Olympic Peninsula & Washington Coast - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 244

Olympic Mountains glistening in the background, is a visitor favorite. The campus'
crowning glory is the magnificent Legislative Building . Completed in 1927, it's a
dazzling display of craning columns and polished marble, topped by a 287ft dome that is
only slightly smaller than its namesake in Washington, DC.
As well as the Legislative Building, visitors are welcome to peek inside both the Su-
preme Court aka the Temple of Justice , flanked by sandstone colonnades and lined in
the interior by yet more marble, and the Capitol Conservatory , which hosts a large col-
lection of tropical and subtropical plants.
The oldest building on the campus is the Governor's Mansion , built in 1908. The
home of the governor is open for tours only on Wednesday; call to reserve a space. Out-
door attractions include the Vietnam War Memorial, a sunken rose garden, a replica of
the Roman-style fountain found in Tivoli Park, Copenhagen, plus a Story Pole carved by
Chief William Shelton of the local Snohomish tribe in 1938. The manicured grounds are
an attraction in themselves, and a well-marked path zigzags down to Capitol Lake where
it connects with more trails.
State Capital Museum MUSEUM
(211 W 21st Ave; admission $2; 10am-4pm Tue-Fri, from noon Sat) This premier museum is
housed in the 1920s Lord Mansion, a few blocks south of the campus, and preserves the
general history of Washington State from the Nisqually tribe to the present day.
Hands On Children's Museum MUSEUM
(114 Jefferson St NE; admission $9.95; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun; ) Recently re-
modeled and relocated at a cost of $9 million, this is the ne plus ultra of kid interactive
fun. Highlights include an eagle's nest that can be scaled - a slide tumbles down from
here to the Puget Sound interpretive area, where there's an underwater world and crane-
lift port area. The WET Science Center next door is dedicated to water-reclamation edu-
cation (and has an artificial creek to play in).
Percival Landing Park PARK
When Olympia was founded, its narrow harbor was a mudflat during low tides, but after
years of dredging, a decent harbor was established. This park is essentially a boardwalk
that overlooks the assembled pleasure craft and provides informative display boards de-
scribing Olympia's past as a shipbuilding port and a center of the lumber and cannery
trades.
Priest Point Park PARK