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Photo credit by angelo-carosio

No matter what the reason for traveling, people would like to travel to areas where they can be well entertained and interested. While the sun and sand of a tropic location may sound nice, after awhile if all there is to do is lay on the beach, the location can get old very fast. A great destination offers a very diverse lineup of things to do, and Washington State is one great example. It isn't the first place that many people include on their lists of destinations to go to, but it is more than satisfactory on a number of different levels.

The Seattle area offers many of the things that most urban population centers do, but also has a strong influence from its position as a port city. From fine eating establishments to wonderful shopping opportunities, visitors to Seattle are left to want for little. Specific highlights of the city include the Pike Place Market, Seattle Aquarium, and the professional sports viewing opportunities depending on the season. The city has a vibrant waterfront area with many restaurants serving locally caught seafood. From Seattle, the Washington State Ferry system is also accessible which can take travelers to various locations around Puget Sound.

The Olympic Peninsula is one of the last wonderlands in the lower 48 United States. There are few roads in the area except for the highway that circumnavigates the peninsula, and the communities that sit on the shore of Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean are a joy to visit. Attractions in this region include Neah Bay, Hurricane Ridge and the Hoh Rain Forest.

The Pacific Coast of Washington State is much different than its more famous section in California. The beaches are accessible and a fun place for children and adults to play, but are mostly made up rock. The shoreline as a whole is rocky and more rugged, but beautiful in a powerful way. Highlights of this area of the state include Ocean Shores, Gray's Harbor and the Long Beach Peninsula.

Southeastern Washington State, like the rest of Eastern Washington, looks completely different than the western portion of the state. The land is mostly rolling hillsides and arid forests with much fewer communities with any degree of population. Highlights of this area include Walla Walla, the Whitman Mission and the Tri Cities area.

Northeastern Washington is more of a highland forest area, and other than the city of Spokane exhibits the same low population centers of the rest of the eastern side of the state. The highlights of the northeastern portion of the state include Lake Roosevelt, Spokane and Washington State University.

The mountainous highlands continue in the North Central Washington region. This area of the state is home to the beginning section of the mighty Columbia River and is one of the least populated areas in the region. Highlights of the area include Lake Chelan, Leavenworth, Wenatchee, Chelan and the many hydroelectric dams of the Upper Columbia River.

Central Washington is a dry arid area of the state featuring many desert-like traits. The area is centrally located to most of the more pleasant areas in the state, and serves as a good hub to venture out to all other regions. Highlights of the area include Yakima, the Yakima River, and the Cascade Mountain footlands.

The Cascade Mountains separate the eastern state of Washington from the western part form a region all of their own. The Cascade Mountains provide great opportunities for outdoor recreation, not to mention the fact that they are extremely beautiful in their ruggedness. The mountains provide a significant east-west barrier that must be navigated via a number of mountain passes. The highlights of the Cascade Mountain region include Mount St. Helens, White Pass, Mount Rainier and the beautiful North Cascades Highway.

While there are vacation destinations that are significantly more popular and famous than the state of Washington, there are few locations that share the level of diversity that this state does. From the ocean and beach activities of the coastline to the camping and water recreation of the Cascade Mountains and surrounding areas, the state of Washington offers a wide variety of activities that anyone lucky enough to visit can take part in. Visiting the state of Washington is a real treat indeed, and few people who visit end up leaving disappointed.