Admiring the Washington State Capitol Campus

After arriving in Seattle via the Amtrak Empire Builder, we decided to amble down to Portland, Oregon with a couple of stops in Washington. We first stopped in Tacoma to have a bowl of Duke's famous clam chowder and to soak up the waterviews we fell in love with a couple of years ago. Then, we headed on a new adventure to the Washington State Capitol in Olympia.

The Legislative Building rotunda  impresses from all angles.

The Washington State Capitol Legislative Building is quite an impressive and intriguing structure. We admired it from a variety of angles and could help but feel its importance. Construction of the Legislative Building was completed in 1928 and I can only imagine how many people shared the awe I felt admiring the dome and columns over the years. While we arrived too late for a tour, we were able to enjoy the stunning campus full of other government buildings and monuments.

Temple of Justice housing the Washington Supreme Court 

Across from the Legislative Building is the similarly impressive Temple of Justice.

Exploring Monuments:

The Medal of Honor Monument commemorates Washingtonians that have received the Medal of Honor. I love how the flowers form a path to the monument.

Winged Victory commemorates Washington's fallen WWI soldiers.

Winged Victory pictured above honors the memory of Washingtonians that perished in WWI. We noted that Winged Victory is one of the most popular monuments and many visitors paused to take a picture.

The Law Enforcement Memorial remembering those that lost their lives in the line of duty overlooks the Capitol Lake. Each monument is poignant and beckons pause.

What a View!

The Washington State Capitol Campus also presents incredible views of the Capitol Lake and West Bay. Just stunning! There are paths to walk down towards the lake. However, it was near 100 degrees the day of our visit so I knew I was on borrowed time!

A lovely garden adds to the picturesque landscape. The sunken garden includes dahlias planted by the Washington State Dahlia Society.

A Little Bit of Europe:

The campus is also home to a replica of the fountain found at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen.

The Washington State Capitol Campus grounds presents an interesting excursion. The campus is sizable and includes more monuments than we were able to explore on our visit. We would love to return in the future to tour inside the Legislative Building as well. If you are visiting Olympia, I recommend at least exploring the campus briefly.