Eastern Washington - Washington State - page 334

Of Apples & Birdies
Golfers take note. Here in Yakima, you'll find a golf course with the
world's only green on an apple-shaped island. The Apple Tree Golf
Course, 8804 Occidental Ave. ( & 509/966-5877; www.appletreegolf.com),
on the west side of town is rated among the best golf courses in the state
but is most noteworthy for its unusual apple island. Greens fees are $22
to $55.
Yakama tribe and on former Supreme Court justice and environmentalist
William O. Douglas, who was a Yakima resident. Perhaps the museum's most
enjoyable exhibit is a functioning replica of a 1930s soda fountain. The museum
is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm; admission is $3 for adults,
$1.50 for seniors and students. The museum also operates the H. M. Gilbert
Homeplace, an 1898 Victorian farmhouse, at 2109 W. Yakima Ave. This his-
toric home is open by appointment, and admission is $3 for adults and $1.50
for seniors and students.
If you're interested in learning more about the other fruits of this region
(apples, pears, cherries), drop by the Washington's Fruit Place Visitor Center,
105 S. 18th St. ( & 509/576-3090; www.fruitplace.com), which is located east
of downtown off Yakima Avenue. Hours vary with the seasons, so call ahead.
Extending between Union Gap and Selah Gap, the Yakima Greenway fol-
lows the banks of the Yakima River, with 10 miles of paved pathways within the
greenway. The easiest place to access the path is at Sherman Park on Nob Hill
Boulevard. In summer, kayaking, rafting, and tubing are popular on this sec-
tion of the river, and the bird-watching is good year-round.
If you'd like to see another scenic stretch of the river, head north to Selah and
then take Wash. 821 north through the Yakima River Canyon. The river has
been around for longer than the surrounding hills, which have risen concurrent
with the river slicing through them.
ATTRACTIONS & ACTIVITIES IN THE TRI-CITIES AREA
If you're interested in learning more about the history (including the nuclear his-
tory), science, and technology of this region, pay a visit to the Columbia River
Exhibition of History, Science & Technology, 95 Lee Blvd., Richland ( & 509/
943-9000; www.crehst.org), which is located adjacent to the attractive Howard
Amon Park in downtown Richland. Be sure to ask to watch the video on the
great floods that scoured this landscape during the last ice age. The museum is
open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sunday from noon to
5pm. Admission is $3.50 for adults, $2.75 for seniors, and $2.50 for students.
Up river from the Tri-Cities area are both the Hanford Site (where the pluto-
nium for the first nuclear bombs was made) and the Hanford Reach National
Monument, which preserves the last free-flowing stretch of the Columbia River
in the United States. Although there are some remote areas of the monument
that are accessible by vehicle, the best way to see this national monument is on
the jet boat tours offered by Columbia River Journeys ( & 888/486-9119 or
509/734-9941; www.columbiariverjourneys.com). The 4-hour tours cost $45
for adults and $35 for children. Along the way you'll see not only the wild shores
of the Columbia River but also the nuclear reactors of the Hanford Site.