Seattle

I would also recommend the Experience  Music Project.  Even if you're not a huge music fan, it's just got some nifty stuff, from a pop-culture perspective. 

And, more importantly to me, the same building houses the Sci-Fi Museum and Hall of Fame.   Robots and spaceships ftw!

For food, I like the Coastal Kitchen: http://www.seattle-eats.com/coastalkitchen/aboutck/

If your trip has been postponed till summer I highly recommend visiting Paradise, Mt. Rainier. There are tons awesome trails up there and it's just beautiful. There's a nice lodge at Paradise and plenty of camping. It's about a 2 hour drive from Seattle.

http://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm

Beach places for WA, Westport and Long Beach.

Canon Beach Oregon is really nice. All are roughly 3-4 hours from Seattle.

Seattle activities, skip the Experience Music Project unless seeing Jimi Hendrix's childhood journal is worth $30 per person to you. Pacific Science Center is great for kids, as is Seattle Center (better in summer). I think it cost around $20 per person just to go up the Space Needle but it's free if you are going to the restaurant which is pretty expensive. It's still pretty cool up there though. And most definitely visit Pike Place Market if you can. If you see a Dick's Drive In (fast food joint) for the love of all that is holy stop there! It's cheap and greasy and fantastic - I don't eat fast food ever but this is a must. They only accept cash.

For food, I like the Coastal Kitchen: http://www.seattle-eats.com/coastalkitchen/aboutck/

OHHHHHH! Yum!   

Thanks, everyone, for the links. They're all very appreciated. 

Kerry: We've decided to stay in Port Townsend for 2 nights, and then Whidbey Island for 2 nights. That way, we'll be able to take a day trip to Orca Island.

I wish we had at least a month to stay! The more research I do, the more I find!   

okay...as for Port Townsend:

http://panedamore.com/

the very BEST bakery! my son has worked there for years but is now at university. it is lovely. tyler street up on the hill. so very very good!

http://www.ptguide.com/farmersmarket/

lovely little farmer's market...wednesdays and saturdays. also on tyler street. i love the grilled salmon sandwiches.

aldrich's market on the corner does lovely sushi. they used to have a sushi bar that was fantastic.

downtown:

http://www.abebooks.com/william-james-bookseller-port-townsend-wa/3097777/sf

this is my favourite used bookstore of all time.

http://local.yahoo.com/info-58793634-tyler-street-coffee-house-port-townsend;_ylt=AlItJuqJSLUMoDcMe0BCR_qHNcIF;_ylv=3?csz=Port+Townsend%2C+WA

tyler street (downtown part). great coffee shop.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-blue-moose-cafe-port-townsend

this is the best little hidden cafe for breakfast. you won't find many tourists here....mainly locals. it's great to walk through the marina. there is a great trail along the coast if you fancy a walk after breakfast.

the beaches are lovely. and if you are interested north beach is a great place to find beach glass. it's like hidden treasure. here's a sample:

http://www.odysseyseaglass.com/sea-glass-photos.html

as for pubs i like water street brewery...although my son prefers siren's. they are both great little micro breweries with good food as well.

Whidbey Island:

well oak harbour is the biggest town and not very exciting. i would stop in coupville...or stay nearby. definiately explore the beaches...near deception pass bridge.

Orcas Island:

it's been awhile since i visited so i can't give recommendations. but you might consider spending a bit of time in anacortes (where i was born) as it's a lovely little town. it's where you'll catch the ferry. oh...and be careful not to speed on the way to the ferry...there always seems to be a police car nearby.

have a great holiday! i'll post if i think of any other exciting tidbits.

Thanks so much for all those links, Kerry!

One more question (for now, anyway  ): We'll be driving from Bend, OR to Port Townsend. We'd like to split up the drive by staying overnight somewhere along the way. Any suggestions of nice places to stop?

We were thinking of Olympia or Gig Harbor, but it's hard to estimate the driving time from Bend because I don't know how fast the roads are.

I moved to the UK from Whidbey, and you couldn't choose a better place for a vacation in my mind!

You will get the ocean, obviously, but also mountain views and lots of rolling hills.  There are places to go hiking in the state parks, and it's very cliffy around both Deception Pass and South Whidbey State Park.  Many of the beaches are overlooked by cliffs.  Langley and Coupeville are both charming little towns (I used to live in Langley and my parents still do). It's really an outdoor person's dream.  Scuba, cycling, and kayaking are also popular (depending on the time of year).  But the San Juans and Vancouver Island are lovely as well.  You might also consider Olympic National Park if you want rugged mountain hiking in a temperate rainforest. 

I moved to the UK from Whidbey, and you couldn't choose a better place for a vacation in my mind!

Thanks! I can't wait. Do you think a day trip to Orcas Island is doable from Langley? We haven't booked a place yet, but it seems that Langley has the most choice of accommodation for us.

I spent a couple of weeks in the Seattle area, visiting family and friends.

I loved it and could happily live there.  Port Townsend was great.  Whidbey Island is beautiful.  The whole area was really interesting to visit.  Felt very different from other parts of the US that I know.

Victoria (over in Canada) was good, but it didn't really feel that 'English' to me (I am English), but then I don't really want to go on holiday looking for reminders of home!

Hi Sevans....well I think it would be a long day from Langley to Orcas Island. It is about a 2 hour drive from Langley to Anacortes. It is about an hours ferry to Orcas from there. I'm not sure when you are going, but with the Winter Schedule the ferries aren't that frequent:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Ferries/Schedule/ScheduleDetail.aspx?tripdate=20100209&departingterm=1&arrivingterm=15&roundtrip=true

Have you considered staying in Anacortes? It is a quaint little town with ready access to the ferries. You can also take whale watching trips from Anacortes (I can't remember the best time of year to see the most whales). Here's a website if you haven't already found it that has lots of information:

http://www.cascadeloop.com/index.php?member_region_id=9|&page_id=21&search=true

I also thought of two more places in Port Townsend. There is a wonderful outdoor hotdog stand with picnic tables at the end of town. Great food for a good price. If you like barbeque there is an amazing place called Dos Oakies (two guys from Oklahoma). You'll need to make note of where it is located because like the Blue Moose it is a bit hidden. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

http://www.dosokiesbarbeque.com/

Oh and I'm not sure what part of your trip that you'll be staying in Seattle, but you most likely won't need a rental car while in the city. It is not an easy city to drive around as there are massive steep hills. If your hotel is centrally located you can walk to most places. There are usually shuttle buses for most hotels from the airport. You can rent a car in downtown Seattle although if I remember right it is a bit more expensive than renting one from the airport.

How soon are you going? It's really warm there at the moment and there is ususally lovely springtimes in the northwest.

Hi Sevans....well I think it would be a long day from Langley to Orcas Island. It is about a 2 hour drive from Langley to Anacortes. It is about an hours ferry to Orcas from there. I'm not sure when you are going, but with the Winter Schedule the ferries aren't that frequent:

OK! Yes, I think that would be too long a day. But we've decided to stay in Coupeville instead of Langley, which will be a more reasonable distance if we decide to go to Orcas Island. Plus, we're going in the summer so the ferry schedule looks more frequent.

I also thought of two more places in Port Townsend. There is a wonderful outdoor hotdog stand with picnic tables at the end of town. Great food for a good price. If you like barbeque there is an amazing place called Dos Oakies (two guys from Oklahoma). You'll need to make note of where it is located because like the Blue Moose it is a bit hidden. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

http://www.dosokiesbarbeque.com/

Yay for food links! We'll definitely check those places out.

Oh and I'm not sure what part of your trip that you'll be staying in Seattle, but you most likely won't need a rental car while in the city.

Right. We're only staying in Seattle for the last night. Boo! But there's too much else to see and do in the area! That's a good suggestion though - we'll drop the rental car off before we check in to the hotel.

Whew! I've never in my life been this organized so far in advance! Planning this trip is my only distraction at the moment from this horrible winter, though! 

If you're staying in Coupeville, I recommend eating out in Langley all the same, the restaurants are fabulous.  Cafe Langley is my favorite, and it's only about a 20 minute drive.  Gorgeous Mediterranean/Northwest fusion food.