Enjoy a romantic getaway , or a family outing, or gathering with friends. These vacation cottage will provide respite and relaxation.  Use them as a base camp for exploring Western Washington. 

Nearby:

• Hood Canal has miles of shoreline for kayaking, nature observing, photography. Bring your binoculars and camera to capture sunsets, wildlife, and Olympic peaks in the distance. Enjoy shrimp and salmon fishing, beachcombing, and spectacular scenery. Hood Canal is a fjord, open to the ocean on one end and bordered by steep cliffs and hills. 
• Twanoh State Park, a 182 marine park with a saltwater shoreline on the Hood canal. Enjoy picnics, shallow water play, swimming, and water skiing. There is a boat launch. Come in the fall when the salmon migrate home. More info
• Belfair, 25 miles north, is a popular destination for many boaters, scuba divers, and backpackers. It is a touristy little town with small shops and cafes, located on the Union River, headwaters of the Hood Canal. More info.
• Theler Wetlands is in Belfair’s backyard. Birdwatchers, photographers, and nature lovers enjoy 75-acre wetlands, where they’ll see kingfishers, heron, and other birds. 
• Union, a picturesque town on the shores of Hood Canal offers world-class restaurants, a boat launch, and Marina. 16 miles south of Belfair on Hwy 106.
• Shelton, a historic logging town with a few great restaurants, antiques, microbrewery, and a museum located in the town’s original town hall and library.
• Allyn, 19 miles away is a picturesque little town where you can get Bubba Burgers and chain saw art. It is home to the George Kenny School of Chainsaw Carving.
• Olympia, the state capital, is  25 miles from Two Herons Cottage and 45 minutes from Sand & Stone Beach Cottage. It offers classy dining, shops, theater, music, and all the frills of the small-town city. The weekend Farmers Market is loaded with arts, crafts, and fresh produce. Don’t miss Old Town with quaint shops and restaurants. 

Take Day Trips:

• Olympic National Park: Nearly 1 million acres, this park protects an ecosystem that includes icy peaks, ocean beaches, tide pools, rainforest, and a stunning variety of plants and animals. Roads allow access to the outer edges of the park, but the heart of the Olympic Park is wilderness and a sanctuary for wild animals and hikers. Take a day trip and drive Highway 101 loop around the park and visit Hurricane Ridge, Lake Crescent, Hoh Rain Forest, or Realto Beach. Olympic National park has more than 500 miles of trails. 
• Take a drive up Highway 3 to explore the small towns that hug Washington’s Puget Sound. Port Ludlow, a recreational community built on the shores of Ludlow Bay offers hikes, wooded trails, clam digging, and oyster collecting. Golf, windsurf, fish, sail.
• Port Townsend, a Victorian town, was the state’s first seaport, settled in 1851. By the 1890s the boom was over, and the town’s historic buildings remain.
• Poulsbo, known as “Little Norway”, offers dozens of quaint shops and restaurants. Explore scenic Liberty Bay from a kayak or electric boat, or take the historic walking tour of the town.
• Take a drive north, then catch a ferry to Seattle to explore the big city. The ferry landing is within walking distance to Pike Place Market and the Seattle waterfront. Then a night ferry back across the sound is a restful and beautiful way to end the busy day before your return to Two Herons Cottage. 
• Mount Saint Helens is not far to the South. The visitor center is accessed off of I-5 and is well worth the trip. This is especially important to see if your previous or next destination is Mt Rainier National Park.