Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Gordon Brothers Cellars
This winery tasting room is located on the edge
of the suburbs, and though the setting is none too impressive, the wines are gen-
erally quite good. Prices are generally in the $10 to $20 range.
5960 Burden Blvd., Pasco.
&
509/547-6331.
www.gordonwines.com. Daily 10am-6pm. Take exit 9 off
I-182; go north on Rd. 68 and then east on Burden Blvd.
TOPPENISH & ITS MURALS
Before or after visiting wineries around Zillah, you might want to drive into the
town of
Toppenish,
which was just a quiet little cow town until someone got
the great idea of enlivening a few town walls with historical murals. Today, there
are more than 60
murals
depicting aspects of Toppenish history. You'll see these
murals on walls all over town, and if you stop in at almost any store in town you
can pick up a map to the murals. Though some murals have taken as much as a
month to paint, each year on the first Saturday in June, crowds descend on the
town to watch a new mural being created in just 1 day. One of the best ways
to see the murals is on a horse-drawn trolley tour with
Toppenish Mural Tours
(
&
509/697-8995
). Tours last 1
1
⁄
2
hours and cost $12 for adults, $10 for sen-
iors, and $4 for children 12 and under.
Toppenish is within the boundaries of the Yakama Indian Reservation, which
operates the
Cultural Heritage Center
on U.S. 97 (
&
509/865-2800
), just out-
side town. This large building, designed to resemble a traditional Yakama win-
ter lodge, contains a museum, library, gift shop, and restaurant (see p. 340 for
restaurant details). Exhibits in the museum present the history and culture of the
Yakama people. The Yakama are well known for their beadwork and you'll find
pieces for sale in the gift shop. The center is open daily from 8am to 5pm;
admission is $4 for adults, $2 for seniors and students, $1 for children ages 7 to
10, 75¢ for children 6 and under.
Several other attractions in town provide glimpses into the area's history. The
most entertaining of these is the
Northern Pacific Railway Museum,
10 S.
Asotin Ave. (
&
509/865-1911;
www.nprymuseum.org; May-Oct Mon-Sat
10am-5pm, Sun noon-4pm; closed Nov-Apr; $2 adults, $1 seniors and chil-
dren 17 and under accompanied by a parent), which has its museum in the
town's 1911 railway depot and also operates, a few times a year, 22-mile scenic
railway excursions on the Toppenish, Simcoe & Western Railroad. Excursions
are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 4 to 17. The Yakima Valley is one of
the world's top hops-growing regions, and it is here that you will find the
Amer-
ican Hop Museum,
22 S. B St. (
&
509/865-HOPS
), where you can learn all
about this crucial beer ingredient. The museum is open May through Septem-
ber daily from 11am to 4pm; admission is by donation.
Fort Simcoe, 27 miles west of Toppenish in the Cascade foothills, was estab-
lished in the late 1850s because of conflicts between Indians and settlers. Today,
the fort is preserved as
Fort Simcoe State Park Heritage Site
(
&
509/874-
2372
) and is the site of surprisingly elegant quarters that were used for only a
few years before becoming the Indian Agency headquarters and school. The
park's buildings are open April through September Wednesday through Sunday
from 9:30am to 4:30pm. However, the grounds are open daily.
ATTRACTIONS & ACTIVITIES IN THE YAKIMA AREA
Local history is chronicled at the
Yakima Valley Museum
, 2105 Tieton
Dr. (
&
509/248-0747;
www.yakimavalleymuseum.org), where a collection
of restored horse-drawn vehicles is on display. There are also displays on the
