World War II Memorial (Olympia, Washington)

Hands On Children's Museum is a children's museum in Olympia, Washington, USA. It was founded in 1987 and received over 150,000 visitors a year at its old location near the Washington State Capitol. After moving to its new, permanent home on Olympia's East Bay, at 414 Jefferson Street on Olympia's East Bay, visitorship grew to over 300,000 in its first year (Nov 2012-Nov 2013). The New Hands On Children's Museum, geared for children ages 0–11, features 8 themed galleries focusing on science and nature, plus an enhanced Arts & Parts Studio. The galleries include: "Good For You!" (healthy eating and living); "Our Puget Sound;" "Emergency!;" "Our Fabulous Forest;" "Move It!;" "Build It!;" "Snug Harbor" (for ages 0–4); and the two-story "Tides-to-Trees Climber and Stream Slide." The half-acre Outdoor Discovery Center was chosen by the Association of Children's Museums as one of only three "Going Wild!" pilot sites to demonstrate innovative ways to connect kids with nature; it is the only one of its kind in Washington. Opened in late Summer 2013, the Outdoor Discovery Center includes a Beach, Driftwood Forts, Mud Pie Pit, an interactive Stickworks sculpture "Raccoon Run," and a Fire Pit/Storytelling Ring. Once complete, the Outdoor Discovery Center will also feature a Hike-and-Trike Loop (summer of 2014), Children's Garden with edibles and flowers (summer of 2014), Compost and Worm bins (summer of 2014), an educational Rain Garden (summer of 2014), a Naturalist Cabin for holding nature workshops (summer of 2014), a ride-up Ferry (TBD), a Lighthouse (TBD), and much more. Check their website for the most updated exhibit plans: www.hocm.org. Founded on the belief that all children deserve respect and the opportunity to learn, regardless of their ability to pay, the Museum offers a robust and award-winning Access Program for underserved and at-risk families. Access Programs served 86,000 children, families and educators in 2013, which represented a 37% increase since 2012. Programs include free monthly parenting classes, a free weekly preschool enrichment program, Free Friday Nights every month, and a library partnership to "check out" family admission passes. The Museum also offers discounted military admission and memberships, free field trips for rural, Title I and underserved elementary schools, and several family support programs. Its signature event Sand in the City is the second largest event in the region, offering free art and science activities for 35,000 children and families every year since 2000. In 2013, Hands On was received the #4 spot in King5's Best "Fun Place to Take Kids" in Western Washington, and the Museum received the Best of South Sound's "Best Museum" and "Best Family Entertainment" Awards. The Museum is the first children's museum to receive a three Green Globes certification for green building and LEED certification.

Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and most populous city of Thurston County. It is 60 miles (100 km) southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. The Squaxin and other Coast Salish peoples inhabited the southern Puget Sound region prior to the arrival of European and American settlers in the 19th century. The Treaty of Medicine Creek was signed in 1854 and followed by the Treaty of Olympia in 1856; these two treaties forced the Squaxin to relocate to an Indian reservation. Olympia was incorporated as a town on January 28, 1859, and as a city in 1882. It had a population of 55,605 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the state of Washington's 23rd most populous city. Olympia borders Lacey to the east and Tumwater to the south.

The Tivoli Fountain is installed on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington, United States. Dedicated on April 15, 1953, the copper and cement fountain is a replica of the Roman-style fountain in Copenhagen's Tivoli Park.

The Medal of Honor Memorial is installed on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington, United States. The granite obelisk was dedicated on November 7, 1976.

The POW–MIA Memorial is installed on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington, United States. The marble and granite memorial was originally dedicated as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on November 11, 1982, and later rededicated to commemorate prisoners of war (POW) and people missing in action (MIA) on September 16, 1988 (National POW/MIA Recognition Day).

The Washington State Capitol Conservatory was a greenhouse on the grounds of the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, Washington. It was funded $25,000 in 1938, designed by architect Joseph Wohleb, and built in 1939 as a Works Project Administration project. In the 1990s it was noted the greenhouse was suffering foundation damage from soil settling of up to 65-foot (20 m) deep fill on which it was built. A 1995 report indicated that there was fear of a landslide causing catastrophe to the building, built next to a steep ravine where "a number of springs and wet areas were observed" (Olympia is noted for both its rainy climate and its artesian springs). Heritage Park's hillside trail climbs from Capitol Lake to a landing containing the Law Enforcement Memorial, adjacent to the conservatory. Due to safety concerns stemming from the settling, the conservatory was closed in 2008 and the building was demolished between 2020 and 2021. For a time it was used to store the Chief Shelton Story Pole (totem pole) after it was taken down in 2010. Until its closure it was open to the public and was an attraction for visitors to the State Capitol.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial by Kris Snider is installed on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington, United States. The granite memorial was dedicated on May 25, 1987.

The Law Enforcement Memorial is installed on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington, United States. The memorial was designed by John Swanson and dedicated on May 1, 2006.

The Temple of Justice is a government building in Olympia, Washington, where sessions of the Washington Supreme Court are convened. It also houses the state's official law library, and formerly housed the office of the Attorney-General of Washington.

The Thurston County Courthouse in Olympia, Washington is the former headquarters of Thurston County. It was built in 1930 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1981.

The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary of the U.S. state of Washington. The court is composed of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Members of the court are elected to six-year terms. Justices must retire at the end of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 75, per the Washington State Constitution.The chief justice is chosen by secret ballot by the Justices to serve a 4-year term. The current chief justice is Steven C. González, who was elected by his peers on November 5, 2020. González was sworn in as Chief Justice on January 11, 2021, succeeding Debra L. Stephens. Prior to January 1997 (pursuant to a Constitutional amendment adopted in 1995), the post of chief justice was held for a 2-year term by a justice who (i) was one of the Justices with 2 years left in their term, (ii) was the most senior in years of service of that cohort, and (iii) (generally) had not previously served as chief justice. The last chief justice under the rotation system, Barbara Durham, was the architect of the present internal election system and was the first to be elected under the new procedure, serving until her resignation in 1999. The court convenes in the Temple of Justice, a historic building on the Washington State Capitol campus in Olympia, Washington. The persuasiveness of the court's decisions reaches far beyond Washington's borders. A Supreme Court of California study published in 2007 found that the Washington Supreme Court's decisions were the second most widely followed by the appellate courts of all other U.S. states in the period from 1940 to 2005 (second only to California).

The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Legislative Building in Olympia. As with the lower House of Representatives, state senators serve without term limits, though senators serve four-year terms. Senators are elected from the same legislative districts as House members, with each district electing one senator and two representatives. Terms are staggered so that half the Senate is up for reelection every two years. Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the state senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions and boards.