Washington State Top Things To Do

• Take in a show at the Seattle Center (website: www.seattlecenter.com), built for the 1962 World Fair, and now home to opera, symphony, ballet and repertory theatre companies.

• View the city of Seattle from the observation deck, restaurant or cocktail bar of the 185m- (605ft-) tall Space Needle (website: www.spaceneedle.com).

• Hop on an excursion to Tillicum Village (website: www.tillicumvillage.com), 13km (8 miles) from downtown Seattle. Harbour tours and fishing excursions are also available from Seattle's waterfront.

• Head for high adventure on Lake Chelan (website: www.lakechelan.com), an 81km- (50.5 mile-) long glacier-fed lake, 453m (1,486ft) at its deepest point. Take to the skies on a hang glider or paraglider above breathtaking scenery in the rugged North Cascades. 
 
• Interact with juvenile rockfish, sea stars and plankton on a 4m (13ft) wet table at the Seattle Aquarium (website: www.seattleaquarium.org).

• Explore Mount Rainier National Park (website: www.nps.gov/mora), popular for skiing and other winter sports, with its breathtaking views.

• Ride the historic 1909 Looff Carrousel at Riverfront Park (website: www.spokaneriverfrontpark.com) in Spokane. Other attractions include an IMAX theatre, Ice Palace, Clock Tower and different thrill rides.

• Taste the vintage grapes of the heart of the region's wine country in the cities of Kennewick, Pasco, Richland and Yakima (website: www.washingtonwine.org).

• Watch a ball game at Safeco Field when the Seattle Mariners baseball team takes to the plate (website: http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com).

• Sail the coastal breezes in Puget Sound or explore the San Juan Islands (website: www.guidetosanjuans.com) by boat. Look out for porpoises, seals, whales and sea lions.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.