It’s a bit funny to think of Seattle as ‘off the beaten track’. After all, the Emerald City is home to 3.5 million people, not to mention Nirvana, Starbucks, Drs Meredith Grey and McDreamy, Frasier Crane and Tom Hanks’ insanely picturesque houseboat from Sleepless in Seattle. But Seattle and the surrounding state of Washington (not to be confused with Washington, D.C.) is a rather unusual stop for US-bound Australians and Kiwis, who tend to make a beeline for other West Coast locales like Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

But head ever-so-slightly farther north and you’ll find a holiday destination that’s the perfect combination of urban and outdoorsy. Though Seattle is one of America’s coolest cities (there’s top-notch food, coffee, craft beer and music), it’s also the gateway to the Pacific Northwest region, which has some of the wildest, most spectacular wilderness the US has to offer. Here’s our wild, weird and wonderful picks of what to do.

SEATTLE

The Fremont Troll

GREET THE TROLL They say you’re supposed to ignore the trolls, but we’re inclined to make an exception for this charming fella: a 5.5-metre-tall concrete sculpture that lives under Seattle’s Aurora Bridge with an actual Volkswagen Beetle clutched in its hand. Created in 1990 by a few locals who won an arts council contest, the Fremont Troll is a Seattle cultural institution — one that gets a nifty little cameo in the Seattle-based rom-com classic, 10 Things I Hate About You.Ye Olde Curiosity Shop (credit @zaydastraveldiary)

SHOP FOR KOOKY KNICK-KNACKS There’s something for every kind of kitsch collector at Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, where souvenirs run the gamut from stock-standard city-themed coffee mugs to a taxidermied four-legged chicken (though we doubt you’ll get that through customs). Founded in 1899 by Joseph ‘Daddy’ Standley, who obviously loved really weird stuff, the shop’s famed collection includes shrunken heads, mounted butterflies and two mummies named Sylvester and Sylvia.The Gum Wall in Pike Place Market

LEAVE SOME GUM AT THE GUM WALL IN PIKE PLACE MARKET Sure, it’s the world’s Second Germiest Attraction (Ireland’s Blarney Stone takes the top spot), but this sticky, colourful alleyway covered in chewed gum is super cool. The Gum Wall started in the 1990s, when patrons and performers hanging around the nearby Unexpected Productions improv theatre started sticking gum to the wall. If you fancy leaving some of your saliva in Seattle, follow suit.An orca spotted while whale-watching at the San Juan Islands. 

EXPLORE THE CITY AND BEYOND FROM THE PORT OF SEATTLE The Port of Seattle is a major hub for cruise ships heading to various locations around Puget Sound and beyond to Alaska. Take a waterfront boat tour on a quick trip around the city or hop on a cruise north to the San Juan Islands for kayaking, whale-watching (hello, orcas!) and cute fishing villages like Coupeville, La Conner or Anacortes.Pirate-themed boat tour with Emerald City Pirates

SAY ‘AHOY!’ TO LAKE UNION ON A PIRATE PARTY BOAT One thing childhood did not prepare us for is that the real world is sorely lacking in stereotypical pirate culture. No one is swashbuckling, for Pete’s sake! Why aren’t we shouting delightful phrases like “shiver me timbers!” or hunting for buried treasure? Well, here’s your chance: Emerald City Pirates hosts pirate-themed boat tours around Lake Union, the city’s scenic central lake.Making s'mores at The Mountaineering Club in the Graduate Hotel.

MUNCH ON S’MORES AT A ROOFTOP BAR Washington State residents are known for being outdoorsy, but if camping isn’t your cup of tea, you can still take part in the glorious American tradition of roasting s’mores (marshmallows roasted on a stick, then sandwiched with chocolate and graham crackers) at The Mountaineering Club — a cosy, campsite-themed bar on the 16th floor of the art deco-themed Graduate Hotel.

WASHINGTON STATEHoh Rain Forest

PICNIC AMONG THE MOSSY TREES OF HOH RAIN FOREST The UNESCO-listed Hoh Rain Forest, in Olympic National Park on the western side of Washington state, is the wettest forest on the US mainland. Bring food and plenty of rain gear, then walk through the lush and ancient Hall of Mosses, a loop through giant maple trees and ferns blanketed in lichen and moss. It’s the stuff of fairytales.The Ape Caves at the Gifford Pinchot National Forest

CLIMB UP THE ROCK WALL INSIDE THE APE CAVES LAVA TUBE This is a (thankfully lava-free) hike through a pitch-black, 4-kilometre-long corridor under the trees of Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The upper cave route leads to a climb up a challenging 2.5-metre-long rock wall. It’s dark down there, so BYO torch or headlamp.TreeHouse Point in Fall City

STAY IN AN ACTUAL TREEHOUSE We can’t promise fairies, but you can live out a more adult version of that childhood fantasy only 30 minutes outside of Seattle. At the magical TreeHouse Point in Fall City, stay in one of seven little BnB rooms perched in the treetops along the whimsically named Raging River (it’s like something out of The Princess Bride, I swear).The Cascade Curtain

HIKE THE VOLCANIC CASCADE MOUNTAIN RANGE Washington State is split in two by what’s known as the Cascade Curtain, the stunning, wild mountain range that runs from the Canadian border to Oregon. It’s topped by five volcanoes and it’s heart-stoppingly beautiful (think snow-capped peaks, blue rivers and rugged nature).L: Sign of Molson R: Gold mine in Molson

GET YOUR SPOOKY FIX IN A GHOST TOWN In the mood for the chilly ambiance of abandoned homes and dilapidated churches? Maybe even a ghostie or two? Thanks to 19th century gold mining, railroad construction and logging, Washington State is dotted with old-west ghost towns, like Sherman, Dyer, Bodie, Monte Cristo, Govan and Molson. Visit them all in a loop, if you dare.

This weird and wild guide was brought to you by the State of Washington Tourism, Visit Seattle and the Port of Seattle. For more things to eat, drink, see and explore, head to visitseattle.org and stateofwatourism.com.