While I was camping trip at Grayland Beach State Park, I heard about the famous Westport Winery Garden Resort, winner of 2022 Washington Winery of the Year! The resort is located halfway between Aberdeen and Westport and features wine tasting, a distillery, a restaurant, the International Mermaid Museum, an expansive garden to explore, and even some lodging!
One of my first PNW friends and fellow blogger Aimee Danielson was the perfect partner-in-crime to indulge in the quirky museum as we both identify as mermaids, so I was glad she joined me on this trip. The Mermaid Museum costs only $3 for adults and is totally worth the adventure of learning about ocean ecology from “seashore to sea floor” and getting immersed in mermaid lore which all oceanic countries have. I particularly enjoyed reading all the mermaid mythology signs that were tastefully done with folklore tales and tied in to real oceanic facts. In addition to mermaid culture throughout the ages, there are also displays of physical artifacts, such as cannonballs from historic ships, hag stones, coral reefs, and king crabs. No museum experience would be complete without various mermaid and mermen statues, which despite being a bit kitschy, Aimee and I made the most of it, having a blast posing with them.
My favorite part of their mission statement is, “Mermaids in storytelling encourage people to see the undersea environment, not just through the lens of marine life, but through the view of humans in the underwater world, thus helping them better understand the importance of clean oceans, the sea as a living environment, and the reality of ocean exploration as one of the last great adventures on earth.” I feel like the museum really accomplished this and I found the whole experience fascinating, fun, and informative! I also really enjoyed their outside gardens that had some very impressive mermaid statues and creations, so be sure to walk around and explore the whole compound to get the full experience.
After exploring the Mermaid Museum and spending some money in their elaborate gift shop, Aimee and I headed to winery next door so I could do some wine tasting. I went with a recommended tasting of red wines by one of their knowledgeable tasting room associates. Not only did I enjoy their wines, but I also loved how articulate and entertaining their one-line tasting notes are with a recommended musical pairing, which I found to be a brilliant idea! I tasted the Smoky Nor’wester Merlot/CF/CS blend, the True Blue Malbec, the Nirvana GSM blend, the Bella Sangiovese, and the Surfer Syrah. My favorite was surprisingly the Smoky Nor’wester as I don’t generally love Merlot, but it was a very bold and smooth wine and I couldn’t resist to buy a bottle. Just to give you an idea of their wine tasting notes, the Nor’wester is “like fireworks in the sky or a good spanking” and you should enjoy it while listening to “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. I’m ready for those fireworks, the spanking, and some good pop music when I drink that bottle!! A tasting of five wines is generally $10 but if you buy a bottle, the fee is waived. The bottle prices are reasonable in the $30-$38 range and each one benefits a regional organization. I’m actually considering becoming a wine club member as I was quite impressed with their brand of red wines. After all, Westport Winery is the number seven top platinum winning winery in the Pacific Northwest!
Aimee and I also stopped by the Sea Glass Grill because we heard their desserts are phenomenal. We each had their Homemade Ding Dong, a dark chocolate cake with chantilly cream, chocolate couverture and raspberry coulis, and it was fantastic! We really should have shared one because they are pretty big and super rich, but no worries, we took our uneaten halves and ate them later that night. Next time I come here, I plan to eat a whole meal at their grill because it all looked delicious!
Check out my friend Aimee’s blog about our mermaid adventure together and the Starbuck logo evolution. Aimee is an avid blogger and has a lot of experience traveling around the PNW, so I recommend following her adventures, plus you can download a FREE e-book on Washington State Parks!
My dreams of being a mermaid may come to flourish in 2024 when the Mermaid Festival hits the museum! I plan to be there some time between Saturday, April 6 through Sunday, April 14 to experience everything this 9-day event has to offer, including Northwest’s famous Una the Mermaid, Olive the Alchemist (founder of the Seattle Mermaid School), Vertical Axis performers Nick Perry and Amanda Thornton, Pacific Northwest Unicorns, Rachel the Sailing Siren, Mermaid Pockets of What Dwells Beneath, Pirate Cliff, and so much more! Who wants to join me in this all-ages celebration of the sea?
Check out my blog post on Mermaid Mythology & Ocean Ecology, as learned from International Mermaid Museum.