West - What to see near Seattle?

What is there to see near, but not in Seattle, particularly north of Seattle? For Seattle, I've made a list already.

Things that I can think of include:

Boeing factory
airplane museum at Paine Field, Everett
Anacortes and Deception Pass
Snoqualmie Falls
maybe Chuckanut Drive/Highway 11 (not so great?)

anything in Bellingham, Mt. Vernon, or Arlington? Comments on the above? I've seen the Boeing factory many years ago.

If you're into naval history the Vietnam era destroyer USS Turner Joy is moored in Bremerton, WA and serves as a museum ship. It's very well preserved and I think worth a visit. The ship has a lot of history to its name too:

http://www.ussturnerjoy.org/

If you're into naval history the Vietnam era destroyer USS Turner Joy is moored in Bremerton, WA

Great suggestion! Maybe on another trip because Bremerton is across the Puget Sound from Seattle. Thank you for the info on a ship that I didn't know was there.

How about Everett to Blaine?

Try spending a bit of time in LaConner. A pair of museums, decent food & a bit of shopping. A serene setting along salt water....

I am a big fan of Chuckanut Drive. On a clear day it is one of the most scenic drivers in the West!

airplane museum at Paine Field, Everett

This. Paul Allen's Flying Heritage Collection www.flyingheritage.com

I had a chance to visit a month ago and if you're at all interested in WWII airplanes its is an amazing museum. They've got some great planes, including some really rare ones like a FW 190D-13 and a Nakajima Oscar. Also very cool is that they've make a point to restore the planes to their as-built flying condition - right down to the color of the wiring harnesses and pilot's relief tubes! (Though the docent I talked to said that for the aforementioned FW, they don't plan to fly it since there's no other flying example but they want to be able to run the engine and have it in condition where it could fly). Check out the website for info on their flying days - they do periodic free flying demos of various aircraft on weekends during the summer.

It would make a great day, together with the Boeing wide-body plant tour, plus plane-spotting around the field (they've got a boat-load of 787's sitting around right now, built and waiting for certification approval to fly)

I second the Boeing factory. ^

... particularly north of Seattle? ...anything in Bellingham, Mt. Vernon, or Arlington? Comments on the above? I've seen the Boeing factory many years ago

Time of year can make a difference, too.

Spring:

Snow geese migrating in the Skagit Valley near La Conner (Mt. Baker in background) -

http://gardyloo.us/20100319_56as.JPG

Tulips and daffodils in the Skagit Valley, between Mount Vernon and La Conner (cute town mentioned earlier)

http://gardyloo.us/DSC_0077c.JPG

Summer: Too numerous to mention; things to include are Mount Baker, one of several "Cascade Loops" - Over SR 20, back on US 2 or v.v., or US 2 to US 97 to I-90, via Leavenworth (faux Bavarian village on US2) and/or Roslyn, the town used for the "Northern Exposure" TV series. The Boeing Factory > Mukilteo Ferry > Whidbey Island > Deception Pass > La Conner > Burlington > Seattle loop is great in summer (also good year-round.) Plus there are some great day trips to Lummi Island near Bellingham, or up the Stillaguamish or Skykomish rivers into the Cascades, decent museums in Bellingham or historic shopping districts in Snohomish (antiques) Fairhaven (Bellingham historic district at the north end of Chuckanut Drive) or La Conner....

Or take the Seattle City Light tour (http://www.seattle.gov/light/tours/skagit/) of the Ross Lake hydro facility - boat ride, lunch, nature walks... very fun.

Fall - The fall colors in the Cascades are actually better than most people expect, especially once you've crossed the crest (e.g. around Leavenworth) where you start hitting apple orchards (http://gardyloo.us/20101017_50s2.JPG) and more aspen/deciduous trees in the woods (http://gardyloo.us/20101017_58s.JPG).

Winter - Skiing at numerous places including Stevens and Snoqualmie Passes, Mount Baker, XC skiing all around Leavenworth.

In short, no shortage.

Great pics, Gardyloo!

Speaking of scenic drives, a favorite of mine is to take the ferry over the Olympic Peninsula and drive up the Hurricane Ridge Rd to the lookout point. Its one of those great mountain roads with lots of elevation gain and switchbacks and the view from the top, looking south toward Mt. Olympus is stunning.

Another vote for North Cascades Highway (SR 20)

Snoqualmie falls is great, but its east of Seattle, not North.