If you’re looking for a family-friendly activity in Olympia that gets your family outside, enjoy nature and even learning, check out the Bird Walks and Sea Strolls put on by the Puget Sound Estuarium. These inexpensive tours will teach you about our local ecosystem while you get fresh air and even a bit of exercise.
“Our mission is to foster learning opportunities that inspire people of all ages to connect with, protect, and enjoy the unique estuary environment of Puget Sound,” shares Clarissa Felling, program and volunteer coordinator for the Puget Sound Estuarium. “Noticing how birds have adapted to live in our city environments and seeing how restoration projects are providing habitat for more, is a great way to feel connected to our estuary.”
The Puget Sound Estuarium was founded in 2007 by the South Sound Estuary Association. The nonprofit encourages people to learn about the fragile ecosystems in our estuaries with the hope of inspiring individuals to become passionate caretakers of this land we all share.
“A great way to learn about how to protect our estuary is to learn the history of how we got to this point and what the future holds,” says Clarissa.
Family-Friendly Walking Tours in Olympia
The Puget Sound Estuarium has two different walking tours in downtown Olympia that focus on the Deschutes estuary. There are usually around 10-15 people in each tour group.
The Bird Walk focuses on the shorebirds that make our area home, having adapted to the urban environment. The walk includes Heritage Park, 5th Avenue dam, Capital Lake, 4th Avenue bridge, and Perceval Landing as some stopping points. Tours will look for killdeer, mallards, buffleheads, osprey, belted kingfishers, great blue herons and more.
The Bird Walk tours happen every fourth Sunday of the month from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The Sea Stroll is more of a historic walking tour of Olympia. Tours will learn about the cultural and ecological history of Olympia’s historic shoreline. Starting at the Estuarium, the tour heads downtown on a 1.5-mile loop through history.
The Sea Stroll tours take place every second Sunday of the month from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Both tours are family-friendly – kids are encouraged to come and learn with their parents on these fun walks. “The Bird Walks are best if children can operate binoculars on their own, the North route is stroller and wheelchair accessible, the South route has one section of dock that is a bit bumpy for those in strollers and wheelchairs,” explains Clarissa. “The Sea Stroll route also has the same section of dock that is a bit bumpy for those in strollers and wheelchairs.”
In addition, the tour guides make sure they know their audience for each tour, so they can cover information that participants need or want. Theis means each tour may cover sightly different topics. “Our guides adapt the tours to suit the needs of the attendees, for Bird Walks we ask participants about their birding experience to know whether we should go over binocular usage, for Sea Stroll we ask participants whether they are local or out of town to determine how we reference locations, and same goes for adapting talks to all ages or just adults,” adds Clarissa.
Explore the Puget Sound Estuarium
After your Olympia walking tour, spend some time at the Puget Sound Estuarium! “Each walking tour ticket also includes free admission to the Estuarium after the tour is over so people can continue exploring Puget Sound through our aquariums, exhibits and hands-on activities,” Clarissa shares.
The Estuarium is a great place to spend a couple hours exploring even more of our ecosystem, especially after all you learned on your tour! See aquariums with animals from intertidal and subtidal environments of the South Puget Sound – everyone will enjoy seeing seat stars, crabs, anemones and more! Check out preserved specimens with their extensive shell collection in a touch-and-see exhibit. Short movies play that give you more information on our ecosystem, and microscopes allow you to see the tiniest flora and fauna living off Olympia’s shores.
The Estuarium also has a range of permanent and rotating exhibits, so there will be something new to discover each time you visit.
“Noticing how birds have adapted to live in our city environments and seeing how restoration projects are providing habitat for more, is a great way to feel connected to our estuary,” shares Clarissa. “A great way to learn about how to protect our estuary is to learn the history of how we got to this point and what the future holds.”
Tickets for the Puget Sound Estuarium walking tours are $15, with kids under 12 free. Purchase your tickets and learn more at the Puget Sound Estuarium website.
