A long time in the making, Washington's state capitol building got off to a sluggish start. When the 42nd state was admitted to the Union in 1889, the US government granted it revenues from 132,000 acres of federal land to use in building a permanent..

Preserving natural habitat in the Nisqually River Delta, the refuge wetlands attract some 300 species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Remnants of the dairy farm that once claimed this area can be seen in an extensive dike built to k..

This Carpenter Gothic-style frame house was built by Harvard-educated lawyer Daniel Bigelow in 1854 and remains the home of his descendants. An early advocate for creating Washington Territory, Bigelow was also a supporter of civil rights, temperance..

The Italian Renaissance-style home, built by late-19C Olympia banker and mayor C.J. Lord, now houses exhibits devoted to the political and cultural history of both Olympia and the state. Second-floor exhibits focus on the traditions, past and present..

This area of expansive prairie-covered mounds south of Tumwater has been a scientific curiosity since 1841, when Capt. Charles Wilkes of the US Exploring Expedition made a special trip to see it. Theories on the creators of these abundant earthen mou..