Visit Vancouver: 2025 Travel Guide for Vancouver, Washington

Where to stay in Vancouver

Downtown Vancouver

Travelers come to Downtown Vancouver for its abundant dining options, and you can see top attractions like Vancouver Farmers Market and Interstate Bridge while you're in town.

Salmon Creek

Salmon Creek is popular for its ample dining options, and you might make a stop by Westside Golf Range, a top place to visit in the area.

Nice little park in the middle of Vancouver, WA. The switchbacks up the hill, surrounded by tall trees will make you feel like you're a lot further from town. It was a nice, quiet place to stretch my dogs legs for a bit and eat my lunch from nearby Panera Bread.

Hazel Dell

Hazel Dell is well-liked for its restaurants. You can also take some time to explore sights in the surrounding area like Vancouver Mall and Ulysses S. Grant House.

Five Corners

While visiting Five Corners, you might make a stop by sights like Orchards Plaza and Orchard Point.

Those of us who live in a certain neighborhood of the Lincoln district know that for one month every year we won't have to worry about turning on our porch lights. If the street lamps should fail, well, that's not really of any concern. Say the moon itself were to pop out of the sky and go flying into space. No big deal. Because for a glorious 30 days every winter, we're able to bask in the glow of a house lit bright enough to make artificial sunshine. A sight so startling, it causes commuters to back up traffic as they sit in their cars and gape.

It wasn't always that way. A few years back, the charming old couple who lives in the place started to put out a few lights to decorate their home. The next year they added a few more, and the year after that -- again -- some more. At some point, however, they seem to have developed a kind of high tolerance for luminescence. And when that happened, the floodgates were open. What you see in these photos is the early December version of what, by Christmas day, will be a kind of multi-colored solar flare emanating from the front yard of their home.

It can really be a beautiful thing to behold, as anyone who sees it for the first time can tell you. And those of us who live here have accepted with pride this red and gold meteor which appears in our midst during every gloomy Northwest December.

Can you blame us? We may be the only block on earth entirely visible from space.

#localgem

Central Park

When in Central Park, you can plan a visit to Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and Ulysses S. Grant House, some noteworthy sights in the nearby area.

Minnehaha

When in Minnehaha, you can plan a visit to Vancouver Mall and Vancouver Tennis Center, some noteworthy sights in the nearby area.

Popular places to visit

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

5/5(14 reviews)

Find out about the history of Vancouver when you take a trip to Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. Discover the area's acclaimed art scene and shops.

Esther Short Park

4/5(5 reviews)

After visiting Esther Short Park, make a plan to see the other sights and activities in Vancouver. Stroll along the area's riverfront, or simply savor its top-notch restaurants.

Interstate Bridge

4.5/5(4 reviews)

You can learn about the history of Vancouver when you stop by Interstate Bridge. Stroll along the area's riverfront, or simply savor its top-notch restaurants.

Stately old Oak off the lake's southeastern shore.

Vancouver Lake Park

3/5(2 reviews)

After visiting Vancouver Lake Park, make a plan to see the other sights and activities in Vancouver. Discover the beautiful waterfalls in this walkable area, or enjoy its biking trails.

Pearson Air Museum

You can browse the exhibits at Pearson Air Museum, a museum with a story of its own, during your trip to Vancouver. Stroll along the riverfront or visit the shops in the area.