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10. 8 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
Contents
FEATURES
30The Wild Waters
of Washington
Rollicking ocean waves, roar-
ing river rapids, and placid
lakes beckon those in search
of aquatic adventure.
By Anne Larkin
38Fest By Northwest
Eighteen great Washington
music fests attract audiophiles
as much for their cool tunes as
their breathtaking sights.
By Laura D. Redman
DEPARTMENTS
15WAnderlust
Get lured in with our prime
fishing grounds, snowy
slopes, literary locales,
regional sips, and Native arts.
Plus, romantic spots and fun
runs for all.
26Calendar
From rodeos to barrel tastings,
pioneer celebrations to holiday
lights, here’s a month-by-
month guide to 45 of Washing-
ton’s best festivals and events.
SEATTLE’S LAKE UNION
PHOTOGRAPHBYMICHAELHANSON
Seattle
By Joel Rogers /
joelrogers.com
30
On the covers
Mount Rainier
By Justin Bailie /
tandemstock.com
The Palouse
By Ben Herndon /
tandemstock.com
2014
11. Please call us at 425-284-5900 or visit heathmankirkland.com • 220 Kirkland Avenue, Downtown Kirkland, Washington
the heathman hotel kirkland and trellis restaurant.
The perfect pairing.
Details. They’re what separate the ordinary from the extraordinary. In a hotel, they’re the difference between accommodations
and accommodating, a stay that’s pleasant and one that’s truly memorable, a good meal and a unique culinary experience.
Details. They’re why service is still an art at the Heathman Hotel Kirkland and Trellis Restaurant .
12. 10 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
4 1
2
7
9
10
8
3
5
6
99
PHOTOGRAPHSFROMTOP:LINDSAYBORDEN,JOHNATHANESPER/DREAMSTIME,LEERENTZ,COURTESYWALLAWALLA.ORG,
PIERRELECLERC/SHUTTERSTOCK,GRANTGUNDERSON/TANDEMSTOCK.COM
47 Metro Seattle [1]
With a wealth of art and
culture, authentic global
cuisine, and dreamy water-
fronts, Puget Sound is wide
open for exploration.
65 North
Cascades [2]
From tulip fields and family
farms to hiking and biking on
miles of trails, the North Cas-
cades are wildly wonderful.
71 The Islands [3]
Washington’s archipel-
ago reveals just why it’s a
National Monument, with
watery expanses and quaint
harbor towns.
77 Peninsulas
& Coast [4]
Rain forest hikes, rocky
coasts, white-sand beaches,
a historic Victorian village,
and more await.
85 The Volcanoes [5]
Day-trip to Mount St. Helens,
bag Mount Rainier, and learn
the rich history of mountain-
eering in the state.
93 The Gorge [6]
The Columbia River Gorge
Scenic Byway has stunning
vistas, while trails traverse
Vancouver for more views.
99 North Central [7]
Outdoor pursuits for every
season, a Bavarian hamlet,
and glacier-fed Lake Chelan
are all part of the fun in the
North Central region.
109 Wine Country [8]
Get uncorked in Wine Coun-
try before geeking out at a
former nuclear complex and
diving into the indie arts.
117 Northeast [9]
Discover Spokane, the cul-
tural capital of the inland
Northwest, and explore the
natural wonders of Washing-
ton’s final frontier.
125 Southeast [10]
The green and golden hills
of the Palouse, North Ameri-
ca’s deepest river gorge, and
a bustling college town can
all be found in the southeast
corner of the state.
65
47117
REGIONS
77
109
17. wanderlusts k i a r e a s 16 / r e g i o n a l s i p s 17 / lo c a l g o o d s 1 8 / l i t e r a ry s i t e s 2 0 / n at i v e a rt 2 2
www.experiencewa.com Washington State Visitors’ Guide 2014 15
On a brisk October day on the Chehalish River, the banks on either side
are dressed in bright yellow leaves, and the water below is full of migrating
coho salmon. Carl Burke, who has been fishing in Washington for longer than
I’ve been alive, is spin-casting from a jet boat into the brush at the water’s
edge where coho salmon like to hide.
I’ve hooked dozens of logs and branches already, each time imagining the
tug to be a fish, yanking my rod with a jolt of adrenaline, only to realize my
catch’s definite lifelessness. Finally, something feels different—it’s clear this
is no rotting log. “Hook ’em, hook ’em!” Burke shouts as a silvery dorsal fin
emerges from the water. Then he reaches down with the net and grabs the
gorgeous fish, lifting it into the air where it thrashes wildly. “That’s a coho for
you,” Burke says. “He’ll fight you like crazy.” After that we’re on a roll, and by
the end of the day our boat is heavy with salmon cargo.
A week—and many salmon dinners—later I depart Anacortes (map p. 72)
for the San Juan Islands with seasoned guide Derek Floyd, owner and opera-
tor of Anglers Choice Charters (anglerschoicefishing.com). At Eagle Bluff on
Cypress Island, a tried-and-true fishing spot, we set our lines, weighted to sink
to 100 feet where king salmon are feeding. The San Juans are the ultimate
place for this kind of anticipatory wait—as the morning fog lifts, it’s beyond
pleasant drifting past pines clinging to rocky islands like overgrown bonsai.
By noon, the sun is out and we’re trolling back and forth along James
Island. We’ve been keeping our eyes trained on the rods, and finally one
jumps up, giving the fish at its end away. A fervent reel brings a 24-inch king
to the surface, its scales glinting in the sun. Floyd has caught far more fish in
his lifetime than I, but we’re equally thrilled as we pull the fish aboard.
The rush of snagging a fish from Washington’s waters doesn’t seem eas-
ily diminished; each catch is as heady as the last. And, there are a whole lot
to be caught—the list of species is a long (and tasty) one. Westport (p. 78),
on the Pacific Coast, lures with the opportunity to fish deep waters and haul
in chinook and coho salmon, as well as albacore tuna, halibut, rockfish, and
lingcod. All Rivers & Saltwater Charters (allriversguideservice.com) runs
express tuna trips July through Halloween, halibut trips during that season in
May, and steelhead and salmon excursions in the rivers inland from the coast.
Close to a million pink salmon return to the Skagit River each year, while
rivers farther in are known for their spirited steelhead. That’s especially true in
the Heller Bar area of the Snake River, near Clarkston (p. 126), where thou-
sands of the feisty fish pass through from August to March, and on the nearby
Grande Ronde, where fly-fishing is popular.
And there’s trout fishing—many fishers’ first childhood catch—in lakes
across the state. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (wdfw.
wa.gov/fishing) stocks many lakes, such as Williams Lake, 30 miles south-
west of Spokane (p. 118), plus a handful of high alpine lakes. Come winter
there’s even ice fishing for perch, walleye, and trout out on the Lind Coulee
arm of Potholes Reservoir, near Moses Lake. —anne larkin
cast away
A fisherman
pitches a line on
the salmon-laden
Skagit River.
PhotographbyfarhadJahanbani
Explore the outdoors
hooked on washingtoncast a line into the state’s prime fishing grounds.
18. wanderlust
16 Washington State Visitors’ Guide 2014 www.experiencewa.com
North
1 Mt. Baker
The mountain that holds
the world record for
snowfall—95 feet fell
here in 1998–1999—
is huge among board-
ers and skiers (including
Olympian Angeli Van-
Laanen) thanks to trees,
bowls, and double blacks
galore. winter.mtbaker.us
Vertical: 1,500 feet
Trails: 38; 23% easy,
35% medium, 42% expert
2 North Cascade Heli
For untouched back-
country, head to the
Methow. North Cascade
Heli drops into 300,000
acres among the most
glaciated peaks in the
continental U.S. If one
day isn’t enough, try the
three-day yurt trip.
heli-ski.com
Vertical: varies
3 Loup Loup Ski bowl
Methow Valley locals get
their turn. Looking for a
cheap thrill? Just $40
on Wednesday or Friday
($45 on weekends) gets
you the one quad, a
J-bar, a towrope, and
some 300 acres of alpine
terrain. skitheloup.com
Vertical: 1,240 feet
Trails: 10
Central
4 Stevens Pass
Two mountains, three
faces, and groomers,
gulches, and bowls to
spare. This North Cas-
cades resort also has
night skiing and a park
full of boxes and gun
poles. stevenspass.com
Vertical: 1,800 feet
Trails: 37; 11% easy,
54% medium, 35% expert
5 Mission Ridge
Being east of the Cas-
cades makes for cool,
bright winters—and dry
powder and blue skies.
Take a run on Bomber
Bowl and glimpse a B-24
that crashed here in
1944. missionridge.com
Vertical: 2,250 feet
Trails: 36; 10% easy,
60% medium, 30% expert
6 Alpental &
The Summit at
Snoqualmie
The family-friendly
Summit features night
skiing, 50-plus kilome-
ters of snowshoe and
Nordic trails, and tub-
ing. Alpental, on the
north side of I-90, offers
more steeps and deeps,
as well as 523 acres of
backcountry. summitat
snoqualmie.com
Vertical: 2,280 feet
Trails: 108; 14% easy,
45% medium, 41% expert
7 Crystal Mountain
Ascend above the tree
line for steeps and
deeps, and the chance
to drop between trees
and rocky chutes at this
resort perched in the
northeast corner of Mt.
Rainier National Park.
Don’t ski? Ride the gon-
dola for dinner and an
up-close view of the
mountain. crystal
mountainresort.com
Vertical: 3,100 feet
Trails: 57; 11% easy,
54% medium, 35% expert
8 White Pass
Combine the state’s
highest base elevation
with the dry air of the
eastern slopes and you
get consistent snow, as
well as some of the best
tree skiing in the state.
This über-family-friendly
resort, southeast of Mt.
Rainier National Park,
also has 18,000 acres of
cross-country terrain.
skiwhitepass.com
Vertical: 2,050 feet
Trails: 47; 23% easy,
60% medium, 17% expert
East
9 49 Degrees North
Come home to moguls,
bone-dry powder, and
evergreens for everyone.
Ditch the skins; the Angel
Peak lift grants access
to 270 acres of inbounds
backcountry. ski49n.com
Vertical: 1,851 feet
Trails: 82; 30% easy,
40% medium, 30% expert
10 Mt. Spokane
This mountain is home to
some of the state’s best
night skiing and the larg-
est certified ski school in
the state. Warm up at the
summit with fireside hot
toddies. mtspokane.com
Vertical: 2,000 feet
Trails: 45; 23% easy,
45% medium, 32% expert
11 Bluewood
Dry powder, short lift
lines, and blue skies
make this ski area near
the Oregon border spe-
cial. Don’t miss a cat ride
to Vintners Ridge for tree
runs. bluewood.com
Vertical: 1,125 feet
Trails: 24; 27% easy,
43% medium, 30% expert
West
12 Hurricane Ridge
A mile above sea level,
this resort offers terrain
said to change weekly,
uncongested bowls, and
the right to brag you’ve
skied in the Olympics:
Go off-piste and you’re
in Olympic National Park
backcountry. hurricane
ridge.com
Vertical: 800 feet
Trails: 10
Everywhere
DIY: Grab a Sno-
Park permit (parks.
wa.gov/206/permits),
rent skis or snowshoes
from outfitters such as
REI (rei.com), and head
to any of the 120 public
Sno-Parks. Find every-
thing from sledding hills
to skate lanes to snow-
mobiling, as well as the
occasional sled dog
sighting. —julie h. case
Explore winter
get up,get downvolcanoes, multiple mountain ranges, and tons of precipitation
make for exceptional winter pursuits.
going down
Skiers and
boarders ride
Edelweiss Bowl
at Alpental.
Photographbyjeffcaven
1
2
3
4
56
7
8
9
10
11
12
19. www.experiencewa.com Washington State Visitors’ Guide 2014 17
Sip the State
hen it comes to beverages, we’re lucky. Climate
and geography coalesce for some of the nation’s best
growing conditions. Here’s how we toast our fortune.
Beer: Second only to Germany in hop growing,we
also rank eighth in the U.S. for craft breweries per
capita. Rainier Brewing and Olympia Brewing were
born in Seattle and Tumwater (map p. 48) respec-
tivelyinthelate1800s,andthenowshutteredYakima
Brewing & Malting Co. was America’s first micro-
brewery after Prohibition. Today, it’s hop-driven India pale ales and imperial ales
fromsuchbreweriesasTacoma’s(p.48)HarmonBrewing(harmonbrewingco.com)
and Yakima’s (p. 110) Bale Breaker Brewing Company (balebreaker.com), plus
stouts and porters from the likes of Winthrop’s (p. 100) Old Schoolhouse Brewery
(oldschoolhousebrewery.com), that draw raves.
Spirits: Legislation in 2008 created a craft distillery license, and Washington now
has more than 70 licensed distillers. Whiskey led the revival, first at the hands of
Spokane’s (p. 118) Dry Fly and now with the likes of Woodinville’s (p. 48) Woodin-
ville Whiskey Co. (woodinvillewhiskeyco.com). In Seattle, Sodo Spirits is making
the country’s only shochu, a Japanese barley-based distillate, while 3 Howls Distill-
ery(3howls.com)andSunLiquor(sunliquor.com)werethefirsttoproduceaSeattle
rum. And Gig Harbor’s (p. 78) Heritage Distilling Company (heritagedistilling.com)
makes spirits and teaches guests to produce their own.
Vino: The second-largest premium wine producer in the country, Washington
has 750-plus wineries—across 13 American Viticultural Areas—producing nearly
12 million cases of wine annually. Growing regions range from hot and sunny
Red Mountain (p. 110) to cool and elevated areas ideal for Riesling. Tasting rooms
abound—from Vintner’s Village, just off I-90 in Prosser (p. 110), to Woodinville, with
its 90-plus wineries. Walla Walla Valley (p. 110) is best known as wine country,
and Lake Chelan (p. 100) is where lakes and grapes gloriously collide.
Buzz, No Buzz: Not all here is boozy. Coffee has been big since Starbucks opened
in 1971, while Burlington’s (p. 66) Sakuma Bros. (sakumamarketstand.com) has
been handpicking and crafting tea for a decade. DRY Soda’s natural sodas bubble
withlavenderandblood orange,andgingerbeerfromsmall producers like Rachel’s
Ginger Beer has taken bars—and now Pike Place Market—by storm. —Erin James
Lace ’em up
On the Run
Splendid scenery, vibrant communi-
ties, and a thriving running scene make
the Evergreen State a great place to get
your jog on. Best of all, it’s also home
to some of the country’s oldest, largest,
and most distinctive running events.
Tiptoe through the tulips in Burl-
ington’s (map p. 66) Tulip Run (Apr 5).
March across Victorian Port Townsend’s
(p. 78) Fort Worden, savoring the sweet
scents of rhododendron blossoms in
the Rhody Run 12k (May 18), or ven-
ture to Spokane (p. 118) to run alongside
50,000 others in the Bloomsday 12k
(May 4), the third-largest timed run-
ning race in North America.
Run within the shadows of the Olym-
pic Mountains and along the Strait
of Juan de Fuca (p. 78) in the North
Olympic Discovery Marathon and
Half Marathon (June 1), join military
battalions running through Tacoma’s
(p. 48) Point Defiance Park in the Sound
to Narrows 5 and 12k (June 14), or roll
along the Columbia River—and back in
time at historic Fort Vancouver (p. 94)—
in the Vancouver USA Marathon and
Half Marathon (June 15).
Sprint spectator-lined downtown
streets and dart along the Alaskan
Way Viaduct in Seattle’s (p. 48) Seafair
Torchlight 8k Run (July 26). Trace por-
tions of Captain Clark’s historic coastal
walk at Long Beach’s (p. 78) Discovery
Trail Half Marathon (Sept 13), or race
along the Salish Sea under majestic
Mount Baker’s snowy eye in the Bell-
ingham Bay Marathon (Sept 28; p. 66).
Feast on energy bars and gels on
Thanksgiving Day weekend with more
than 15,000 runners and walkers dur-
ing the Seattle Marathon and Half
Marathon (Nov 30), a holiday tradition
for more than 40 years. —Craig Romano
W
Woodinville
whiskey
Company
Photographsfromtop:JFergusonphotos/Dreamstime.com,
courtesywoodinvillewhiskeycompany
20. wanderlust
discoveries
Made Here
From the rolling hills of the Palouse
to the coastal sea stacks of the Olympic
Peninsula, there’s plenty to marvel
at in Washington. Revel in our regional
riches with locally made goods that
showcase the best of the state.
Photographbyzechjohnson
01 | Liberty Orchards
dusts its jellied Aplets and
Cotlets with powdered
sugar for any sweet tooth.
Cashmere (map p. 100),
libertyorchards.com
02 | Each of Brown &
Haley’s buttery, chocolate-
and-almond-coated
Almond Roca toffee con-
fections comes swathed in
gold foil. Tacoma (p. 48),
brown-haley.com
03 | These solid beeswax
Totem Candles from Grain
Design are sculpted by
hand and perfume the air
with a sweet honey scent.
Bainbridge Island (p. 78),
graindesign.com
04 | Volcanic ash from
the infamous 1980 erup-
tion has been swirled into
the colorful blown-glass
art sold at the Mount St.
Helens Forest Learning
Center gift shop. Toutle
(p. 86), 360-274-7750
05 | What’s the secret to
Anderson Family Farm’s
lotions and soap bars?
Pure, natural milk from its
herd of goats. Ellensburg
(p. 100), andersonfamily
farm1979.com
06 | Dry Fly Distillery’s
award-winning Washington
Bourbon 101 is crafted
from locally grown corn,
wheat, and barley, result-
ing in a subtly sweet, oaky
taste. Spokane (p. 118),
dryflydistilling.com
07 | Palouse Brand takes
“farm to table” to a new
level, labeling its Par-
dina lentils with the exact
field in which they were
grown. Palouse (p. 126),
palousebrand.com
08 | San Juan Island Sea
Salt harvests its finishing
salt by hand before let-
ting the sun’s evaporating
power do the rest. Friday
Harbor (p. 72), sanjuan
islandseasalt.com
09 | Liberty Bottleworks
crafts recycled-aluminum
water bottles that pay
homage to Washington
with creative designs of
Mount Rainier, Seattle’s
public transit system, and
the Seahawks’ 12th Man.
Union Gap (p. 110),
libertybottles.com
10 | Craft-roasted in small
batches, award-winning
Ganesha espresso from
Tony’s Coffee features
hints of floral and choco-
late. Bellingham (p. 66),
tonyscoffee.com
11 | Olympic Lavender
Farm cultivates the fra-
grant flower on five acres
of Olympic Peninsula land.
Pick up a bundle of dried
lavender, or choose from
an array of bath products
infused with the delicate
scent. Sequim (p. 78),
olympiclavender.com
—angela cabotaje
1
2
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
3
18 Washington State Visitors’ Guide 2014 www.experiencewa.com
21. - NEWCASTLE,WA -
• Experience two championship-caliber
18-hole golf courses, co-designed by
Robert E. Cupp and Fred Couples
featuring awe-inspiring views of Seattle,
LakeWashington and the Olympic
Mountains
• Perfect your game at our extensive,
state-of-the-art practice facility
• Dine in the Calcutta Grill and enjoy
stunning sunsets from our outdoor terrace
• Hold your next event in our impressive
clubhouse with more than 8,000 square
feet of indoor & outdoor meeting space
• Conveniently located just 20 minutesfrom
Seattle and Bellevue
www.NewcastleGolf.com
(425) 793-5566
15500 Six Penny Lane - Newcastle, WA
22. wanderlust
Book It
ome to a slew of literary locales, Washington has
served as muse for many a best-selling author.
The state’s rainy reputation moved Twilight author
Stephenie Meyer to set her novels in the Olympic Pen-
insula logging town of Forks (map p. 78), but it’s the
maritime charm of Port Orchard (p. 78)—hometown of
romance writer Debbie Macomber—that shines in her
Cedar Cove series. Nearby, quaint Bainbridge Island
(p. 78) inspired David Guterson’s fictional San Piedro
Island in Snow Falling on Cedars.
Looking for something a little edgier? Journey south on the Kitsap Peninsula to
the site of the notorious “health” sanitarium depicted in Gregg Olsen’s true crime
book Starvation Heights. If you’re hunting for Sasquatch, the ancient forests along
the Columbia River are prominently featured in Molly Gloss’s Wild Life.
The San Juan Islands (p. 72) are the setting for the psychological thriller Folly
by Laurie R. King, author of the highly acclaimed Mary Russell series, while
Skagit Valley is where La Conner (p. 66) author Tom Robbins placed his quirky
masterpiece, Another Roadside Attraction.
Fans of E. L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey should check out Seattle’s (p. 48)
Escala condo tower, the fictional home of bondage-loving billionaire Christian
Grey. Readers of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet can step back in time
at the historic Panama Hotel in Seattle’s International District, while devotees of
Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette? can venture to Queen Anne Hill,
where the cranky title character seethed about the Emerald City’s many quirks.
There’s plenty of literary action east of the Cascades, too, from Teri Hein’s
Atomic Farmgirl, a memoir about growing up in the shadow of the Hanford
nuclear reservation, to Amanda Coplin’s haunting novel, The Orchardist, set in
the apple and apricot orchards of the Wenatchee Valley.
Spokane (p. 118) is the setting for a good chunk of
Jess Walter’s darkly comic Citizen Vince, and the city’s
historic Davenport Hotel was once the home of early
20th-century poet Vachel Lindsay. Still up for literary
landmarks? The nearby Spokane Indian Reservation
is home to both Sherman Alexie and the characters of
his short story collection The Lone Ranger and Tonto
Fistfight in Heaven. —Diane Mapes
shop around
Antique Me
In these antique-friendly towns, forag-
ing for treasure is part of the fun.
Bellingham Artwork, jewelry, pot-
tery, and fabulous midcentury finds
can be had at Penny Lane Antique Mall
(pennylaneantiquemall.com).Fairhaven
Antique Mall (fairhavenantiquemall.
com), located in the city’s historic dis-
trict, is cozy yet packs plenty of gems,
including dolls, Depression glass, and
holiday collectibles. (map p. 66)
Cashmere When it comes to antiques,
this town doesn’t fool around. With
70,000 square feet, Apple Annie’s
Antique Gallery (appleannieantiques.
com) offers collectibles from every
era. Nearby, Cashmere Antique Mall
(antiquemallatcashmere.vpweb.com)
has more than 15,000 square feet of
radios, birdhouses, and more. (p. 100)
Centralia This quaint town, just 30
minutes south of state capital Olympia,
boasts an entire “Antique Row” along
Tower Avenue. Plus, Centralia Antique
Mall (201 S Pearl St) is just around the
corner from Tower and houses 135
dealers. (p. 86)
SeattleSeattleAntiquesMarket(seattle
antiquesmarket.com) and Antiques at
Pike Place (antiquesatpikeplace.com)
are both top-notch malls with plenty of
fantastic and funky finds. (p. 48)
Snohomish This riverfront town calls
itself the “Antique Capital of the North-
west,” thanks to its more than 20 shops
featuring 175-plus dealers. (p. 48)
Walla Walla Shady Lawn Antiques
(shadylawnantiques.com) features
vintage tools, fishing gear, and cabin
décor; the Antique Mall of Walla Walla
(antiquemallwallawalla.com) has 5,000
squarefeetofvintageclothes,books,and
gardencollectibles.(p.110) —Diane Mapes
H
20 Washington State Visitors’ Guide 2014 www.experiencewa.com
snohomish
Photographleftcourtesydavenporthotel,rightcourtesysnohomish.org
davenport hotel
23. Just 30 minutes
north of Seattle,
Woodinville Wine Country
is home to over
100 award-winning
wineries and tasting rooms.
24. wanderlust
Hibulb Cultural Center
On a 50-acre natural history
preserve, this Tulalip (map
p. 48) tribute features historic
canoes, a re-created long-
house, and exhibits labeled
in both English and the Coast
Salish language Lushootseed.
hibulbculturalcenter.org
Lelooska Foundation
& Museum
Woodcarving workshops and
evenings of song and cer-
emonial mask demos bring
Northwest Coast traditions
to life at this cultural center
near Ariel (p. 86), southwest
of Mount St. Helens, where
you can tour the collection of
tomahawks, cornhusk bags,
and other preserved relics.
lelooska.org
Suquamish Museum
Amid towering trees on the
Kitsap Peninsula, this LEED
Gold–certified museum
traces the Suquamish (p. 78)
history back to the last ice
age. Admire baskets, carv-
ings, and artifacts before
paying respects at Chief Seat-
tle’s gravesite a few blocks
away. suquamishmuseum.org
Tillicum Village
In spring and summer, Argosy
Cruises’ boats depart from
Seattle’s (p. 48) Pier 55 for
Blake Island, where you can
admire the totems or fill up at
a salmon bake. argosycruises
.com/tillicum-village
Columbia Gorge
Interpretive Center
With picture windows peer-
ing out onto the Columbia
River, this Stevenson (p. 94)
museum recounts the 40-
million-year history of the
Gorge region. Trace the first
peoples’ influence, from the
Cascade Chinook to the Clah-
clehlah village visited by Lewis
and Clark. columbiagorge.org
Omak Stampede
Every August, this annual
event stampedes into Omak
(p. 100) with rodeo events
and the Colville Confederated
Tribes’ Indian Encampment
and Pow Wow, featuring a
tepee village and dancing.
omakstampede.org
Yakama Nation Museum
and Cultural Center
From traditional garb to life-
size dwellings of the Plateau
People, the history of Yakama
Nation’s various tribes are on
display at this 12,000-square-
foot museum in Toppenish
(p. 110). Guided tours are
available by appointment,
Monday through Friday.
yakamamuseum.com
Lummi Nation Stommish
Water Festival
This celebration of Coast
Salish culture includes war
canoe races and a tradi-
tional salmon barbecue on
the Lummi reservation near
Bellingham (p. 66), June 19
through 22. stommish.com
Northwest Museum of
Arts & Culture
Learn about the Native
cultures influencing the
northeast corner of the state,
from the indigenous Northern
Plateau Indians to 1925’s
National Indian Congress,
plus the Inland Northwest
Narrative: Crossroads and
Confluence exhibit on display
for two-plus years at this
Smithsonian-affiliated
museum in Spokane (p. 118).
northwestmuseum.org
Confluence Project
An unprecedented collabora-
tion between artist Maya Lin
and Pacific Northwest tribes,
this seven-site art installation
reinterprets the journey of
Lewis and Clark. One of the
recently completed installa-
tions is a Nez Perce–inspired
listening circle made of
sculpted earth on a Snake
River island at Clarkston’s
(p. 126) Chief Timothy Park.
confluenceproject.org
—angela cabotaje
Lelooska
Foundation
& Museum
sandhill
crane
discoveries
Native Art
Towering cedar totems, engaging museums, and
annual cultural celebrations throughout the state tell the
millennia-old legacies of Washington’s storied tribes.
22 Washington State Visitors’ Guide 2014 www.experiencewa.com
Photographleftbybeccaolmsted,rightTaniaThomson/shutterstock,bottombytimpatrickphotography
Omak
stampede
spot wildlife
For the Birds
Thanks to its place on the Pacific fly-
way, Washington contains some of the
best bird-watching in the country—and
annual bird-based bashes that celebrate
their arrival.
Skagit Eagle Festival During winter
the Skagit River hosts one of the larg-
est concentrations of bald eagles in the
continental U.S. Concrete, Rockport,
and Marblemount (map p. 66) cele-
brate our national bird in January with
a month of float trips and interpretive
programs. concrete-wa.com
Port Susan Snow Goose and Birding
Festival In February, a blizzard of up to
100,000 snow geese blankets the Still-
aguamish and Skagit River deltas near
Stanwood (p. 48). Accompany natural-
ists by foot or shuttle to catch a gander
of the geese. snowgoosefest.org
Grays Harbor’s Shorebird Festival
Observing tens of thousands of sand-
pipers and plovers is a sure thing at
this April event in Hoquiam (p. 78).
Between bird-watching forays, dabble
at a birding marketplace and nature fair.
shorebirdfestival.com
Othello’s Sandhill Crane Festival
More than 400,000 lesser sandhill
cranes cram the channeled scablands
surrounding Othello (p. 126) each
spring. After crane spotting, attend a
seminar, art program, or naturalist pro-
gram. othellosandhillcranefestival.org
Puget Sound Bird Fest In Septem-
ber celebrate Puget Sound’s birds in
Edmonds (p. 48). Take a guided beach
or marsh walk, sound cruise, photog-
raphy workshop, or native plant garden
tour. pugetsoundbirdfest.org
Birdfest Welcome the arrival of
sandhill cranes at Ridgefield (p. 94) in
October with a guided hike or paddling
tour along the Columba River’s snaking
sloughs. Afterward migrate to a salmon
bake, live bird show, or storytelling
session. ridgefieldfriends.org/birdfest
—Craig Romano
26. 24 Washington State Visitors’ Guide 2014 www.experiencewa.com
wanderlust
Get romantic
Stateof Love
From sweethearts stealing smooches dur-
ing a sunset cruise to couples canoodling
on a sleigh ride through the snow, one
thing’s clear: The Evergreen State knows
how to do romance right.
Lovebirds tiptoe to tulip fields during
the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in
April, where the colorful blooms create
a sweet-smelling backdrop. Meanwhile,
nearby La Conner (map p. 66) is always a
dreamy setting for whispering sweet noth-
ings with a historic marina, gallery-lined
streets, and cozy restaurants right along
the Swinomish Channel.
In summer, it’s hard to top the pic-
turesque San Juan Islands, which boast
secluded beaches, glimmering coves, and
forested hills. Venture out for a bike ride
through rolling greenery, or kayak together
to a private picnic on shore.
Farther south, Whidbey Island seems
made for wining and dining with eateries
specializing in Penn
Cove mussels that
are pulled fresh from
nearby waters.
Let days blend into
a delicious blur as you
and your beau stroll
and sip through Washington Wine Coun-
try, where wineries and tasting rooms are
an ideal way to get love-drunk.
In North Central Washington, near the
Columbia River, soak in breathtaking views
from a cliffside perch at Cave B Estate Win-
ery in Quincy (p. 100). Hint: the 100-acre
vineyard also has an intimate spa.
Even more enamoring sights abound
around the state: In the shadow of Mount
Rainier, Paradise’s (p. 86) alpine mead-
ows are lush with wildflowers in July and
August. The sun puts on a blissful show,
melting into the horizon in a vivid orange
haze, as ferries coast across Puget Sound.
Centuries-old trees and moss-heavy
branches create ancient, awe-inspiring
splendor in the Olympic Peninsula’s Hoh
Rain Forest. And nestled in the Cascade
foothills, Leavenworth (p. 100) gives sweet-
hearts reason to snuggle with horse-pulled
sleigh rides in winter and glimmering
lights that illuminate the snowy hamlet.
For those looking to tie the knot here—
including same-sex couples—a marriage
license is valid after a three-day waiting
period and for up to 60 days. Licenses
may be obtained in person (or via mail)
and fulfilled at any of the state’s romantic
locations. —angela cabotaje
PhotographbyEdmundLowe/gettyimages
puget sound
27.
28. Calendar
26 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
22 Mystery Weekend
(Langley) Take part in an
interactive whodunit dur-
ing this two-day mystery
play. Feb 22–23;
visitlangley.com
27 Wintergrass (Bellevue)
Finger-plucking fun
includes bluegrass per-
formances, impromptu
jam sessions, and more.
Feb 27–Mar 2; acoustic
sound.org
MARCH
07 Penn Cove MusselFest
(Coupeville) Visit mussel
farms and get a taste of
the famous bivalves.
Mar 7–9; thepenncove
musselfestival.com
28 Badger Mountain
Challenge (Tri-Cities)
Join ultramarathoners
on 15k, 50k, or 100-
mile endurance runs on
Badger Mountain. Mar
28–29; badgermountain
challenge.com
28 Sandhill Crane Festival
(Othello) Crane viewing
and more fill this bird-
watching event. Mar
28–30; othellosandhill
cranefestival.org
29 Taste Washington
(Seattle) The largest
single-region food and
wine event in the nation.
Mar 29–30; taste
washington.org
APRIL
07 Get Lit! Festival (Spo-
kane) Bookworms gather
for a week of readings,
poetry slams, and wordy
fun. April 7–13; outreach
.ewu.edu/getlit
25 Spring Barrel Tasting
(Yakima Valley) Get a
tasting peek at vintages
in the making from 40
wineries. Apr 25–27;
wineyakimavalley.org
26 Black Lake Fishing
Derby (Ilwaco) A family-
friendly day of fishing on
Long Beach Peninsula.
Apr 26; ilwaco-wa.gov
MAY
06 Duck Dodge (Seattle)
Weekly sailboat races get
a dose of silliness with
wacky costumes and
awards. Tuesdays, May
6–Nov 4; duckdodge.org
JANUARY
04 Skagit Eagle Festival
(Concrete) Enjoy raptor
presentations, float trips,
Native American music,
and the chance to see
majestic bald eagles.
Weekends, Jan 4–26;
concrete-wa.com/skagit-
eagle-festival-2014
18 Elma Chamber Wine
and Seafood Festival
Sample seafood, coastal
cuisine, and wines from
more than 25 Washing-
ton wineries. Jan 18;
elmachamber.org
23 Spokane International
Film Festival See a
variety of indie flicks, and
join in post-film discus-
sions with the movie-
makers. Jan 23–Feb 1;
spokanefilmfestival.org
FEBRUARY
05 Northwest Flower and
Garden Show (Seattle)
More than 20 display
gardens, lectures from
luminaries, and 100-plus
seminars help green
thumbs grow. Feb 5–9;
gardenshow.com
F I N D OU T W H AT’S H A PPE N I NG AC RO S S T H E STAT E T H I S Y E A R
09 Balloon Stampede
(Walla Walla) Dozens of
hot-air balloons launch
into the sky during the
40th anniversary of this
event. May 9–11;
wwvchamber.com
10 Lilac Festival (Spokane)
Parades, a car show,
and a marathon com-
memorate this 76-year-
old festival. May 10–17;
spokanelilacfestival.org
23 Northwest Folklife Fes-
tival (Seattle) Enjoy this
free festival dedicated
to ethnic, traditional,
and folk expression. May
23–26; nwfolklife.org
JUNE
07 Maritime Gig Festival
(Gig Harbor) A grand
parade, historic boat
show, and live music
highlight this annual
celebration. June 7–8;
gigharborchamber.net
19 Celebrate Walla Walla
Valley Wine Sip and
learn about syrah at this
wine event, featuring
70-plus winemakers,
lectures, and vineyard
tours. June 19–21;
celebratewallawalla.
squarespace.com
PHOTOGRAPHBYTOMDOWD/DREAMSTIME.COM,TOPBYSILHOUETTELOVER/SHUTTERSTOCK
DUCK DODGE
Sailboats race
Tuesday nights
on Seattle’s
Lake Union.
29. Lynnwood Tourism
Washington State Visitors Guide Ad
1/6 Page Vertical - 2.1875”x 4.75”- Full Color
1/2014
www.LynnwoodTourism.comwww.LynnwoodTourism.com
Or Call 800-662-2044
PlantoStayinLynnwood
15MinutesNorth
ofSeattle
10Minutesfrom
BoeingTour
Lodging40%Less
ThanSeattle
LegendaryShopping
ParkingAlwaysFree
Coming to the
Pacific
Northwest?
Galleries, cafes & bistros,
boutiques, day spas, fabulous
festivals, spring & summer
public markets, performing
arts center, theaters, beaches,
murals, waterfront walkways,
underwater dive park, award
winning marina, ferry terminal
and rail station.
Minutes north of Seattle.
VisitEdmonds.com
1-877-775-6934
VisitEdmonds.com
Edmonds
Port of EVERETT
MARINA
Everett is a convenient and
affordable option!
The Port of Everett Marina is located
just north of Seattle on Port Gardner
Bay. Its waterfront amenities and island
views provide a great destination for
visitors and boaters alike.
Come explore what we have to offer!
www.portofeverett.com | 425.259.3164
PO Box 538 Everett, WA 98206
BOEING TOUR
800.464.1476
8415 Paine Field Blvd
Mukilteo • WA
Futureofflight.org
HISTORYIN THE MAKING.SEE
EXPERIENCE THE ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME
WITHOUT TAKING ONE TO GET HERE.
Just minutes north of Seattle. OPEN UP to Snohomish County,
there’s a treasure trove of adventure waiting for you to discover.
30. PHOTOGRAPHBYJOEVIESTI/VIESTIPHOTO.COM
28 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
20 Summer Solstice Art
Walk (Bellingham) Soak
up local art and historic
charm in the Fairhaven
enclave. June 20;
fairhaven.com
21 Cycle de Vine (Chelan)
A 35-mile ride with rest
stops at wineries. June
21; cycledevine.com
28 Strawberry Festival
(Bellevue) Enjoy straw-
berry shortcake and
family entertainment.
June 28–29; bellevue
strawberryfestival.org
28 Hoopfest (Spokane) The
world’s largest three-on-
three basketball event.
June 28–29; spokane
hoopfest.net
28 Recycled Arts Festival
(Vancouver) Artists turn
trash into treasure at this
eco-fest. June 28–29;
recycledartsfestival.com
JULY
12 Skagit Valley Highland
Games (Mount Vernon)
Kilts, bagpipes, and
fiddles abound at this
traditional Scottish ath-
letics event. July 12–13,
celticarts.org
18 Northwest Raspberry
Festival (Lynden)
Celebrate the nation’s
largest harvest of rasp-
berries with live music
and plenty of chances
to taste the berries. July
18–19; lynden.org
18 Sequim Lavender
Festival It’s all about
lavender with farm tours,
live music, and street
fairs. July 18–20;
lavenderfestival.com
AUGUST
01 Anacortes Arts Festival
An art bash with 250-
plus artisan booths and
live music galore. Aug
1–3; anacortesarts
festival.com
07 Omak Stampede
Rodeos, Native American
and Western art, and a
tepee village highlight
this 80-year-old event.
Aug 7–10; omak
stampede.org
18 International Kite
Festival (Long Beach)
It’s a week dedicated
to defying gravity. Don’t
miss the unbelievable
indoor kite flyers. Aug
18–24; kitefestival.com
22 National Lentil Festival
(Pullman) Street fairs,
open-air concerts, cook-
ing demos, and the
world’s largest bowl of
lentil chili are part of the
fun in the Palouse. Aug
22–23; lentilfest.com
22 Seattle International
Beerfest Mugs runneth
over with more than 200
beers from 16 different
countries. Aug 22–24;
seattlebeerfest.com
29 Packwood Flea
Market Browse antiques
and more at this mega
flea market. Aug 29–
Sept 1; packwoodflea
market.com
29 Ellensburg Rodeo Watch
ropers, riders, and steer
wrestlers at one of the
top rodeo arenas in the
nation. Aug 29–Sept 1;
ellensburgrodeo.com
SEPTEMBER
05 Washington State Fair
(Puyallup) More than one
million fair-goers enjoy
rides, food, and fair fun
at the largest annual
attraction in the state.
Sept 5–21; thefair.com
19 Valleyfest (Spokane
Valley) Marathons, bike
races, and boating fill
this three-day event. Sept
19–21; valleyfest.org
19 Port Townsend Film
Festival Enjoy scores of
documentaries, short
films, and features. Sept
19–21; ptfilmfest.com
26 The Great Prosser
Balloon Rally Watch
pilots from around the
region inflate their hot
air balloons and launch
into the sky. Sept 26–28;
prosserballoonrally.org
OCTOBER
01 Savor the San Juans
A monthlong celebration
of the state’s archipel-
ago, with food, farmers
markets, and harvest
festivals. Oct 1–31;
visitsanjuans.com/savor
03 Oktoberfest (Leaven-
worth) Don lederhosen
and partake in German-
CALENDAR
themed fun at this Bavar-
ian village. Weekends,
Oct 3–18; leavenworth
oktoberfest.com
04 Old Apple Tree Festival
(Vancouver) Celebrate
the oldest living apple
tree in the Northwest
with activities for chil-
dren, cider pressings, live
music, and food. Oct 4;
visitvancouverusa.com
NOVEMBER
14 Taste of Tulalip Savor
sips from dozens of
wineries and bites from
award-winning chefs.
Nov 14–15; tasteof
tulalip.com
28 Bellevue Magic Season
Glide across the area’s
largest open-air ice
arena, watch holiday
drum and light shows,
and see dazzling lights
at the botanical garden.
Nov 28–Jan 11, 2015;
magicseason.com
DECEMBER
05 Christmas Lighting
Festival (Leavenworth)
Sing carols, enjoy roasted
chestnuts, and meet St.
Nick as holiday lights
illuminate a hamlet in
the hills. Weekends, Dec
5–21; leavenworth.org
31 First Night Tri-Cities
(Kennewick) Live music,
fireworks, and perfor-
mances highlight this
alcohol-free, family-
friendly New Year’s Eve
celebration. Dec 31;
firstnighttricities.com
OMAK
STAMPEDE
A tepee village
highlights local
Native culture.
31. August 22, 23 & 24, 2014
Fri. Noon-7 • Sat. 10-7 • Sun. 10-5
EXIT 81
EXIT 79
GARLIC
FEST
NATIONALAVE
FREE
Parking!
$5 General
Admission
$4 Seniors 65+
& Military
Kids 7 &
under FREE
Free Parking • No Pets or Smoking
For more information, go to
www.ChehalisGarlicFest.com
An Advocate Agency Production
SW Washington
Fairgrounds
2555 N. National Ave.
Chehalis, WA
Garlic Themed Cuisine
Artisans & Craft Vendors
Antique Alley
Kid’s Activities
Chef Demonstrations
Live Music
Cloves & Vines
Wine Tasting
Featuring Regional Wineries
GARLIC
BEER!
Beer Garden
Garlicious’ ChilLounge
18th Annual
425.454.8497
River Park Square
808 W. Main Avenue, Spokane
509.838.7115
www.oilandvinegarusa.com
Bellevue Square Shopping Center
32. 30 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
of Was
TheWild
Waters
33. WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 31
WESTHAVEN STATE PARK
shingtonBy ANNE LARKIN Photograph by JUSTIN MYERS
FROM OCEAN WAVES TO
GLACIAL LAKES, RAGING RIVERS
TO PLACID STREAMS, THERE’S AN
ADVENTURE FOR EVERYONE.
34. 32 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
“PADDLE, PADDLE!”
I hear hollered from behind me for what
must be the hundredth time this morning.
Body balanced on my surfboard, I give it
all I’ve got. My arms windmill at my sides,
propelling me along with the swelling
wave. Then I feel it—the force of the water
working with me rather than against me—
and I hop to my feet and stay there, gliding,
sailing, flying toward shore. The nose of my
board bonks into the sand, and I leap off,
buzzing with the joy of my surfing success.
I’m at Westhaven State Park, just outside
the fishing town of Westport on the Olym-
pic Peninsula, surfing the jetty. I’ve been
out here since sunrise, working up the
courage and coordination to stand up on
my surfboard, rented from Steepwater Surf
Shop in town. Stuart, my boyfriend (and,
today, my surf coach), rides in, too, landing
at the beach beaming. We got lucky; the
swell is outstanding today.
Back out on my board behind the far-
thest break, I watch a squadron of brown
pelicans playing with the surf, hugging the
cresting waves, dipping their wings in the
spray. I’m cozy in my neoprene, happy to
just sit out here and feel the Pacific Ocean
under and around me, the sun shining on
my cheeks while I gaze out over the beach
toward the far-off Olympics.
It’s the beginning of summer, a glori-
ous season in Washington, and I’ve got big
GO FLY A KITE
The hot, dry wind gusts
that sweep out of the
desert and into the
Columbia River Gorge
are so extreme waves
form on the river. Once
renowned for its wind-
surfing scene, the area
between Beacon Rock
and Alderdale is now
the epicenter of a new
extreme—kiteboarding.
Outfitters in Bingen
and White Salmon
offer rental gear and
lessons, but take heed:
this is no surf turf for
beginners.
A better launchpad
might be near Everett.
A passenger ferry
transports swimmers
and kiters to Jetty
Island (ci.everett.
wa.us), a two-mile-long
walk on (though cars are welcome) to the
Hyak, one of 22 ferries in Washington’s
iconic fleet, for an hour-long journey past
evergreen shores poking out of the fog.
We dock next to Spring Street Landing,
where we plan to meet the crew. Our ves-
sel is Iris, a 42-foot classic cutter built in
1934, skillfully piloted by Morgan, daughter
of captain-owner Art Lohrey and a long-
time sailor and islander. Along with the
Iris, which takes groups of up to six out on
afternoon and sunset sails, San Juan Classic
plans for the next few months. It starts with
surfing, and soon I’ll be exploring as many
of the state’s 157 miles of coastline, 169 riv-
ers, and 8,000 lakes as I can, in hot pursuit
of watery adventure.
A few weeks later, I find myself farther
north, past the peaks I could just barely
see from the surfboard, bound for Friday
Harbor and a day trip with San Juan Clas-
sic Day Sailing. After a scenic 90-minute
drive from our home base in Seattle to the
ferry terminal in Anacortes, Stuart and I
PHOTOGRAPHTOP:JOSEFHANUS/SHUTTERSTOCK,BOTTOMBYKENSTRINGFELLOW
WE SPEND A COUPLE OF
BLISSFUL HOURS GLIDING
BETWEEN THE ROCKY ISLANDS,
WATCHING THE PINES WHIP BY.
From within the Canadian Rocky Moun-
tains the Columbia River rises, then
descends through Washington and turns
west—forming the Oregon border—until it
reaches the Pacific. Hells Canyon is here,
as is an entire archipelago (the San Juan
Islands) and miles-long glacier-fed lakes.
No matter your sport, you can do it in
Washington. Here are more ways to get
on the water.
Water World
COLUMBIA
RIVER GORGE
35. WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 33
isthmus of sand jutting
into Puget Sound.
WHITE-WATER THE
VOLCANOES
Volcanoes are hot. Snow
is cold. When spring
comes, the local volca-
nic peaks around Mount
Adams send gushing
torrents of snowmelt
cascading through the
White Salmon River.
Steep river canyon walls
and narrow shoots
make for one very wild
ride, with a variety of
outfitters (mtadams
chamber.com).
TAKE A REMOTE
BOAT EXCURSION
Kayak between the U.S.
and Canada via North
Cascades National
Park’s Ross Lake (nps.
gov/noca/planyour
visit/boating-on-ross-
lake.htm). A full 19
boat-in campsites are
scattered around the
lake—some with docks,
all requiring a back-
country pass. Or board
the Lady of the Lake
in Chelan and set sail
across the 50.5-mile-
long Lake Chelan for
Stehekin (stehekin.
com), a tiny community,
with a beloved bakery,
only accessible by foot,
boat, or floatplane.
JET BOAT AWAY
The Snake River flows
through Hells Canyon—
the nation’s deepest
river gorge—offering
up stunning, craggy
river views. Kayakers
and canoeists regularly
paddle the river, but jet
boats out of Clarkston
(hellscanyonvisitor.com)
offer an exciting way
to see even more. Stop
for a glimpse of ancient
petroglyphs.
DO A DAM TOUR
In the North Cascades,
Seattle City Light’s
Diablo Lake Boat Tour
(seattle.gov/light/
tours/skagit/boat.
asp) offers views of
plummeting waterfalls
during cruises on this
brilliant blue lake ringed
by emerald forests and
snow-capped peaks.
On the east side of
the state visitors can
take a tour of the Grand
Coulee Dam (usbr.gov/
pn/grandcoulee) and
even catch a laser show.
PHOTOGRAPHSFROMTOPRIGHT:JOSEFHANUS/SHUTTERSTOCK,COURTESY
OSPREYRAFTING,COURTESYSANJUANCLASSICDAYSAILING
Day Sailing also sets out from Roche Har-
bor on Dirigo II, a 72-foot schooner built
in 1939 for private charters and planned
multiday sails.
Though our trip with Iris starts out
under gray skies, the sun soon forces its
way through the clouds, making Iris’s
seafoam-green paint and bronze fittings
gleam. We spend a couple of blissful
hours gliding between the rocky islands,
watching the pines whip by, imagining the
sweetness of a simple life out here amongst
the harbor seals. After Iris returns us to
the harbor, our day ends with a ferry ride
at dusk, the lights of the islands’ shores
winking goodbye.
ON ANOTHER HOT SUMMER DAY, I’m
heading east for a very different kind of
boating. After a two-hour drive along leafy
Highway 2, my friend Beth and I emerge
in Leavenworth, Washington’s own little
Bavaria, where Osprey Rafting has been
operating for 20 years. Today we’re raft-
ing the Wenatchee, a powerful river that
runs through the Cascades for 53 miles.
Osprey has a put-in just around the corner
from the shop, and after a safety talk and
paddling lesson, we eagerly hop into the
waiting raft.
Soon after entering the river, we splash
through Triple Threat and Tinley Falls—two
Class IV rapids—laughing and screaming
with glee. After the initial hoopla, the river
calms and loops back in toward town, car-
rying on past the gabled chalets. While we
embarked on a half-day rafting trip, there
are a ton of ways to raft with Osprey: mel-
low family rides, longer trips down to a
barbecue at their takeout in Cashmere,
happy-hour trips that yo-yo those first
few rapids and end with a beer token for
Leavenworth’s Icicle Brewing, or tubing
trips, the ultimate in floating relaxation.
Rafting starts on the Wenatchee whenever
the snow begins to melt—around April or
May—and runs until Labor Day.
Trace the Wenatchee south to where it
meets the Columbia, then continue farther
From left: the San Juan
Islands; San Juan Clas-
sic Day Sailing; Osprey
Rafting; and rafters on
the Wenatchee River
36. 34 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
PHOTOGRAPHSCOURTESYDAKOTACOLUMBIAHOUSEBOATADVENTURES
downstream to find another convergence—
the Snake, mingling with the Columbia at
the Tri-Cities in Washington Wine Country.
It’s from here that I’m heading on a
jet boat trip early one morning, setting
out from the Columbia Point Public Boat
Launch in Richland on a powerful six-
passenger boat. Captain Ray Hamilton
of Columbia River Journeys tells me over
the roar of the motor that we’re going to
a wild river—the last free-flowing part of
the Columbia, a section of the mighty river
that Lewis and Clark never even floated
upon. He and a handful of other captains
take modern-day explorers out on the river
May 1 through October 15, often on a larger
22-seat boat. Kids fishing from shore wave
at us as we skim across the flat water, the
glassy green river between us perfectly
reflecting the bleached-blue sky above.
Once we pass the last reminders of
civilization—houses, ranches, and green
vineyards—Captain Ray pushes the throttle
down as far as it goes and a pair of white
pelicans take off a hundred yards away,
their black-rimmed wings carrying them
high overhead. Soon the character of the
river changes, the glassy water giving way
to the ripples and whorls of a faster current.
A little more than 20 miles upstream
from town, we arrive at the Hanford Reach
National Monument, a 196,000-acre reserve
establishedin2000aroundthenuclearreac-
tors built here from the ’40s to the ’60s—the
first in the world. Six of the nine reactors are
“cocooned,” stripped down to their essen-
tial bits and encased in angular cement and
gleaming stainless steel to become strangely
stunning modern art pieces.
The town of Hanford and all of the reac-
tors are on the south side of the river, while
the north is flanked for the most part by the
White Bluffs, 900-foot-tall cliffs made of
layers upon layers of compressed sand and
clay speckled with swallows’ nests. The cap-
tain adds in history lessons along the way,
but other than that, it’s just a glorious ride
on the river—the sky and the land feel wide
open as we race across the water.
SOON ENOUGH, summer’s almost over
and I’m chasing the sun out east with
my dad and two family friends at Seven
Bays Marina in Davenport (35 miles from
Spokane), heading out on a houseboating
expedition. At Dakota Columbia House-
boat Adventures’ dock, we meet owner Lyle
Parker and our boat, the mighty Eclipse.
I’m a little surprised they’re letting me take
this giant vessel—it’s 62 feet long and 16
feet wide, sleeps 16, and looks a lot like
an RV perched on top of two huge metal
pontoons—out on the lake, but after a thor-
ough briefing sprinkled with lots of “fores”
and “afts,” I’m confidently houseboating
on Lake Roosevelt, the 150-mile-long lake
created by the Grand Coulee Dam.
We set out for Hawk Creek, just four
miles south of the marina, and arrive as
the light starts to fade. Once we anchor to
the shore, we settle into our new digs—on
go the hot tub and the rooftop grill. By the
From left: houseboats
on Lake Roosevelt; a
skier pilots an air chair
ONCE WE ANCHOR TO
THE SHORE, WE SETTLE INTO
OUR NEW DIGS—ON GO
THE HOT TUB AND
THE ROOFTOP GRILL.
37.
38. 36 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
PHOTOGRAPHLEFTBYMICHAELHANSON,RIGHTBYCOLUMBIARIVERKEEPER
the giant buoy out in the bay. Alki Kayak
Tours offers guided paddles (SUP or kayak)
in both directions from the shop—west
toward the lighthouse or east into Elliott
Bay, which is where we’re headed.
The afternoon sun is still reaching over
the bluff of West Seattle as we sidle up to
a derelict pier, dropping to our knees to fit
underneath and poke through the mussel-
and barnacle-covered pylons. The water is
shockingly clear—I can see brilliantly col-
ored sea stars and anemones clinging to
long-fallen beams and boards below. Back
out in the bay, we loop behind a docked
barge to investigate moored vessels. Huge,
gentle waves from the ferries, water taxis,
and ships roll underneath us as we head
toward Harbor Island and the mouth of
the Duwamish for a peek at the heavy-duty
industry afoot here.
As we turn back toward the beach, giant
egg-yolk jellyfish pass harmless and grace-
ful beneath us. “Every time I come out to the
water, I feel so lucky to live here,” Heidi says.
Savoring the setting sun over the moun-
tains ahead and the salt water below
me—recalling my delight surfing the waves
out in Westport and riding the white water
in the Cascades—I couldn’t agree more.
From left: stand-up
paddling on Lake
Union; kayaking at
Hanford Reach National
Monument
time our burgers are finished, the tub is
warm, so we soak under the stars before
finding our cozy berths. In the morning we
plug in the coffee maker, watch the news
on the satellite TV, and scramble eggs on
the gas range, reveling in the strangeness
(and awesomeness) of floating-amenity
abundance.
After breakfast, it’s out to our kayaks
to paddle up the arm of Hawk Creek,
where the beaches give way to steep basalt
walls and, beneath us, pretty, leafy stalks
reach up through the crystalline water. A
30-minute paddle ends with an impressive
waterfall tucked into a little cove—“Jurassic
Park,” Dakota Columbia owner Lyle calls it.
Over the course of the day, we figure
out what houseboating is all about. It’s
not about covering ground, seeing as the
max speed is a whopping eight miles per
hour; it’s about finding the perfect place
to park it and play. We score a pretty spot
to beach ourselves, then run up to the
houseboat roof to zing off the
slide, splashing in the aqua-
marine water. Our trip is over
after another day, but most folks
come for at least a week—packing the boat
full of people and provisions for a unique
exploration of this corner of the state.
BACK IN SEATTLE on one of the last
sweet, sunny days of the season, I’m
gearing up for an afternoon of stand-up
paddleboarding. There are a number of
places in Puget Sound where I can test
my balance on the water—Lake Union in
Seattle and Thea Foss Waterway in Tacoma,
for example—but West Seattle is where
I’m headed for a SUP lesson with Heidi,
a guide with Alki Kayak Tours. She helps
me choose a big, wide board that should
keep me steady, and we set off from the
beach to a chorus of sea lions, barking from
EVERY TIME I COME OUT
TO THE WATER, I FEEL
SO LUCKY TO LIVE HERE.
BOOK YOUR TRIP
Alki Kayak Tours kayakalki.com, Columbia River
Journeys columbiariverjourneys.com, Dakota
Columbia Houseboat Adventures dakotacolumbia.
com, Osprey Rafting ospreyrafting.com, San Juan
Classic Day Sailing sanjuanclassicdaysailing.com,
Steepwater Surf Shop steepwatersurfshop.com
40. SASQUATCH!
MUSIC FESTIVAL
2013 AT THE GORGE
AMPHITHEATRE IN
GEORGE, WA
38 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
PHOTOGRAPHBYMATTHEWTHOMPSON/COURTESYKEXP
41. WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 39
FEST
BY
NORTH
WEST
Catch a set by
the next Nirvana
or Jimi Hendrix
in a seriously
jaw-dropping setting.
By LAURA D. REDMAN
42. 40 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
The circumstances vary—be it a cold beer
with your favorite drummer after a par-
ticularly thrashing set or a jam session
with Miles Davis, back from the dead—
but the dream is the same, and seemingly
unattainable for us mere mortals. We
resign ourselves to following our favorite
bands on Twitter.
But you cross the border into Washing-
ton state, and all of a sudden musicians
are real people. Dave Matthews lives and
grocery-shops in a quiet Seattle neigh-
borhood. Mike McCready, lead guitarist
for Pearl Jam, makes appearances at
fund-raisers and plays backup for fledg-
ling rockers. Hip-hop star Macklemore
shoots music videos at Value Village and
Dick’s Drive-In—but here, he goes by Ben.
Just Ben.
Even before an Aberdeen boy named
Kurt Cobain started playing raucous
concerts at Evergreen State College,
Washington’s music scene was uniquely
accessible. Far from the spotlight of New
York or Los Angeles, people stay humble,
honor their roots, and make music that’s
both authentic and inspired.
The native sound has morphed over
the years. Jackson Street jazz of the
1940s and ’50s gave way to Northwest
garage rock, with the Kingsmen’s “Louie
Louie” as the unofficial anthem. (In
fact, the song is still played during the
seventh-inning stretch at Seattle Mari-
ners games.) Jimi Hendrix shredded into
the early ’70s, before things got funkier
(Kenny G) and punkier (Heart). The ’90s
brought a little thing called grunge and
riot grrrl; a new century delivered a new
genre, indie rock, and its Bellingham-
bred ambassadors Death Cab for Cutie;
and today, hip-hop and indie-folk rule
the region.
The best part? Washington boasts so
many kinds of concert venues—from
natural open-air amphitheaters to his-
toric sites—musicians want to play here.
They want to explore the Columbia River
Valley just as badly as the rest of us do.
That’s why it’s possible to go for a run
along a dusty riverside trail at the Gorge
and happen upon a few gentlemen out
MANY OF US,
AT ONE POINT
OR ANOTHER,
HAVE ASPIRED
TO PARTY WITH
A ROCK STAR.
for a walk. You may strike up a conver-
sation; they may invite you back to their
bus to hang out. They might, just might,
be Mumford and Sons, the world’s big-
gest indie-folk band. (True story.)
So: How to make your own rock-star
dream a reality? Begin by exploring
Washington’s best music festivals, held
in some of the most varied and visually
stunning destinations in the state—where
even the musicians come out to play.
43. WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 41
KING GORGE
Sasquatch! Music Festival
May 23–25, July 4–6; the Gorge Amphithe-
atre, George; sasquatchfestival.com
Carved into basalt cliffs high above the
Columbia River in central Washington,
a natural amphitheater—is the sort of
venue that draws music pilgrims from
around the world. The sun sets behind
the stage, spreading its hazy late-day
glow over the valley, the campgrounds,
and desert landscape beyond.
For more than a decade, Sasquatch!
Music Festival has been the high point
of the Gorge’s annual lineup: a Memorial
Day weekend celebration featuring some
of the hippest acts in indie rock, hip-
hop, pop, comedy, electronic, and more.
Everyone from Coldplay to the Pixies
has done a tour at the Gorge, and 2013’s
headliners—Mumford and Sons, Sigur
Rós, the Postal Service, and Macklemore
and Ryan Lewis—reflected both the fes-
tival’s diversity and its commitment to
Northwest artists. (Mack and Lewis and
the Postal Service are homegrown.)
One might say that, like its namesake,
Sasquatch has grown too big. Since its
inception in 2002, the fest has gone from
a single day to four, and tickets have con-
sistently sold out within hours of release.
This year festival organizers expanded
the series to two separate three-day
events—over Memorial Day and the
Fourth of July weekends—with entirely
different lineups. Outkast, Queens of
the Stone Age, M.I.A., Neko Case, and
the Violent Femmes are featured in May.
Soundgarden, New Order, Shelby Earl,
and Spoon are among those headlining
July. Let it be known: everything’s bigger
at the Gorge.
INSIDER TIP General camping, which is
included with a festival pass, can turn
into a frat party. Find alternatives at
tourgrantcounty.com.
STREET BEATS
Capitol Hill Block Party
July 25–27; Union to Pine Streets between
Broadway and 12th Avenues, Seattle;
capitolhillblockparty.com
We get older, but Capitol Hill Block Party
stays the same age. One of Seattle’s urban
music festivals consumes Pike and Pine
streets—known to locals as the Pike-
Pine corridor—for a weekend every July,
with twentysomethings in fluorescent
tank tops (and thirtysomethings look-
ing pleasantly bewildered) rocking out
to hip-hop, rock, and electronic music.
It’s an all-afternoon, late-night event
packing multiple venues in the city’s
oh-so-hipster neighborhood. With a
wristband, it’s easy to pop inside Neu-
mos nightclub for a dance party, stumble
back into the sunshine to catch a rising
Seattle band at the Vera stage, grab a cold
beverage at a beer garden, and claim ter-
ritory for the nighttime headliner, be it
Fitz and the Tantrums, the Flaming Lips,
or Girl Talk (some of past years’ main
attractions). Relive the days when you,
too, could rock and roll all night.
INSIDER TIP Some of the biggest names
play a session in Caffé Vita or Barboza,
Neumos’s basement bar, capacity 200.
ROCKING
PANORAMAS
Left: Macklemore and
Ryan Lewis and Elvis
Costello play at Sasquatch!
Music Festival 2013.
Right: Confetti falls on the
crowd, and Purity Ring takes
the stage at Capitol Hill
Block Party 2013.
PHOTOGRAPHSCLOCKWISEFROMTOP:DAVIDCONGER,SUZIPRATT,
DAVIDLICHTERMAN/COURTESYKEXP,MORGANSCHULER/COURTESYKEXP
44. 42 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
door Music Festival (July 24–26) launched
last summer, drawing bands and singer-
songwriters from all over the country to a
park in Carnation. Bikes and beards were
prominent, as were outdoor activities like
astronomy talks, giving the whole experi-
ence an “adult summer camp” vibe, per
event organizer Kevin Sur.
ISLAND VIBES
Doe Bay Fest
Aug 7–11; Doe Bay Resort, Olga, Orcas
Island; doebayfest.com
Even as Sasquatch expands to two week-
ends and Capitol Hill Block Party picks
up more corporate beer sponsors, one
Northwest festival refuses to grow big-
ger than its hiking boots: Doe Bay Fest.
Every summer for the past six years, fans
of Northwest music—be it indie rock and
soul or hip-hop and Americana—have
been sneaking off to Orcas Island in the
San Juan Islands for a weekend stay at a
38-acre waterfront resort. Ticket hold-
ers and musicians alike pitch tents,
hike, walk the beach, and strum guitars
around a campfire. Yes, there is an actual
stage and schedule, but impromptu con-
certs may also happen along a trail in
the woods. Barriers between audience
and artist are completely down—it’s like
everyone’s on vacation.
Recent documentary Welcome to Doe
Bay bore the tagline “the best festival
you’ve never heard of.” Not any lon-
ger. The weekend consistently sells out
months in advance. But rather than add
tickets or days to the festival, talent orga-
nizers Artist Home have decided to create
a new fest in the same spirit. Timber! Out-
INSIDER TIP Artist Home launched a winter
music festival—Timbrrr!—in Leaven-
worth this January that pairs skiing,
snowboarding, and live music from the
likes of Hey Marseilles, Telekinesis, and
Radiation City.
DOE BAY FEST
TIMBER! OUTDOOR MUSIC FESTIVAL
PHOTOGRAPHSBYJASONNEUERBURG
45.
46. 44 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
Brandi Carlile. Look, don’t
touch. June–Aug; Woodland
Park Zoo, 5500 Phinney Ave
N, Seattle; zoo.org/zootunes
OLYMPIC MUSIC
FESTIVAL
In the summer, the best
place to hear classical music
isn’t a symphony hall; it’s a
century-old dairy farm barn
on the Olympic Peninsula.
Members of the Philadelphia
String Quartet launched
the chamber music series
in 1984, and 30 years on
wafts of Prokofiev’s Romeo
and Juliet or Beethoven’s
violin sonatas drift out to
people seated on hay bales.
Weekends, June 28–Sept 7;
7360 Center Rd, Quilcene;
olympicmusicfestival.org
MARYHILL WINERY
CONCERTS
Winery concerts are all
the rage here, but Maryhill
has some of the best views
(the carved bluffs of the
Columbia River Gorge) and
concert lineups (Bob Dylan,
Hall and Oates, and Willie
Nelson for the nostalgia
seekers out there) in the
state. Plus, there’s wine.
June–Sept; Maryhill Winery,
9774 Hwy 14, Goldendale;
maryhillwinery.com
JUNE
ELKFEST
Now in its 10th year, this
outdoor indie-rock festival
is the pride of Spokane. It
draws more than 10,000
people to the streets of
Browne’s Addition, the
home of the city’s late-
1800s elite. Don’t let the
’hood’s tony past fool you.
Elkfest is a down-to-earth,
all-ages party with top talent
from Seattle to Spokane
(and sometimes beyond).
June 6–8; The Elk Public
House, 1931 W Pacific Ave,
Spokane; wedonthaveone.
com/the-elk/elkfest
MUSIC ON THE MOUNTAIN
A concert series at 4,314
feet would be cool enough,
but this one overlooks the
ashy (and active) Mount
St. Helens volcano, whose
crater turns shades of pink
and purple as the sun dips
down below the horizon.
MAY
JUAN DE FUCA FESTIVAL
OF THE ARTS
Named for the strait sepa-
rating the state from
Canada, this international
music and arts festival
includes a multistage, multi-
day concert series. Past acts
include the bhangra-meets-
Celtic rock of Delhi 2 Dublin
and Sierra Leone’s Refugee
All Stars. May 22–26; Vern
Burton Memorial Commu-
nity Center, 308 E Fourth St,
Port Angeles; jffa.org
JUNE–SEPTEMBER
CHATEAU STE. MICHELLE
SUMMER CONCERTS
Start the evening inside a
French-style chateau at the
state’s oldest winery, pick up
a bottle of Ethos Reserve
cabernet sauvignon or Ries-
ling (or both), then take your
liquid picnic to the sloping
lawn, where a chilled-out
crowd reclines on the grass
as artists—be it Allen Stone
or Sarah McLachlan—play
on. June–Sept; Chateau Ste.
Michelle Winery, 14111 NE
145th St, Woodinville;
ste-michelle.com
ZOOTUNES
Concerts at a zoo? Sounds
exotic. It’s not like you’re
elbowing camels for a seat,
but the outdoor shows on
the lawn at Woodland Park
Zoo are a great place to
bring the kids to see Huey
Lewis and the News or
June 28, July 26, August 30;
Johnston Ridge Observatory
Amphitheater, 24000 Spirit
Memorial Lake Hwy, Toutle;
facebook.com/musicon
themnt
JULY
BELLINGHAM FESTIVAL
OF MUSIC
Cruise ships idle in the back-
ground as chamber players
entertain on two days of this
15-day virtuoso orchestra
festival. Among this year’s
lineup are violinist Stefan
Jackiw, the Calidore String
Quartet, and internationally
acclaimed soprano Joanna
Mongiardo. July 5–20; West-
ern Washington University,
516 High St, Bellingham;
bellinghamfestival.org
WINTHROP RHYTHM
AND BLUES FESTIVAL
It’s hard to believe anyone
actually has the blues at this
annual festival, nestled in
the North Cascades on the
banks of the Methow River.
Kids play in streams, parents
make camp with peace flags
flying, and national artists—
even Bo Diddley in the past—
get down to the serious
business of jamming. July
18–20; The Blues Ranch,
19190 Hwy 20, Winthrop;
winthropbluesfestival.com
JAZZ PORT TOWNSEND
One of the nation’s oldest
jazz workshops culminates
with a series of live perfor-
mances in a state park (Fort
Worden) perched above the
Strait of Juan de Fuca—and
later at night in intimate
venues throughout town.
July 20–27; centrum.org/
programs/jazz
AUGUST
SUMMER MELTDOWN
Nestled between a lazy river
and glacier-capped moun-
tains, Whitehorse Mountain
Amphitheater is home to the
Darrington Bluegrass Festi-
val (July 18–20) and, more
recently, Summer Meltdown,
a three-day camping-and-
music festival with more
than 30 bands—think
everyone from Bobby Fearon
to the Shook Twins. Aug
7–10; Whitehorse Mountain
Amphitheater, 42501 SR
530 NE, Darrington;
summermeltdownfest.com
BUMBERSHOOT
The granddaddy of Seattle
music and arts festivals
returns every Labor Day
weekend to Seattle Center,
with three straight days
of concerts (Death Cab
for Cutie, fun., and Heart
headlined last summer),
comedy, theater, lectures on
fan fiction, art exhibits, short
films, and “spectacles.” Aug
30–Sept 1; Seattle Center,
305 Harrison St, Seattle;
bumbershoot.org
SEPTEMBER
DECIBEL FESTIVAL
Now in its 11th year, the
electronic music festival
draws artists from around
the globe, many whose
names don’t have vowels
(like XXYYXX and MNDR).
It also boasts big-deal DJs
such as Amon Tobin and
eye-popping stage shows
that double as the art of
illumination. Sept 24–28;
various concert venues,
Seattle; dbfestival.com
MORE
MUSIC,
MORE
VIEWS
BUMBERSHOOT
DAVID BYRNE AND
ST. VINCENT AT
CHATEAU STE.
MICHELLE
PHOTOGRAPHSFROMTOP:CHRISTOPHERNELSON,KIRKSTAUFFER
47. Must See-Must Do
Washington Tours & Attractions
CANOPY TOURS NORTHWEST Our
tour features 6 ziplines, two beautiful
trails, a log bridge, and a dramatic
54-foot final rappel! Zip through the
trees viewing the forest from a whole new
perspective.
Camano Island, 360-387-5807
canopytoursnw.com
FREE BOAT RIDES every Sunday at
THE CENTER FOR WOODEN BOATS
in Seattle, where maritime history comes
alive and admission is free.
10% off all row boat rentals with the code:
WOODBOAT.
1010 Valley St. Seattle, 206-382-2628,
cwb.org
NORTH CASCADES INSTITUTE offers
programs that share the natural and
cultural history of the region, including
guided tours, family getaways, art retreats
and backcountry adventures.
360-854-2599
ncascades.org
History abounds at the NORTHWEST
CARRIAGE MUSEUM. Visit one of
the finest collections of 19th century
carriages, buggies, wagons and historic
artifacts in the country. Interactive exhibits
for all ages. Group tours available.
314 Alder St, Raymond WA
360-942-4150, nwcarriagemuseum.org
Open all year round, the VETERANS
MEMORIAL MUSEUM has over 85 dis-
play cases of artifacts from the Revolution-
ary War to modern day. 2014 July 12-13 is
our huge Civil War Battle and July 31-Aug
3 hosting the Vietnam Traveling Wall.
Come visit us on I-5 at Exit 77. Chehalis,
360-740-8875, veteransmuseum.org
GLIDER-RIDES.COM. Soar like a
bird in our Grob motorized glider. See
Snoqualmie Falls from above. Shoot
pictures from an open window. Take the
controls and experience flight in all its
glory. Book now for an experience of a life-
time. FAA-certified pilot. In Renton near
SeaTac, 800-734-3588, glider-rides.com
TOURUSA MOTORCYCLE RENTALS
AND TOURS Experience the Pacific
Northwest by riding though it! Choose a
street, touring or adventure motorcycle.
For a weekend or a full tour, enjoy the
time spent between destinations. Guided
and Self-Guided tour assistance avail-
able. 888-627-3682, TourUSA.us
MYSTIC SEA CHARTERS Come aboard
the classic 100 ft. Mystic Sea for our guar-
anteed whale watch and wildlife cruise and
enjoy a fun and relaxing day on the water.
Gray whale watching—Langley, WA:
March 8–May 18. Orca whale watching—
Anacortes, WA: May 23–Oct 4.
800-308-9387, mysticseacharters.com
WING LUKE MUSEUM OF THE ASIAN
PACIFIC AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Discover Seattle through the stories,
history and art of the Asian Pacific Ameri-
can experience in the heart of Seattle’s
Chinatown-International District. Guided
neighborhood & historic hotel tours.
Seattle, 206-623-5124, wingluke.org
NORTHWEST RAILWAY MUSEUM
Just 2 miles from Snoqualmie Falls!
Historic depot and exhibits daily, 10am–
5pm. Tours of Railway History Center and
train excursions weekends, April–Oct and
holidays. Experience how the railroad
changed everything. Snoqualmie
425-888-3030, trainmuseum.org
EDEN VALLEY GUEST RANCH &
TRAIL RIDES Relax in Cabins with great
views. Wi-Fi, Catering, Trail System
for Hiking, Mt Biking & Horseback Trail
Rides. Play Area, Child & Pet Friendly,
Car Accessible. Many Activities.
10-miles E. of Oroville. Reservations:
509-485-4002, edenvalleyranch.net
MOLSON SCHOOLHOUSE MUSEUM
Centennial Celebration 2014. Open Daily
in Summer 10am–5pm OLD MOLSON
GHOST TOWN MUSEUM Full-scale
historic buildings on 5-acres. Kids love
it. Daylight hours April–Oct. Oroville,
509-485-3292, orovillewashington.com;
molsonmuseum.org
The 4 million volt Tesla Coil throws 10
foot arcs of lightning and is the star at-
traction in the SPARK MUSEUM’S Mega-
Zapper Electrical Show, every Saturday
& Sunday at 2:30 p.m. 1312 Bay Street,
Bellingham, WA, sparkmuseum.org or
360-738-3886
HYDROPLANE & RACEBOAT MUSEUM
Feel the Thunder! Mention this ad and get
two tickets for the price of one! For hours
and directions visit: thunderboats.org
Kent, 206-764-9453
49. Metro SeattleSEATTLE, TACOMA, AND PUGET SOUND
PHOTOGRAPHBYARTAZUMANDIRIANASHIYAN/SHUTTERSTOCK
WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 47
ELLIOTT BAY
In the metro Seattle area, drift
into a dreamy scene where
cityscapes meet the wilds.
Iconic attractions promise
everything from soaring sights
to flying fish. Public art and
museums deliver stunning
views around every corner,
Washington State Ferries—the
state’s top tourist attraction—
ply the waters at several city
edges, and eating global is the
norm. Plus, outlets are a shop-
per’s paradise and drinking
local means not only tasting
regional sips, but also seeing
where they’re made.
50. GLACIER
PEAK
48 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
Everett
Mukilteo
Marysville
North Bend
Snoqualmie
Issaquah
Bremerton
Federal
Way
Fife
Shelton
Union
Grand
Mound
Port Townsend Tulalip
Stanwood
Lacey
Tumwater
Yelm
Poulsbo
Gig Harbor
Bellevue
Renton
Kent
SeaTac
Auburn
Puyallup
Graham
Dupont
Lakewood
Sumner
Enumclaw
Eatonville
Kirkland
Redmond
Lynnwood
Edmonds Woodinville
Bothell
Snohomish Monroe
Gold Bar
Tacoma
Olympia
PUGET
SOUND
5
90
5
405
520
16
512
507
510
161
7
3
2
530
167
522
203
410
18
101
CHESTER
MORSE LAKE
LAKE
STEVENS
Mt.Rainier
National Park
Granite Falls
Darrington
Arlington
Skykomish
Leavenworth
BAINBRIDGE
ISLAND
VASHON
ISLAND
Fall City
Carnation
Newcastle
N
S
EW
20 mi
1
METROSEATTLE
MOUNTAIN
LOOP HWY
1
2
5
4
3
6
1 EDMONDS
This historic community
may have roots in lum-
ber, but Edmonds circa
now is all about quaint,
small-town charm. Its
strollable downtown
brims with vintage
street lamps, cafes, and
boutiques—plus a water-
front featuring fishing
off the pier, a 27-acre
underwater dive park,
and the bustling ferry
terminal connecting
Edmonds to Kingston.
2 SNOHOMISH
Known as the Antique
Capital of the North-
west—specialty shops,
art galleries, and sweet
cafes pack downtown—
Snohomish takes its
history seriously. Homes
display the year they
were built, and the Sno-
homish Historic District
in the center of town is
on the National Register
of Historic Places.
3 GOLD BAR
Little Gold Bar cele-
brates its mining heyday
with July’s Gold Dust
Days, which includes
a parade, live music,
and vendors selling
all things that glitter.
Just outside of town is
Wallace Falls—actually
nine falls in all, with the
grandest being 265 feet
tall and worth the five-
mile round-trip hike.
4 CARNATION
Situated between the
Tolt and Snoqualmie Riv-
ers, Carnation is right in
the heart of U-pick berry
paradise. Miller’s Mer-
cantile—part gift shop,
part community event
space—brings the farm-
land vibe into town with
giant sunflowers painted
across its facade. Tolt-
MacDonald Park on the
edge of town is another
treat. A suspension
bridge sways to the
other side of the Sno-
qualmie, transporting
brave crossers to a little
bit of paradise.
5 FALL CITY
Once a mill town out in
farm country, Fall City is
now a scenic 2,000-
person burg with a mind
to preserve its heritage.
The historical society
has already saved a
130-year-old hop shed,
and the lodgelike Last
Frontier Saloon proudly
pours beers on the spot
where Fall City’s trading
post was built in 1869.
6 NORTH BEND
Made famous by the
TV show Twin Peaks,
North Bend is a sweet
little town at the foot
of Mount Si, a popular
hiking destination.
After conquering the
4,167-foot peak, drop
by Twede’s Cafe for a
slice of cherry pie and
a coffee à la Special
Agent Dale Cooper. Two
blocks away, the Sno-
qualmie Valley Historical
Museum showcases the
non-Hollywood history of
the area.
7 VASHON
A 20-minute ferry ride
from West Seattle
transports travelers to
a place far removed
from city life, where
farms still surround
the tiny center of com-
merce, bikes wait for
their owners unlocked,
and everyone knows
everyone at the cheery
summer farmers mar-
ket. The island is ringed
with rocky beaches
and laced with curvy
roads through wooded
wonderlands—plenty of
room for adventure.
—ANNE LARKIN
Small Towns
6
7
Stevens Pass
WALLACE
FALLS
Seattle
WANDER HERE
• Alpental; Summit at
Snoqualmie; Stevens
Pass (p. 16)
• Harmon Brewing;
Rachel’s Ginger Beer;
Sodo Spirits; Sun
Liquor; 3 Howls Distill-
ery (p. 17)
• Sound to Narrows; Sea-
fair Torchlight; Seattle
Marathon (p. 17)
• Woodinville (p. 17)
• Antiques at Pike Place;
Seattle Antiques
Market (p. 20)
• Tillicum Village (p. 22)
• Port Susan Snow
Goose and Birding
Festival; Puget Sound
Bird Fest (p. 22)
• Bumbershoot; Capitol
Hill Block Party (p. 38)
EXPLORE
51. WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 49
ART MEETS NATURE
REGIONAL TASTES
Art & Craft
The South Sound’s “legacy of honest hard
work” resonates in every sip from Wing-
man Brewers (wingmanbrewers.com),
a 2011 start-up that’s already upgraded
to a taproom across from Tacoma Dome
Station. Its theme salutes the World War
II service of head brewer Ken Thoburn’s
grandfather, who painted designs on mili-
tary fuselages. Today, Wingman’s logo, a
pinup girl behind an airplane gauge, keeps
alive the area’s can-do spirit.
This cleverness is echoed around Wash-
ington, which ranks eighth among states
in craft breweries per capita and brews up
a good chunk of the nation’s $10.2-billion
small-batch suds industry.
Sample the region’s success in Tacoma’s
first craft brewery: Harmon Brewing Co.
(harmonbrewingco.com). Or head to Pint
Defiance (pintdefiance.com), a new bottle
shop that has 50 feet of craft beers, meads,
and ciders for sale, as well as tap offer-
ings like Test Pilot IPA from Kent’s Airways
Brewing Co. (airwaysbrewing.com).
Ten miles southeast, connoisseurs can
savor Puyallup’s DUO (duobrewing.com)
Poles Apart milk stout and Powerhouse
(powerhousebrewpub.com) Amperage
Amber in an electrical substation that’s
one of the West’s top brewpubs.
In Graham, lift a glass of Dark Marc
ale to the M.T. Head Brewing Company’s
(mtheadbrewingco.com) fifth year of
turning out boutique barrels under the
watchful gaze of Mount Rainier.
But the area doesn’t just excel at arti-
sanal beer. Vintners have opened shop
in Lakewood (Stina’s Cellars, stinas
cellars.com) and on Vashon Island
(Palouse Winery, palousewinery.com),
among others, keeping the South Sound’s
spirit of innovation burning bright.
—AMANDA CASTLEMAN
OLYMPIC SCULPTURE PARK
PHOTOGRAPHLEFTBYBENJAMINBENSCHNEIDER,RIGHTCOURTESYWINGMANBREWERS
WASHINGTONIANS LOVE TO LIVE and play outdoors, so it’s no surprise
that our cities are studded with dazzling sculptures and alfresco art.
World-renowned glass sculptor Dale Chihuly—whose pieces have
been featured in 200-plus museum collections around the globe—has
threaded countless masterpieces into the rugged beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
In his hometown of Tacoma, find 2,364 vibrant glass forms suspended overhead,
two 40-foot-tall block towers glimmering in blue, and a display case filled with 109
whimsical sculptures on the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, a 500-foot-long pedestrian
overpass leading to the Museum of Glass (museumofglass.org).
The maestro’s work is also juxtaposed with nature under the towering Space
Needle in Seattle at Chihuly Garden and Glass (chihulygardenandglass.com). Wend
down paths lined with camellias and daylilies to happen upon works like Reeds on
Logs, cobalt-blue glass rods that rise like giant candles out of the ground.
Elsewhere in Seattle, public art abounds. In Capitol Hill’s Volunteer Park (seattle.
gov/parks), Isamu Noguchi’s circular Black Sun frames views of the distant Space
Needle and Olympic Mountains. Other works become an interactive cornerstone
of neighborhood culture (Fremont residents often dress up the cast aluminum
figures of Richard Beyer’s Waiting for the Interurban), while downtown’s water-
front Olympic Sculpture Park (seattleartmuseum.org) features 21 permanent
outdoor pieces, ranging from Alexander Calder’s abstract Eagle to Louise Bourgeois’s
fountain-engulfed Father and Son.
About 42 pieces are on display in downtown Bellevue—includ-
ing a life-size bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi outside the
public library—plus additional temporary works during the bien-
nial sculpture exhibition Bellwether. In Snohomish County,
around 40 murals and sculptures by regional artists are sprinkled throughout
downtown Edmonds and along the Puget Sound coastline. Visitors can also admire
James Madison’s 15-foot-tall Tulalip People aluminum sculpture, which pays hom-
age to the region’s Native culture with its fish-ladder effect, in Stanwood.
State capital Olympia boasts some 27 pieces of alfresco art with waterfront park
Percival Landing serving as a major hub. Within less than a mile, find 17 sculptures
made from cast bronze to mosaic tiles to found objects on this promenade that
might as well be considered a museum without walls. —CORINNE WHITING
WINGMAN BREWERS
TRIP TIP
Pick up a free
art map at each
city’s visitor infor-
mation center.
52. 50 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
LOCAL SIPS
Pour Across
the Sound
The Seattle area may be best known for
its coffee—think java titans like Starbucks,
with its original Pike Place Market loca-
tion, microroasters like Middle Fork
(middleforkroasters.com), or Bainbridge
Island’s Storyville (storyville.com), now
also in Pike Place Market—but beverages
are booming beyond the bean.
Beer is big here. Standards and sea-
sonals from pioneers such as Pike
BrewingCompany(pikebrewing.com)and
Elysian Brewing (elysianbrewing.com)
are mainstays at taphouses like Brouw-
er’s Cafe (brouwerscafe.blogspot.com),
funeral-parlor-turned-beer-bar Pine Box
(pineboxbar.com), and the dog-friendly
Beveridge Place Pub (beveridgeplace
pub.com). Fremont Brewing Company
(fremontbrewing.com) offers an outdoor
year-round beer garden, while nearby
Odin Brewing (odinbrewing.wordpress.
com) focuses on food and beer pairings.
Outside Seattle, nanobrewery Foggy
Noggin (foggynogginbrewing.com) pro-
duces English-style ales in a Bothell
garage, Redmond’s Black Raven Brewing
(blackravenbrewing.com) is racking up
acclaim for its distinct brews and neigh-
borhood taproom, and Woodinville’s
Triplehorn Brewing (triplehornbrewing.
com) recently celebrated a first anniver-
sary. Down the hill is Redhook Brewery
(redhook.com), home to multiple seasonal
ale fests and summer “Moonlight Cinema”
on a 55-foot inflatable screen on its lawn.
What Woodinville is best known for,
however,iswine.Theareaishometotasting
rooms for 100 wineries, including Cha-
teau Ste. Michelle (ste-michelle.com) and
nearby wineries Novelty-Hill and Januik
(noveltyhilljanuik.com), both by “master
of Merlot” Mike Januik. By the landmark
Hollywood Schoolhouse, wineries like
Mark Ryan Winery (markryanwinery.
com), J. Bookwalter (bookwalterwines.
com),andBrian Carter Cellars (briancarter
cellars.com) pour distinctly Washington
juice. A few miles north is the warehouse
district, with more than 50 wineries,
including locals Baer Winery (baerwinery.
com) and Sparkman Cellars (sparkman
cellars.com), and eastern Washington’s
Obelisco Estate (obelisco.com) and Kestrel
Vintners (kestrelwines.com).
Back in Seattle, Seattle Cider Company
(seattlecidercompany.com)—the city’s first
cidery since Prohibition—recently opened
alongside brewery Two Beers (twobeers
brewery.com), although Vashon Island’s
Dragon’s Head Cider (dragonsheadcider.
com) has been around since 2010.
With the legalization of liquor pro-
duction in Washington, distilleries with
tasting rooms have been popping up.
Seattle’s SoDo district is home to the enor-
mous new Westland Distillery (westland
distillery.com) and Glass Distillery (glass
distillery.com); Interbay has craft dis-
tillers Batch 206 (batch206.com) and
Sound Spirits (drinksoundspirits.com);
and Fremont Mischief Distillery (fremont
mischief.com) makes John Jacob rye
whiskey. Woodinville’s Soft Tail Spirits
(softtailspirits.com) has been revitalizing
grappa since 2008, while Project V Distill-
ery (projectvdistillery.com) distills vodka
and sells frozen house-made sausages.
JANUIK
PHOTOGRAPHCOURTESYJANUIK
1
METROSEATTLE
The Convergence Zone—Edmonds to
Arlington—gets a whip of wind crossing
the Puget Sound from the Olympic Moun-
tains. It’s also getting a taste of another
natural force: beer.
Edmonds’sAmericanBrewing(american
brewing.com) is proud owner of the
Breakaway India pale ale. Mukilteo’s
Diamond Knot Craft Brewing (diamond
knot.com) has four locations around
the Sound, and Skookum Brewery
(skookumbrewing.com) recently relin-
quished a backwoods brewpub for a
bold warehouse and taproom in Arling-
ton. Humble Norm’s Market (10027
Lundeen Park Way) in Lake Stevens has
more than 50 rotating kegs made for
growler fills. Nine miles down Machias
Road, Snohomish’s Trails End Taphouse
(trailsendcatering.com) tenders 28 beers
on draft.
Everett’s champion of beer has long
been waterfront microbrewery Scuttle-
butt (scuttlebuttbrewing.com), but new
players are making a mark. Nanobrewery
Middleton Brewing (middletonbrewing.
net) has a taproom full of proprietary
brews as well as rotating suds from the
likes of local newbie Justice Brewing
(justicebrewing.com). Take one to go at
Lynnwood’s Special Brews (special-brews.
com), an extensive bottle shop with more
than 1,000 bottles and 15 draft picks,
or DIY at Gallagher’s Where-U-Brew
(whereubrew.com) in Edmonds, with
recipes ranging from porters and lagers
to semi-sweet cider.
Wine gets its due in Bothell at Wild
Vine Bistro (wildvinebistro.com), where
happy hours feature
$5 glass pours. Feeling
lucky? Tulalip Resort
Casino (tulalipresort
casino.com) offers seven
different restaurants and
award-winning wine lists.
Head to Snohomish distilleries Skip
Rock (skiprockdistillers.com) for fruit
liqueurs and Dark Moon (1830 Bickford
Ave) for apple cider vodka, or to Everett’s
Bluewater Organic Distilling (bluewater
distilling.com) for the Halcyon gin.
The next day, Velton’s Coffee (veltons
coffee.com) Bonsai Blend espresso wakes
upEverett,andVinaccioCofffee’s(vinaccio
.com) Sumatran Mandehling roast gets
the job done in Marysville. —ERIN JAMES
TRIP TIP
Map a tour
at washington
wine.org or
washington
beer.com.
53. WE
CONNECT
ART
TO LIFE
visitsam.org
Photo: Catherine Anstett
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
I
I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I
54. 52 WASHINGTON STATE VISITORS’ GUIDE 2014 WWW.EXPERIENCEWA.COM
CHIHULY BRIDGE OF GLASS
AND MUSEUM OF GLASS
OLD CAPITOL
BUILDING
PHOTOGRAPHBYMAHESHTHAPA
EXPLORE
Museum Day
Museum of Glass Along with works
from glass-art pioneer and Tacoma home-
town hero Dale Chihuly, expect sculpted
silica from as far as the Czech Republic
and Ireland. museumofglass.org
Seattle Art Museum Downtown’s big
kid on the block offers a consistently stel-
lar lineup of classic and modern works,
from the colorful abstracts of Miró to dra-
matic 17th-century European paintings.
seattleartmuseum.org
Bellevue Arts Museum Contemporary
craft—including whimsical woodcarvings
and life-size terra-cotta sculptures—popu-
late this Eastside establishment, which
highlights Pacific Northwest artists and
global stars. bellevuearts.org
Bigelow House Museum Though unas-
suming, this two-story Carpenter Gothic
home in Olympia is actually one of Wash-
ington’s oldest remaining wood-frame
houses. It’s on the National Register of
Historic Places and features original fur-
nishings and artifacts from its Oregon
Trail–era owners. olympiahistory.org/wp
Schack Art Center See and make art at
this two-in-one creative hub in Everett,
where galleries showcase regional talents
and a hot-shop studio lets anyone—who
passes orientation—try glassblowing. It
also offers classes in everything from
jewelry to painting. schack.org
Done all these? In Seattle, check out
pop culture at EMP Museum, the past
at the Museum of History and Industry,
Asian-American works at Wing Luke, or
interactive exhibits at Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. To any itinerary in Tacoma,
add the Tacoma Art Museum or classic
autos at LeMay—America’s Car Museum.
empmuseum.org; mohai.org; wingluke.
org; gatesvc.org; tacomaartmuseum.org;
lemaymuseum.org —ANGELA CABOTAJE
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55. Refresh
V I S I T B E L L E V U E W A S H I N G T O N . CO M
There’s an abundance of
refreshing ways to experience
Bellevue, Washington.
Revive your wardrobe with
a luxurious shopping experience.
Invigorate your mind in our
museums and art galleries.
Savor some fine wine and
world-class dining while
exploring the city’s vibrant nightlife.
Revel in the beauty of the Northwest
at the area’s parks and
premier golf courses.