100 Things to Do in Mason County

 

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  1. Watch Indian dancing at the Sahehwamish Powwow at the fairgrounds.
  2. Watch a sunrise over the Cascade across Puget Sound.
  3. Dig your own clams on a public beach. (Be sure you're on a beach that's open for digging, and observe limits.)
  4. Walk a loop trail at Staircase.
  5. Enjoy the food booths, crafts and entertainment at Belfair Midsummer Festival.
  6. Go car camping at a state park.
  7. Learn about wetlands preservation at the Theler Hood Canal Wetlands.
  8. Check out one of the Hood Canal hot spots for bottom fishing.
  9. Watch the fireworks at Celebrate Hoodsport Days.
  10. Pick up lunch makings at a local deli and picnic at a wayside park.
  11. Listen to music at Tahuya Day.
  12. Cheer for your favorite at a weekend horseback camp at the fairgrounds.
  13. Try windsurfing on Lake Cushman.
  14. Listen to Northwest writers reading in Brewer Park.
  15. Have a go at tennis at one of the North Mason or Shelton area courts.
  16. Go on one of the downtown walking tours of historic Shelton buildings.
  17. Dance in the gazebo at Allyn Days.
  18. Go inner tubing down Goldsborough Creek.
  19. Learn to water ski on a lake, the canal or the sound.
  20. Swim at Twanoh State Park
  21. Sample cake at the Mason County Fair (but don't miss the entertainment, draft horses and other attractions).
  22. Go scuba diving at Potlatch or Octopus Hole on Hood Canal.
  23. Eat authentic Indian style alder-baked salmon at the Saint Nicholas' Salmon Bake or the Mason County Fair.
  24. Enjoy the view from the Steel Arch Bridge over the Skokomish South Fork.
  25. Picnic at the gazebo in Allyn.
  26. Visit the historic museum at Mary M. Knight School in Matlock.
  27. Celebrate the First Salmon Ceremony with the Squaxin Island Indian Tribe at the Arcadia boat launch site.
  28. Munch fresh local corn and Canadian hot dogs at Saint Germain's annual corndoggle in Hoodsport
  29. Watch a sunset over Hood Canal at Union.
  30. Fish for summer run salmon in Hood canal or Puget Sound.
  31. Hike the Olympic high country.
  32. Relax in the sun at an area park.
  33. Shop for fresh produce at the Harstine Island Farmers Market and Skokomish roadside produce stands.
  34. Try your hand at photography to capture some of the local scenery
  35. Browse for souvenirs and post cards in shops throughout the county,
  36. Look for wildflowers in the meadows on ridges above Lake Cushman.
  37. Try the swings or the slides at one of Shelton City Parks.
  38. Go bird watching on the Tahuya Peninsula.
  39. Tour a local business or agency.
  40. Fish for bass on a good lake.
  41. Pick mountain blueberries along Skokomish River trails.
  42. Backpack into a mountain lake.
  43. Enjoy local made ice cream at a shop or festival.
  44. Visit a local potters gallery.
  45. Pick grapes at one of the vineyards on Stretch Island at Grapeview.
  46. Explore Dewatto, a once busy logging and fishing town.
  47. Play a round or two of golf on one of the area's fine courses.
  48. Fish for cutthroat on Puget Sound.
  49. Go trail riding with a backcountry horse group.
  50. Watch oyster harvesting on Hood Canal near the Hamma Hamma River.
  51. Take a leisure or community service class at a college extension.
  52. Put your boat in the water at Mason Lake and take a leisurely row.
  53. Eat your way through OysterFest in October at the fairgrounds.
  54. Watch egg taking activities at a salmon hatchery.
  55. Visit a school and maybe volunteer as tutor or helper with a special project
  56. Look for agates and driftwood on the beach at Walker Park or Shorecrest Park on Hammersley Inlet.
  57. Try smelt fishing on Hood Canal.
  58. While away a rainy day at the library in Shelton, Hoodsport or Belfair.
  59. Take a drive out Cloquallum Road and return through Matlock to enjoy colorful fall foliage.
  60. Dance through the midday at a senior center in Belfair or Shelton.
  61. Test your hunting prowess during bird, deer and elk seasons.
  62. Enjoy Harstine Island OctoberFest.
  63. Test your speed and endurance at the Couples Run in Shelton Valley.
  64. Shop for antiques in any of the shops crannied around the county.
  65. Join the crowds at football games and other school sports.
  66. Stock up on sauerkraut at Grapeview's Orthopedic Guild fund raiser.
  67. Take in a movie.
  68. After the rains begin, go off-roading on the Tahuya Peninsula.
  69. Visit the Squaxin Island Indian Tribal Center for a look at historic photographs and artifacts.
  70. Take a breather at Shelton United Methodist Church's Soup and Sound noontime Advent music series.
  71. Watch Santa arrive in Shelton at the Christmastown Parade.
  72. Bundle up and watch the Shelton Yacht Club Christmas Boat Parade on Oakland Bay and Hammersley Inlet.
  73. Go Christmas shopping in local shops and stores.
  74. Take in a seasonal concert at one of the area schools.
  75. Catch the Christmas spirit at the Celebration of Christmas Trees, or tour Shelton businesses and public offices to look at the Christmas tree decoration competition.
  76. Cut your own Christmas tree at a you-cut farm or from National Forest lands (with a permit).
  77. Take a drive at night to look at Christmas light displays.
  78. Visit the Seeds of Our Ancestors exhibit at the Skokomish Tribal Center.
  79. Attend one of the county's three dozen churches.
  80. Look for eagles along the Skokomish River.
  81. Learn about local history at the Mason County Historical Society's museums in Shelton and at the fairgrounds.
  82. Participate in the Community Concert Association concert series.
  83. Enjoy an espresso or a leisurely meal at one of several coffee bars and well reputed restaurants.
  84. Take your sled and head for the high country near Camp Govey.
  85. Take a brisk walk around the Huff 'n' Puff trail near Shelton High School.
  86. Try your luck steelheading on the Dewatto River or Kennedy Creek.
  87. Watch tree propagation at the Danny Ahl seed orchard in the Olympic National Forest.
  88. Watch calves gamboling in the Skokomish Valley.
  89. Eat oysters at the Shelton Yacht Club and Mason County Senior Activities Association dinners.
  90. Clap and stomp at the Shelton Old Time Fiddlers Festival.
  91. Watch migrating waterfowl on the wetlands of canal and sound.
  92. If you're an experienced hiker, climb Mount Ellinor while there's still snow to slither back down on.
  93. Catch the opening day of trout season at Spencer Lake.
  94. Relive pioneer days at Matlock's annual history celebration
  95. Celebrate spring at Grapeview Days festivities.
  96. Cheer for your favorite team at a Little League game.
  97. Drive Tahuya Peninsula back roads for prime rhododendron viewing .
  98. Watch the Forest Festival Parade.
  99. Or enjoy the domestic version of rhodies at the local rhododendron society's annual show in Shelton.
  100. Join the crowds for shrimping and crabbing on Hood Canal.