Everyone In Washington Should Check Out These 9 Tourist Attractions, According To Locals

When compiling your Evergreen State bucket list, it pays to hit the street and find out what spots are local favorites. The following entries — a mix of mainstream and off-beat — provide newcomers and life-long residents alike with a bird's eye view of what's worth exploring in our region.

Pack your car for a tour that will take us from the Pacific Coast to the Palouse, featuring everywhere from our state's largest city to its quaintest towns.

1. The High Steel Bridge, Shelton

Start with a high-octane thrill at Shelton's high steel bridge. Soaring almost 400 feet above the Skokomish River, this trussed beauty features mesmerizing views and is just a stone's throw from the charming peninsular entry point of Hoodsport.

2. Marsh's Free Museum, Long Beach

This classic Northwest attraction is a trove of oddities, inspiring reactions from visitors since it debuted in 1921. Come to say you survived and don't forget to snap a picture with Jake the Alligator Man.

3. Edith Macefield's House, Seattle

For a sentimental outing, be sure to visit Edith Macefield's home in the buzzing neighborhood of Ballard. Shockingly, the woman who fought to save this relic of old Seattle from development was not the inspiration for Pixar's Up, but the building elicits a similar nostalgia, nonetheless.

4. World's Largest Sitka Spruce, Quinault

With a whopping circumference of just under 59 feet, the world's largest spruce is a PNW treasure and a hefty reward for an easy hike that clocks in at under a mile. Symbolic of Washington's magnificent nature, this ancient conifer is a must-see in the lush Quinault area.

5. The Fremont Troll, Seattle

An inventory of Evergreen State attractions wouldn't be complete without the Fremont Troll, who's been keeping an eye on the street beneath Aurora Bridge since it was first sculpted in 1990 by artists Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter, and Ross Whitehead.

6. Ape Cave, Cougar

Buried in Gifford Pinchot National Forest is the longest lava tube in the continental United States. Winding for over two miles, this remarkable volcanic feature formed over 2,000 years ago following an eruption of Mount. St. Helens.

7. Suzzallo and Allen Libraries, Seattle

Never got your Hogwarts acceptance letter by owl post? Visit Suzzallo — as it's referred to on campus. This remarkable Gothic-style building is one of the University of Washington's crown jewels. Though it certainly looks like a thing of antiquity, the library isn't the university's oldest building. To see that, you'll have to visit Denny Hall, completed in 1895, some three decades prior.

8. The Winlock Egg, Winlock

The Winlock Egg proves that wondrous things don't need to be serious. Hidden in a town of under 2,000, it's the world's largest egg. Breaking the scales at 1,200 pounds and boggling the mind at 12 feet long, this roadside curiosity was borne of local pride. Winlock was the country's second-largest producer of eggs until the 1950s, a distinction that could only be celebrated one way. Do we think the egg is hard, medium, or soft-boiled?

9. The Twin Sisters Rock, Kennewick

Few attractions in the Tri-City area are more majestic than the Twin Sisters. Soaring 750 feet above the arid basin floor, the Sisters were created by the Missoula floods 18 to 15,000 years ago. In their wake, the powerful waters carved this imposing formation into the region's granite bedrock, leaving an awe-inspiring reminder of the sheer scale of Washington's geological past.

Whether you're a lifelong PNWer or visiting from out of state, these favorite local attractions in Washington reflect the range of what our region offers adventurers.

What are some of your favorite spots?