Sequim is known as the “Lavender Capital of North America,” so we hope you like lavender. If not, there's still lots to offer here.

The Dungeness crab is plentiful and you can explore for yourself on the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, home to over 250 species of animals. Keep an eye out for the Roosevelt elk who roam nearby.

Bonus: You can get there without a car, too.

Those who have never strayed far from I-5 in this town might know it more for an outlet mall and the first Burgerville on the way to Portland, but don’t sell it short. The downtown historic district is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is full of cute little shops. It also includes one of McMenamin’s adaptive reuse hotel projects, the Olympic Club, complete with a theater—so you can sleep in a cute little Gold Rush room after grabbing dinner at the pub and cuddling up for a movie. (It’s also supposed to be very haunted.)

Downtown Centralia is right on the Amtrak Cascades line, so no car required.

You can drive to Port Townsend in a day no problem, though you'll probably want to take the ferry—either from Whdibey Island to Port Townsend or from downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island—for a more enjoyable trip.

The main drag is lined with historic buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Take a side trip up the hill and peruse some of the classic Victorian homes still standing.

If you've got time, consider catching a movie in the Rose Theatre's Starlight Room, complete with comfy couches and food service.

With many Scandinavian immigrants making up the early founders of the city, downtown Poulsbo has become a tourist attraction thanks to a Scandinavian theme that includes buildings and shop offerings. If you're gonna go to Poulsbo, you have to try the Poulsbo Bread at Sluys.

Located on Liberty Bay, many visitors love to travel by boat coming or going. There are three marinas to choose from if that’s an option available to you.

This waterfront village on the Swinomish Channel is a good place to visit in the summer or fall when you're looking for a walkable destination full of specialty shops, historic buildings and restaurants. It's a great place to visit in the spring since you'll have to make your way through the tulip fields to get there from the highway.

La Conner is also the home of author Tom Robbins, in case literary tourism is of interest to you.

Vashon is only a 20-minute ferry ride away from Seattle, so if you've never made it over, you might want to remedy that. Vashon offers a sweet downtown to walk through full of stores, shops, and restaurants.

In addition to the town of Vashon, you may want to explore the whole island—well, both islands, if you count Maury Island. You'll find a mix of old farms and new homes, not to mention some nice beaches.

Near the southern end of Whidbey Island, you'll find Langley tucked away in one of the corners. Once there, the quaint town is a loop of coffee shops, restaurants, shops, and art galleries. Some top picks include Useless Bay Coffee Company, the Braeburn for breakfast or lunch, or Prima Bistro for dinner.

Keep an eye out for passing whales by the Boy and Dog statue, and then ring the brass bell at Seawall Park if you see one. (Again: If you want to explore the rest of the island, too, we have a guide for that.)

Antiques fans, look no further: Snohomish is referred to as the "Antique Capital of the Northwest," and the entire Snohomish Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. So it's like an antique place full of antique shops full of antiques—mind-blowing.

For those into the coal and railroad history of the region, Black Diamond is a great stop full of historic attractions, including an old railroad depot turned into a museum, a cemetery, a miners’ cabin from 1910, and the 1896 Pagani House. The historic Old Town District includes shops and restaurants, including a beloved 109-year-old bakery.

Snoqualmie’s Historic District is a nice area to spend the day; it’s full of shops, restaurants and the Northwest Railway Museum. People also flock to Snoqualmie to see Snoqualmie Falls, made famous for its inclusion in Twin Peaks—though it was still plenty famous on its own. For the record, the Salish Lodge & Spa is where you want to go if you want to stay in the Great Northern.

Twin Peaks completists will want to take a trip here. Stop by Twede’s Cafe for a "damn good cup of coffee" and some cherry pie. Take your picture with the Giant Log from the opening credits. Try to find the spot in front of Mount Si from the opening as well.

You can also do non-Twin Peaks things here, like climb Mount Si or visit the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum.

You might think Leavenworth is only for the winter wonderland experience, but it's much more of a year-round tourist destination.

This small town is nestled in the Cascade Mountains, and although it was once a logging town, it's been remade into a Bavarian village. Old world charm, German cuisine, and festivals like Maifest, and a wealth of adorable little shops mean there's always something to try here. It’s worth the trip alone for just the ubiquity of the Bavarian buildings; even banks, gas stations, and fast food joints have the architectural hallmarks.

Or you could just float the river, or head to the mountains for hiking and skiing.

If you head to Leavenworth to feel like you're in old-world Germany, you head to Winthrop to feel like you're in the old West.

In the heart of Methow Valley, Winthrop offers up shops with Western storefronts and wood boardwalks, but it's also a great place to experience the outdoors. It has over 120 miles of cross-country skiing trails and access to everything the Cascades has to offer.

In the Methow Valley east of Winthrop, Twisp has established itself as a kind of arts enclave, with nonprofit Methow Arts running point on events, education, and resources for more than three decades—and artist colony Twisp Works providing a kind of open-air arts, culture, and craft mall on repurposed ranger station land. It’s also the largest town in the valley, with a whopping 970 people.

Soap Lake can get a little thirsty for tourism dollars—for example, the Soap Lake Lava Lamp roadside attraction—but those that have made the drive have report it’s worth it, and not just for the mineral mud with alleged healing powers. It’s one of the less expensive places to plan a spa getaway, for starters, but it’s also full of Russian and Ukrainian food and plenty of local color (Kelly O called it “freaky magic” in the Stranger a few years back).