WINERY AND BREWERY TOURS AND TASTINGS - Some of the state's largest wineries and breweries are located in Woodinville, a 35-minute drive from Seattle. These include Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery, Columbia Winery and Redhook Ale Brewery.

SEA KAYAKING - Paddle Seattle. Rent sea kayaks by the hour from the Northwest Outdoor Center on Lake Union, just north of Seattle's downtown district. Sights include the city's formidable houseboat communities, lakeshore restaurants, the Center for Wooden Boats and dramatic views of the city. Guided tours are also available.

BICYCLING - Pedal Seattle. Seattle has been ranked among the top-five destinations for bicycling by Bicycling magazine. Travelers can see many of the city's top visitor attractions by renting bikes by the hour. Or, take a half-day guided sightseeing tour; itineraries feature popular neighborhoods and attractions such as Discovery Park, Ballard Locks, Green Lake, Washington Park Arboretum and Myrtle Edwards Park.

SNOQUALMIE FALLS - More than a hundred feet higher than Niagara, Snoqualmie Falls beckons visitors from Seattle, just 25 miles down the highway. The Salish Lodge is perched near the top of the falls, offering fine dining and four star lodging. Hiking, canoeing and horseback riding and packing are nearby.

WHALE WATCHING - Orcas (sometimes called killer whales) hold a special place in the hearts of Seattle residents. More than 80 of the elegantly black-and-white mammals live in the waters of Puget Sound, gathered into three "pods," or extended matriarchal families, each communicating in its own dialect of sounds.

The orcas you will see in the San Juans belong to pods J, K and L. Each individual whale in the three pods has both a number and a name, to help scientists track them. Generally, the lower the number, the older the whale, and some of the females are thought to be older than 80.

NATIONAL PARKS - Seattle lies within a couple of hours of three spectacular national parks. Mt. Rainier is just a two-hour drive south of Seattle and features the highest peak in the Northwest at an elevation of 14,411 feet. Gray Line Sightseeing offers a guided day tour to the visitor center located at Paradise. Olympic National Park, on the Olympic Peninsula west of Seattle, features the only temperate rain forests in the lower 48 states; the park also features 8,000-foot mountains and wild ocean beaches. North Cascades National Park, north of Seattle, boasts a necklace of turquoise glacier-fed lakes with a backdrop of jagged mountains and a scenic highway (Cascade Loop) which runs from beach to mountains to desert.

MT. ST. HELENS - May 18 marks the anniversary of this volcano's fiery eruption in 1980. Today a visitor and interpretive center explains dramatic geologic and human stories and their legacies. Flightseeing tours are available.

NORTHWEST TREK - View indigenous Northwest wildlife from the safety of a guided tram tour in this 600-acre wildlife preserve, located 45 minutes south of Seattle.

WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES - Discover Puget Sound with over 80 islands and scenic peninsulas. Travelers can drive, walk or bike aboard the nation's largest ferry system. Two routes - Bainbridge Island and Bremerton - are served from Pier 52 on the Seattle Waterfront.

SKIING - The Cascade Mountain ski slopes, including Crystal Mountain, Stevens Pass and Snoqualmie Pass offer day and night skiing November through mid-April. Snoqualmie Pass is just 90 minutes east of Seattle.

VICTORIA - Visit Canada's most English city. Travel by the Victoria Clipper catamaran or seaplane or car ferry through the San Juan Islands. Overnight packages are available through Victoria Clipper and Gray Line of Seattle.

VANCOUVER - This dynamic metropolis on Canada's West Coast boasts world-class shopping, dining and culture. Get there by car (2 1/2 hours) or by rail via the Mt. Baker International (3 1/2 hours).

WASHINGTON WINE COUNTRY - The Yakima and Columbia Valleys, three hours east of Seattle, offer a growing number of internationally acclaimed wines from vineyards, which offer tours and tastings.

CRUISES - even-day roundtrip cruises from Seattle to Alaska and the Inside Passage (with an intermediate stop in Vancouver) are now available. Royal Caribbean also offers 3-4 day round trips between the Seattle Waterfront and Victoria and Vancouver. Small vessel cruises are offered from Seattle via Alaska Sightseeing/CruiseWest.

Explore the online Visitors Guide for more ideas