Insider Picks From the ParentMap Staff

Insider Picks From the ParentMap Team

ParentMap staff and contributors are PNW natives and durable transplants who have lived and parented in Washington state for collective centuries. Here are some of our favorite experiences and happy places for families.

Skagit Valley is the perfect destination for a day trip at any time of the year. We love exploring all of the quiet and scenic nature walks and hikes around the area. We often stop at La Conner, a quaint little town with great places to eat. — Vicky McDonald, Digital Content Editor

I love Seabrook. It’s just so great for the kids to have the freedom to go biking, head to the park or walk to get ice cream together. Love the beach! — Ida Wicklund, Senior

Advertising Sales Manager

We can’t stay away from Yesler Terrace Park with its views of Mount Rainier and construction vehicles, spectacular playground and splash park, and proximity to the world’s best coffee shop (Tougo Coffee) and the International District’s amazing food just down the hill. — Natasha Dillinger (p. 16) Our family only discovered exactly how awesome the west Green Lake beach swimming area is last summer. There are diving boards, docks to leap off and — best of all — lifeguards to keep everyone safe. I take a car full of kids there at least once a week during the summer and hang out in my sunshade tent while they have an incredible time playing outside. — Kari Hanson, Digital Content Production Coordinator

From the sprayground and lineup of awesome music and events to the historic conservatory, Wright Park in Tacoma has something new to experience all season long. — Nikki McCoy (p. 24)

Before I lived in Washington, the place that really sold me on the area was Snoqualmie Falls. I admit I’m a “Twin Peaks” nerd (have been since 2009), so visiting the “Great Northern Hotel” was extra special. Seeing the falls up close encapsulates for me the powerful beauty of the Pacific Northwest. — Gina Ryan,

Digital Marketing Manager

I never tire of standing on the bluff at Discovery Park and looking out at the sound and Olympic Mountains. That’s no kind of “hidden gem,” but it’s what pops into my mind. — Nancy Chaney, Out + About Editor I was reminded when reading Tiffany Pitts’ terrific Olympic Peninsula article (p. 8) about a one-of-a-kind feature of the Hoh Rain Forest that families can reach by way of a literal walk in the park: the so-called “One Square Inch of Silence” (onesquareinch.org). Marked by a tiny red pebble placed on a mossy nurse log in the heart of Olympic National Park, this cracker-size spot was designated after years of painstaking ecological acoustic measurements were undertaken to identify it as the quietest place in the United States — that is, the freest of human-made noise pollution. Venture to this verdant rainforest sanctuary in silent reverence with your posse of little noise polluters to experience a pristine natural soundscape that will soothe your souls.

— Patty Lindley, Managing Editor