Mount Rainier is an easy drive from Grand Mound to Ashford. Just an hour and a half away, the National Park is a must-see. With the warmer weather, myriad opportunities bloom for fun at the Park. Enjoy hiking, National Park camping, National Forest camping, fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, mountaineering, road biking, trail running, and driving tours. The driving tours allow visitors to circle Rainier, explore scenic byways and take lots of pictures. During the cooler seasons, enjoy cross country skiing, snowmobiling, the Snowplay Area, snowshoeing, winter camping and snowboarding.

SOHO Square is a big open-air shopping and entertainment spot near the airport, with a dancing fountain show every hour, loads of restaurants, cafés, and bars, plus extras like bowling, an ice rink, a kids’ arcade, and a small souk-style market.

Built between 527 and 565 AD at the foot of Mount Sinai for Emperor Justinian, this monastery later took its name from St Catherine of Alexandria, whose remains are said to rest here. It’s more fortress than church, with thick stone walls guarding the Church of the Transfiguration, the chapel of the Burning Bush, and a monks-only library packed with ancient manuscripts. Inside, you’ll find mosaics, religious ornaments, and some of the oldest illuminated manuscripts in the world on display. Outside, don’t miss Moses’ Well and the garden with centuries of history. The place is open most mornings but closed on Fridays, Sundays, and Orthodox feast days. Still active today, the monastery holds importance across Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, and continues its Greek Orthodox traditions uninterrupted.