You might know Olympia as the capital of the Evergreen State, but did you also know the city boasts much more than its political significance? Olympia is a gem of a place with a rich culture and a wide range of unique local businesses to explore.

Discover the Heart of Olympia

Enjoy learning 15 fun facts about these northwest gems – from Mom and Pop shops to internationally savvy companies – Olympia, Washington holds some fun surprises!

Revival Motors and Coffee Co.

Fun Fact: Revival Motors and Coffee Co. mixes the fine art of restoring old school motorcycles with craft coffee brews while offering an array of Pacific Northwest sourced treats and handmade art by local artists to pair.

Compass Rose

Fun Fact: Compass Rose is a quirky local boutique that offers Pacific Northwest-sourced artisan goods since 1999, including handcrafted jewelry, home décor, and fun little knick-knacks.

Stone City Farm

Fun Fact: Stone City Farm is a veteran-based, family-owned and operated farm where customers can participate in goat yoga and take a goat milk soap-making class.

Fun Junk & Licorice Boutique

Fun Fact: Fun Junk & Licorice Boutique is an antique shop featuring locally made pillows from vintage textiles and house-made black licorice to accompany your shopping experience.

Hash

Fun Fact: Hash is a local family-owned, breakfast-only restaurant with an elevated take on classic diner favorites.

Heritage Meats

Fun Fact: Since Heritage Meats opened in 1977, this artisan butchery has been providing humanely sourced local meats to the community since.

The Marie Bed and Breakfast

Fun Fact: The Marie Bed and Breakfast was originally built in 1892, masterfully crafted with Queen Anne architecture and boasts linens, breakfast and bath products sourced from local vendors for a stay that encompasses Olympia’s hyperlocal spirit.

Thurston Bountiful Byway

Fun Fact: Thurston Bountiful Byway is a 60-mile loop hike or bike tour covering rural Thurston County, where visitors can find farms, local businesses, wineries, sculpture gardens, historic sites, and more along the way.

Sandstone Distillery

Fun Fact: Sandstone Distillery creates hand-crafted batch spirits made from Washington-grown grains. Also has a hidden speakeasy tasting room.

Summit Farms

Fun Fact: Summit Farms is a restored 1910 barn and 1912 original farmhouse, a small family-owned sustainable farm. Environmentally managed and growing to organic practices, utilizing growing methods from Native Americans and Pioneers seeking to solve food insecurities and protect agriculture.

Captain Little

Fun Fact: Captain Little is based on a local character, Captain Little, a brave little mouse whose love for adventure inspired this vibrant, hands-on children’s toy store and bookstore founded in 2014.

Rainy Day Records

Fun Fact: Rainy Day Records is stocked with rock, pop, jazz, blues, soul/R&B, hip hop and more popular music striving to serve the finest and widest vinyl selection, committed to keeping vinyl format alive.

Olympia Coffee Roasting

Fun Fact: Olympia Coffee Roasting has direct trade partnerships with coffee farmers in eight countries, built from the ground up in 2005. 

Hoh River Brewing

Fun Fact: Hoh River Brewing is the oldest active brewery in Tumwater, with handcrafted batch beer using grain from Western Washington, hops from Yakima Valley and yeast from Portland, OR. Named after the owner’s wife’s Hoh Native American Tribe roots from the north coast of Washington.

Washington State Capital Museum

Fun Fact: Olympia is the capital of Washington State – while governmental decisions are no longer made inside the old Washington Capitol building, visitors can still enjoy two floors of exhibits in this building: Washington State Capital Museum

This article was produced for Our Woven Journey.

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