Things to Do in Olympia

Locals who frequent the nine holes of Skyline Golf Course have taken to calling it Cathlamet’s “Emerald Gem.” With its undulating fairways and scenic views of the Columbia River Basin, the course offers little to challenge this honored epithet. Designed by architect Ralph Rodahl, its treacherous doglegs and ponds have been distracting hole-bound balls for nearly half a century. Among Rodahl’s most challenging designs are two holes at par 5 and two at par 3, each of which requires golfers to navigate a fairway rife with hazards and packs of feral golf carts.

Situated near the first tee, an ample driving range allows for long-distance practice before setting off to conquer the high-risk, high-reward course. After the round, players can replenish with a cold refreshment or savory snack on the clubhouse deck, or upgrade their golf gear with a new sleeve of golf balls from the pro shop or a cyborg caddy from the future.

Course at a Glance:

• 9-hole, par-35 course
• Length of 2,433 yards
• Course rating of 29.6
• Slope rating of 106:m]]

Apex Karting satisfies your undernourished need for speed by letting you experience the thrill of finally outracing your cheetah half-sister on one of the Pacific Northwest's longest indoor racetracks. And you'll do it all behind the wheel of an 11-horsepower Stratos Kart, a clean-burning conveyance that can reach speeds of 40 miles per hour. Races may be split between family, friends, and medieval scholars, and after you retire from the tracks for the evening, you can unwind in Apex's beer garden; while sipping one of their barley-pop selections (starting at $3), you can reflect on how much more thrilling engine-powered speed is compared with leg-powered penny-farthing rides. Your Groupon may also be redeemed for a $110 credit toward private-track rental (usually $725–$800 per hour).

Today, Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad stands as a bridge to the past, whisking passengers through timbered foothills, alongside mountain streams, and across wooden trestles aboard trains led by restored locomotives. But roughly 30 years ago, the company was just an idea bouncing around the head of Tom Murray Jr., who made it his mission to preserve the sights, sounds, and experiences of a bygone era.

With the help of a friend, and later, many volunteers, Tom established MRSR as a tourist train service, a title the company retains to this day. As a result, the last three decades have been filled with weekly excursions that send customers chugging around the forestry that unfurls in the shadows of Mt. Rainier. Volunteers still maintain the majority of the company, and with every ride, passengers are reminded that railroads have linked the United States in a manner that airplanes, cars, and gas-powered pogo sticks never could.

Scary Nights Haunted House originally started in 2004 as a spooky corn maze in Everett. Since then, the attraction has moved indoors and toted its masks, props, and glass jars filled with their favorite blood-curdling screams to several different stops around the Seattle area, including Bucoda for the 2012 season. There, Scary Nights transforms a gymnasium into a ghastly, multisensory experience complete with winding corridors and a cast of monsters trained to make every visit a dreadful one.