A perfect 3 day weekend getaway from Seattle, WA
3-day weekends are designed for little getaways. One of my favorite little getaways: Whistler. A 4-hour drive North from Seattle and you have arrived. (Plus, or minus an hour or two depending on border wait times.)
Just north of Vancouver, BC, Whistler is home to one of the largest ski resorts in North America. BUT good news, it’s just as amazing in the Spring and Summer months. No snow? No problem. Hiking, biking, zip-lining, white water rafting and lounging in the sun are just a few activities you will enjoy here.
What did we decide to do?
Via Ferrata.
Heard of it? Probably not… Until now! Via Ferrata is Italian for -iron path-
It is a guided, protected, pre-determined climbing route found on certain mountains. Steel cables and rungs are fixed into the rock and you use those to guide you up the mountain. Terrifying? Not at all. You are safely strapped in and they give you all the equipment. It is the most user-friendly mountaineering experience you could ask for. However… If you are afraid of heights, this probably isn’t going to be your cup of tea. 4 hours total. Suitable for ages 12+. Not necessarily for the faint of heart. Check out their website, here.
Afterwards you can take a ride across the peak to peak gondola and/ or enjoy a beer while you’re at it. Enjoying a tasty IPA, surrounded by majestic mountains after a morning of hiking and climbing is SO perfect.
Barefoot Bistro’s Ice room
Whistler’s Ketel One Ice Room is really cold. How cold, you might ask? -25F for us Americans (-32C for the rest of the world). Brrrr. So why would someone ever, willfully enter this sub-zero room? Vodka. That’s why.
This room boasts more than 50 vodkas from across the globe for (boozy) adventure seekers to try. Don’t worry about being cold though. You will be provided with a nice and cozy Canada goose, down parka.
The experience: Taste four vodkas of your own choosing. And truly, what’s the point of drinking really cold vodka in a really cold room? The extremely cold environment, brings out the actual flavor of the vodka while minimizing the burn of the alcohol that you usually get with vodka.
Earl’s
Happy Hour Drinks on the patio =my idea of a perfect afternoon. Do we have Earl’s in the states? Well, yes. So it’s not suuuuper authentic. But hey, if there is a restaurant offering happy hour on a patio, I’m usually not going to say no.
Longhorn Saloon
Always a classic. So many of my best memories are held at Longhorn. Do us all a favor and sit on the patio. It is the largest bar/ restaurant patio I’ve ever seen. My go to drink? A Mexican Bulldog. Margarita w/ a corona that slowly pours in as you drink that tequila down. Yum. We sat outside at night by the fire on this night. But it’s a great place for some afternoon sun!
Cow’s Creamery
Cow’s has my favorite, favorite, favorite ice cream. The lines are long, but it’s worth the wait. I kid you not when I say that I have gone twice in one day before. No shame. My go to flavor: Fluff ‘N Udder. Chocolate ice cream, marshmallow swirl, and peanut butter cups. They have over 30 flavors to choose from, so you best be thinking of what you want while you’re standing in line. Good news is, they have all their flavors listed on their website. Just don’t look at the Nutrition Facts.
