Since joining Seattle Met in 2011, Allison Williams has overseen the magazine’s travel and outdoor coverage, and has contributed to all sections of the magazine. Allison was raised in Olympia and earned degrees from Duke University and University of Alaska. She began her career in New York City in the newsrooms of Metro newspaper and Time Out New York, then hightailed it back to her native habitat so she could write guidebooks and climb mountains.

Everything Old Is New

7 Antique Stores to Seek Out in Snohomish

The postcard-perfect town offers the ideal ramble through cool old stuff.

09/24/2019 By Allison Williams

River Town

Tiny Bingen Shares Its Secrets in the Gorge

On the banks of the Columbia River, old meets new.

09/24/2019 By Allison Williams

Winter Town

This British Columbia Wonderland Belongs Inside a Snow Globe

Canadian snow playground Rossland channels old-school ski vibes.

09/24/2019 By Allison Williams

Towns, Past Tense

5 Washington Ghost Towns Worth a Visit

Ranked in order of creepiness, for your thrill-seeking needs.

09/24/2019 By Allison Williams

Island Town

In Coupeville, a Rural Dream Becomes Vacation Reality

On the shores of Penn Cove, farm life and a cinematic village beckon.

09/24/2019 By Allison Williams

Lake Town

Oregon Mountain Hideaway Joseph Is Worth an Underwater Look

And glass-bottomed kayaks oblige.

09/24/2019 By Allison Williams

Quote Unquote

Archie McPhee Founder Mark Pahlow Takes Kidding Around Very Seriously

“What’s the right level of absurdity and contrariness that might make this work?”

09/24/2019 By Allison Williams

Magical Mystery Tour

Would You Let Strangers Send You Anywhere in the World?

Local travel company Explorer X will build a custom mystery trip—one designed to transform your life.

08/20/2019 By Allison Williams

Beyond Canapes

Consider the Caterers: When Party Food Goes Pro

Outsourcing the food is a no-brainer, but where to order the platter is not.

08/20/2019 By Allison Williams

Quote Unquote

Seattle Public Schools Nutrition Director Aaron Smith Is Rewriting the Menu

“To walk into that cafeteria and be greeted with a smile…that could make a world of a difference.”

08/20/2019 By Allison Williams

Get the Dirt

10 Best Hikes at Mount Rainier National Park

A totally subjective list from a lifelong Rainier hiker.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

A Time Before Rainier

Should Mount Rainier Revert to Its Original Moniker?

Local Indian tribes lived around a mountain they called Tahoma for centuries, and their legacy struggles to hold on.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

Quote Unquote

Film Director Lynn Shelton Will Always Pick Seattle Over Hollywood

"I love Seattle so much. I much prefer the green here, the gray, the skies, the clouds, the water, a new vista. Seattle sort of ruined me for anywhere else."

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

Fixing Paradise

An Inside Look at the Paradise Inn Remodel

After a $24.5 million, two-year renovation, the classic Rainier hotel reopened in May 2019.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

School of Thought

A Small-Town Schoolhouse Gets New Life as a Creative Arts Center

Artists and writers use vintage classrooms to uncover a new side of Rainier.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

Bight Size

This Mountain Gear Was Born on Rainier

Peter Whittaker used the mountain to develop the perfect outdoor outfits.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

From the Outside In

12 Ways to Do Rainier Without Actually Entering the National Park

Beyond the park boundaries sits a wealth of small-town charm, not to mention lesser-known hikes and stellar views of that big lump of volcano everyone loves so much.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams