

Cooped up at home and afraid to travel? Use these tips to stay sane.

This story first appeared on Zillow.com. You don’t need to stay in a hotel and play tourist to have a proper vacation. Look no further than your own home for a staycation that dreams are made of. Make no mistake, an at-home staycation doesn’t just mean a lazy weekend on the couch. Turn your humble…

Sarah Pike

Holiday Gift Guide: The Gift of Adventure

Take a flight, rent a van, learn a survival skill

Instead of a material present think about giving an experience. Surveys show more than 60% of consumers want some sort of experiential gift. There’s no shortage of that in the Seattle area, but here are three of our favorites for the adventurer in your family. Kenmore Air Take to the sky on a volcano tour…

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

‘Best of 2020’ Readers Choice Survey Results

Amid the chaos of 2020, your favorite Seattle staples still shined through

Readers chose Musang as the Best New Restaurant.

Seattle magazine staff

Road Tips

How to be a tourist in your own backyard with minimal effort

The North Bend area was packed during a recent sunny weekend. Motorists flocking to Rattlesnake Lake Recreation Area near the Cedar River Municipal Watershed circled frantically looking for parking spaces, blocking traffic for several blocks. Just a few miles northeast, at Tinkham Campground on the south fork of the Snoqualmie River, all 47 campsites were…

Lisette Wolter-McKinley

Go Take a Hike at One of These Five Hidden Gems

Experts suggest their favorite socially distant escapes

Snoquera Falls; Cutthroat Lake in the North Cascades; A biker on the Olympic Discovery Trail at Olympic National Park

Heidi Mills

Destination Los Angeles

Done right, a quick trip to Southern California can be just the thing for sun-starved Seattleites

An LA sunset is worth the trek

Gemma Wilson

Down by the Bay: A Long Weekend in California Wine Country

Fly into San Francisco for a wine-centric experience blending of culture, cuisine and tasting rooms

Before feasting on all things wine country, visit San Francisco’s celebrated restaurant Nopa

Andrew Hoge

In Valle de Guadalupe, the Desert’s Lack of Water Becomes World-Class Wine

Find this unforgettable wine and food region just south of San Diego

You’ll never want to leave Bruma’s luxe Casa 8 suites

Naomi Tomky

Why Do We Travel? Michael Bennett of Explorer X Tackles a Fundamental Human Question

"How do you get out of your normal headspace and into a space or a place that will actually help you take stock, reprioritize, find your values, find what’s important?"

Michael Bennett at Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne, Oregon

As told to Ariel Shearer

Port Townsend: A Seattleite’s Guide to Her Seaport Hometown

Seattle magazine's assistant art director Katie Kowalski shares her favorite restaurants, recreation spots and more

The writer poses in front of a mural by artist Nora Kingsley

Katie Kowalski

Get Out of Town (But Not Right Now)

Let our latest travel feature keep your adventurous daydreams alive as you appreciate your own backyard

Immerse in earthy luxuries at Mexican hotel and winery, Bruma

Andrew Hoge, Katie Kowalski, Chelsea Lin, Ariel Shearer, Naomi Tomky and Gemma Wilson

Forget Maui, Jamaica or Santorini—My Forever Island is Orcas

How a convenient destination for young families became an indispensable springtime tradition

Father and daughter paddle near the shore

Chelsea Lin

Could Tacoma Be Your New Favorite Overnight Destination?

Refresh yourself with 24 hours in the City of Destiny

See Wendy Red Star’s “Four Seasons — Indian Summer” in Tacoma Art Museum’s exhibit Native Portraiture: Power and Perception