Are you heading to Olympic National Park and want to know the BEST things to do in nearby Sunny Sequim?
Sequim, WA (pronounced Skwim), is most known for its famous Lavender festival but has so much to offer year-round. Located in the Olympic Mountains’ rain shadow, it has a unique coastal Mediterranean climate that boasts the sunniest weather on the Olympic Peninsula and offers year-round outdoor recreation and cultural events appealing to all ages!
I’m Jana and I have visited Sequim several times in the last decade. Please keep reading for my top recommendations for things to do in Sequim, helpful tips for your visit, and why I believe Sequim is a great destination.

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About Sequim
Sequim is a beautiful rural community on the Olympic Peninsula between Port Angeles and Port Towsend. You can easily access Sequim from historic Highway 101 heading East and West on the Peninsula. The Washington Street exit will take you to the main downtown area.
Sequim is also a great home base for your first couple of nights if you’re visiting the Olymopic National Park! It is a mere 17 miles east of the turn-off to Hurricane Ridge in Port Angeles, but it is cleaner and comparable in cost with more charm and amenities. Staying in Sequim will be one of the best parts of your vacation not just somewhere to sleep at night. Keep reading to find out why!

Things To Do
Lavender Weekend Festival
Sequim’s premier annual festival attracts thousands from all over the world each 3rd weekend in July. Our family has attended a few times over the years and each year it gets bigger and better!


My favorite part of the festival is the huge fair at Carrie Blake Park, which hosts dozens of vendors selling lavender products, arts, and crafts, food trucks, and live music all day. We love sampling different treats from local vendors and buying lavender gifts to take home. Our girls especially loved the regional artist’s booths where we spent extra time deciding which prints to buy. We spent about three hours at the park enjoying the ambiance and I recommend budgeting at least 2 hours to enjoy the fair.
Stopping at the lavender farms feels magical! Each farm has unique character and personality but we prefer just to pick a few that are close in proximity to each other and skip the rest. With a few exceptions, the gift shops sell similar items (many of which you can find at the fair) and you can see many of the lavender fields just driving by.
You could easily spend the entire weekend at the Lavender Festival and enjoy different activities each day as Lavender Weekend is an activity-packed event. However, after a few visits, we discovered that a half day was perfect for our active family. More time would be better suited to adults only.


PRO TIP: Do you want to check out the festival, but want to save money on hotels and skip the crowds? I recommend sightseeing in Sequim before the festival and plan to check out of your hotel on Friday morning (the first day of the festival); Enjoy the festival on Friday, then leave town that evening and skip the weekend crowds and traffic coming to Sequim from Seattle.
Things to Know
- The Lavender Festival is always the 3rd weekend in July
- Free Admission + Free parking all weekend
- Plan for excessive traffic on the peninsula heading Westbound from Seattle during Festival weekend
- Pets welcome
- ADA parking is available at all Lavender venues. Find more information.
Dungeness Wildlife Refuge, Spit and Lighthouse
The Wildlife Refuge is a nature lover’s destination. When we were there last time we loved it so much we went two days in a row and enjoyed the beach for hours! To access the beach and Dungeness Spit you’ll start your adventure with an easy half-mile paved trail through a classic Olympic old-growth forest.


Once you get to the beach you can easily access the Dungeness Spit trail. The trail and lighthouse are the big attractions at the Refuge and the spit is the longest natural spit in the country at over 11 miles round trip. The hike to the spit is a flat, but rugged walk, and you’ll want to make sure you take comfortable shoes as it is sandy and uneven along the route.
Check tide charts and plan your hike at low tide, otherwise, climbing and crisscrossing over driftwood will add hours to your hike. Once you get to the end of the spit you can tour the newly renovated lighthouse.
We love visiting the Refuge! This is a must-see if you are in Sequim and have at least a few hours. We recommend planning at least 2 hours for your visit if you’re NOT hiking to the lighthouse and at least 5 hours if you are.
The Refuge is appealing to all ages and while it is popular, it never feels overcrowded. The paved trail is wheelchair-friendly until you reach the overlook, (pictured below), after that, there is a short but steep ramp to the sand.


Things to Know
- Open daily from sunrise until one half-hour before sunset
- No pets allowed
- ~$3 per 4 adults; kids under 16 are Free
- Check tide charts before arriving or at the kiosk in the parking lot; hiking at low tide is strongly encouraged.
- No bikers or joggers allowed on paved hiking trails within the refuge
- Kayaks are allowed at the boat launch. Find more information.
Railroad Bridge Park & Dungeness River Nature Center

A visit to Sequim is not complete for us without visiting Railroad Bridge Park. This park is adjacent to the Dungeness River Nature Center and is free to guests. The Park itself is wooded and over 75 acres. We go to walk or bike on the bridge and view the Dungeness River.
What we love most about the park is, like most places in Sequim, it has a calm and peaceful atmosphere and is great to visit any time of day. Sequim is known as a family-friendly town and this park is a favorite spot for locals.
On one visit we brought our senior parents and kids, and everyone loved the wooded park and trails.

The new Dungeness River Nature Center completed in 2022 is architecturally beautiful and features a small bookstore, gift, and coffee shop. On their website, they advertise nature programs and nature exhibits for all ages throughout the year.
It’s not a big time commitment to enjoy all this place has to offer! We enjoyed learning about the local birds and they’ve had several on display when we’ve been there. We usually spend an hour walking along the trail and enjoying the park. A great place to have a picnic too.

Things to Know
- The paved path on the railroad bridge is part of the Olympic Discovery Trail
- This is a great place to park to start the Olympic Discovery Trail that runs through Sequim to Port Angeles (West) or Port Townsend (East)
- Parking is close and wheelchair-accessible
- Great for bikers or walkers
- Scenic
- Appealing for all ages. Find out more information.
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Sequim Farmers Market and Craft Fair
The Sequim Farmers Market has become very popular for its local artisans and farm-to-table goods!
This outdoor market is organized and close to clean public bathrooms and parking! Every time we visit Sequim on a Saturday we’ve enjoyed our time shopping at this outdoor market. You’ll find homemade goods and organic produce from local vendors. The Lavender fudge was our favorite.
Sequim has a lot of community pride and it is reflected in their Farmers market. It’s a great activity to combine with downtown shopping on Washington Street (more on that below) or after grabbing breakfast in town. A quick 30 minutes with their convenient parking is all you need to fully experience this market.
Things to Know
- Located at the corner of Sequim Ave and Cedar St at the Civic Center Plaza
- Open every Saturday May-Oct, 10-2 pm
- Free street parking
- For more information on the market and off-season hours on their website.
Downtown Sequim’s Washington Street Shopping
I’ve always wanted to live in a small town. When I picture the perfect “main” street with cute shops and friendly owners, Sequim’s Washington Street is it!
We found yummy treats at That Takes the Cake, and hand-made souvenirs at boutique stores like Forage Gifts & Northwest Treasures, and Purple Haze Lavender. In each store we went to the owners were so friendly! You can tell the owners love Sequim and enjoy meeting tourists which makes it all the more appealing to visit.
We tend to spend around two hours wandering stores, more if we are dining. Parking is convenient and plentiful and most of the best stores are located within a couple of blocks, but don’t miss out on some great places farther up the street and tucked away.
Things to Know
- Public Parking in downtown is free and there is plenty of it
- See their website for a complete list of shopping
Olympic Discovery Trail
Sequim is located right in the center of this epic 120-mile trail and runs east and west through town. This is one of our favorite activities on the peninsula. You can hop on anywhere along the trail and ride as far as you like. Viewing acres of farmlands, and Sequim’s breathtaking scenery along the trail make it such a unique ride.

On our last visit, we rode from Sequim Bay State Park to Port Angeles and back. Not only was it a great way to see the town but we biked through beautiful forests and past Lavender farms!
During our ride, we rode over an old railroad bridge and stopped at beautiful Carrie Blake Park and enjoyed their free Botanical gardens.

We have biked all over the country and this trail is our favorite! This trail is used a lot but it never felt too crowded and in the evening in July we didn’t pass many other bikers.
Things to Know
- Rent bikes from Ben’s Bikes or Elwha Bikes in Sequim.
- Bike rental shops will provide maps for getting on the trail.
- Pet friendly
- Bathrooms are located along the route
- Find more information about the trail
What Else Do I Need to Know

The most popular time to visit Sequim is summertime but there are festivals and events all year round. Sequim gets less than half the annual rainfall compared to neighboring towns, making it a great destination for visiting the peninsula outside of peak season.
Where to Eat
We often camp and bring our food or stay in rentals with kitchens, but Sequim has an impressive line-up of restaurants with a lot of variety in Cuisine.
- Hi-Way 101 Diner. A retro-themed diner with great burgers. I thought it was a bit pricey for a burger place, but it was delicious. Serves Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The homemade buttermilk syrup is a local favorite. Google rating: 4.4 ~$10-$20
- Oak Table Cafe. A great breakfast spot with a delicious menu: Swedish pancakes, omelets, and homemade pastries to name a few. They have excellent service and a cozy ambiance. Google Rating: 4.7. ~$15-$25
Where to Stay
For a small community, Sequim has a huge selection and accommodations for every need from bed & breakfasts to hotels and motels, vacation rentals, inns, RV parks, and camping. We have stayed in a few different places and loved each place.
- Sequim Bay State Park. A cozy State Park nestled on Sequim Bay just a few minutes outside of downtown. Easy Bay access to kayaking, paddleboarding, and the Olympic Discovery Trail make this one of our favorite campgrounds. Reservations are available online. Open year-round.
- Olympic View Inn (book here). Basic Motel accommodations with an ideal location. We have stayed here a few times and chose to based on where it’s located in the heart of downtown and for price. It offers walkable access to shopping and quick access to the Olympic Discovery Trail by bike. If you want more than a clean bed and convenience there are nicer options.
- Sequim has a huge selection of rentals on VRBO and Airbnb and we’ve always found something in our budget.
We hope you enjoy your visit to “Sunny Sequim” as much as we do. Happy Travels!
More Trip Planning Resources
Most travelers want to visit the most popular sites and still avoid the crowds. We have a detailed itinerary that gives you a step-by-step game plan so you can get to the best places at the right times.
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