Mercer Island, WA Outdoor Activities

Master storyteller Anthony McDonald has a gift for the supernatural that he has honed since his childhood in New Orleans, one of the most haunted cities in the United States. He led fearless guests on his first ghost tour through the French Quarter in 1984, and today he points out specters along the streets and alleyways of Pioneer Square. During the 72-minute tours, McDonald recounts historical yarns about the twilight-shrouded town and shares local lore including the legend of the singing rain and its long-standing rivalry with Gene Kelly.

Chocolate lovers unite at the Northwest Chocolate Festival, an annual event dedicated not just to eating chocolate in its many forms, but to tracking its journey from cacao bean to confection. Visitors hone their expertise through seminars on trade equity and cacao farming, chocolate-making workshops led by confectioners, and tastings where palates learn to distinguish between milk chocolate and a chocolate bar clumsily forced inside a milk jug. A portion of the proceeds from the event benefits local nonprofits aligned with the festival’s mission. Recipients are announced yearly.

Though some ghost tours regale customers with tales of vampires and witches who haunt the local area, or at least visit while their coffins are being fumigated, the guides of Spooked in Seattle Ghost Tours prefer to stick to stories of ghosts they've personally investigated. Ghost hunters —including well-known paranormal investigator Ross, who has appeared on various TV shows to discuss ghost hunting—have examined each story and location through paranormal investigations. The ghost hunters take customers on walking tours through city streets and the darkened corridors of Seattle's oldest buildings, or invite them to have a drink at a few of the city's creepy watering holes.

If horses could run a business without accidentally eating important documents, they’d head up Equine Escapes, a business dedicated to honoring the majesty and beauty of equines. Riders gain extra respect for their gentle companions during guided trail rides and retreats that explore the area’s scenic wooded terrain. Each guest has ample opportunities to meet and develop an open rapport with their four-legged counterparts through a complicated system of tongue clicks. Equine Escapes also hosts regular events and annual holiday-themed parties.

To say Mark Coleman knows how to fish is an understatement. Coleman, the owner of All Rivers & Saltwater Charters, has mastered the art of side drifting, float fishing, hover fishing, back bouncing, and jigging during his more than 10 years exploring the Pacific Northwest’s waterways. In the process, he earned captain certification from the US Coast Guard, a distinction also earned by each member of his team.

Aboard vessels that range from the 29-foot Reel Tight to a 16-foot, nonmotorized drift boat, Coleman and his staff lead chartered fishing trips through fresh- and saltwaters. All Rivers & Saltwater Charters have caught fish on the Columbia and Olympic Peninsula rivers, traveled the waters outside Anacortes and the San Juan Islands, and explored Puget Sound. Voyages pursue salmon, steelhead, lingcod, sturgeon, and other types of fish. The team can also lead fishing lessons for newbies, teaching essential fly-casting techniques, including the correct grip, the different casting styles, and how to use homemade tiramisu as bait.

Charles Mickelson knows Seattle so well, he can unearth trolls hiding under its bridges—specifically, the Fremont Troll, an 18-foot-high stone troll statue nestled beneath the Fremont Bridge. This is just one of the landmarks that Charles’s company, Seattle Qwik Tour, showcases on its signature 90-minute mini-coach tours. Their tour routes also pass the Space Needle, the Central District, and Viretta Park, one of Kurt Cobain’s old haunts. As the group rolls through the city, passengers learn statistics and historical tidbits from their guides while snapping photos of the scenery during periodic stops.