8 Best Sights in Washington Cascade Mountains and Valleys, Washington

Through scenic landscapes and over covered bridges, the authentic engines of the Chehalis–Centralia Steam Train will carry you on rails originally laid for logging. The line runs through farmland and rolling hills, and crosses several wooden bridges. There's a 13-mile round-trip ride and an 18-mile ride, plus dinner trains and special events.

This engaging spot for kids is on a pioneer homestead built in the 1800s. Interactive exhibits and crafts are part of the fun; wee ones love the magic school bus as well.

This living-history museum, 23 miles south of Puyallup, provides a look at pioneer and Native American life. Kids can learn how to hunt and fish in a realistic tribal village, grind grain, milk a cow, churn butter, and do other old-fashioned chores. A trading post shows the commodities of earlier eras. One-hour tours are available through both the farm and village.

This wooded, 139-acre park is en route to the coast. Along the way are several shallow waterfalls cascading down shelves of rock. The park, which opened in 1935, has towering old-growth forest and 3,400 feet of freshwater shoreline along the Chehalis River.

This local repository of history focuses on life centuries ago, with Native American tools, crafts, and attire as well as pioneer artifacts. The timber industry is another focus.

A mile-wide waterway is the boundary between the Tacoma hills and the rugged bluffs of the Kitsap Peninsula. From the twin bridges that span it, the view plunges hundreds of feet down to roiling green waters, which are often busy with barge traffic or obscured by fog. The original bridge, "Galloping Gertie," famously twisted itself to death and broke in half during a storm in 1940—it's now the world's largest man-made reef, and is a popular dive site. Its mint-green replacement and a sister bridge opened in 2007. Note: the $6 toll is for eastbound cars only; westbound it's free from Tacoma into Gig Harbor.

Guided tours of this 80-acre wolf sanctuary are given every hour on the hour and run about 50 minutes, during which docents explain the recovery programs and visitors can view the wolves. You must join a tour. Note that it's worth taking a look at the website before visiting—the sanctuary has a few rules regarding conduct. Most importantly, parents should know that although the sanctuary can be a wonderful place for kids, it does not provide as much stimulation as a typical zoo and may bore kids with short attention spans.