Wenatchee

on location: west ❖

manny vega

Washington’s

Apple Empire Fruitful excursions start in Wenatchee, the core of the state’s most famous industry

Image courtesy of © 2012 JupiterImages Corporation

S

tretched across the confluence of the Wenatchee and

Columbia rivers in North Central Washington, the city of Wenatchee is named after the Wenatchi Indian

tribe. The word means “river which comes from canyons.”

Most people know Wenatchee as the self-proclaimed “Apple Capital of the World,” but the area wasn’t always known for its fruit-bearing trees. Despite rich volcanic soil, this land on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains was too barren for significant yield. That changed in 1903 when the Highline Canal was built to irrigate the soil. The land was planted with apple trees and since then has become one of the world’s largest producers of the fruit.

Sink your teeth into apple country and some of the finest apples in the world at the Washington State Apple Commission Visitors Center in Wenatchee. The center provides a look at the state’s largest agricultural industry, with over 1,700 growers that produce billions of pounds of fruit each eties of apples grown in Washington, the dominant kind is Red Delicious followed by Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith. Visitors at the center peruse exhibits, see a short film about Washington’s apple industry, and enjoy complimentary apple slices and Tree Top apple juice. Displays cover aspects of fruit-growing from pollination to irrigation to pruning to research and technology. The gift shop features all kinds of apple-themed souvenirs.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Washington

LeisureGroupTravel.com

Marcia Janke/Wenatchee Valley Visitors Bureau

year, including apples, cherries and peaches. Of the 12 vari-

Wenatchee’s spring fling: The Washington State Apple Blossom Festival

June 2012 67

on location: west ❖

Obtain Wenatchee visitor guides and itineraries and contact groupfriendly suppliers directly at leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info

Apple Commission. To commemorate the milestone, the commission is using an exclusive logo for the 2012 crop that aims to reflect its global focus and its main export—the Red Delicious.

The 11-day Washington State Apple Blossom Festival, which runs from late April into early May, is the state’s oldest major festival, dating back to 1919. The spring fling features a food fair, arts and crafts, musical entertainment and a Grand Parade complete with a queen and her court. Vying with the festivities are the clouds of apple blossoms that blanket the countryside. Wenatchee Taste of the Harvest is a one-day downtown event staged every September.

Washington Apple Country Tours (appleorchardtours.com) offers a variety of tours that showcase the apple and other fruit industries. Customizable for groups, they can include visits to a commercial packing house and working orchard, fruit picking, meals and popular area attractions.

Wenatchee’s close proximity to Wenatchee National Forest summer to skiing at Mission Ridge in the winter. Walla Walla Point Park and Wenatchee Confluence State Park are just north of the city and offer swimming beaches, playing fields and hiking trails. The Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail connects a string of parks and stretches for 11 miles of paved trails that link to the east bank of the Columbia River by bridge.

Groups may also experience kayaking, windsurfing and water skiing on the Columbia. Whitewater rafting and inner-tubing

Feil's fruit stand at September’s Wenatchee Taste of the Harvest

John Marshall

are common on the Wenatchee River.

Marcia Janke/Wenatchee Valley Visitors Bureau

makes it a great area for all-year recreation, from hiking in the

The Cascade Mountains provide a scenic backdrop to orchards in Washington’s Wenatchee Valley, the nation’s No. 1 apple-growing region.

68 June 2012

LeisureGroupTravel.com

Marcia Janke/Wenatchee Valley Visitors Bureau

Carpet-like ground covers, towering evergreens and rustic shelters highlight Ohme Gardens, an alpine oasis high above the Columbia River.

on location: west ❖

Rocky Reach Dam, located seven miles north on US 97, is a Z-shaped structure that stretches across the Columbia

Ohme Gardens rests on a rocky bluff overlooking the

River. Visitors can watch migrating fish swim up the mile-

Wenatchee Valley. The alpine gardens feature evergreen trees

long fish bypass from various viewpoints. Exhibits on dam

and plants that complement the rugged rock formations.

building are featured in the information center. Guided tours

Garden levels are connected by stone pathways that lead to

of the dam are available. The Museum of the Columbia,

pools, rustic shelters, a wishing well and a lookout at the park’s

located in the dam’s powerhouse, traces life along the river

highest point. Stone benches are sprinkled throughout the

from 10,000 years ago and has displays on the Nez Perce

park, allowing visitors to savor the panoramic views, towering

Indians and Thomas Edison. The dam also boasts 30 acres

cedars and firs, lush foliage and peaceful waterfalls and pools.

of lawns and gardens planted with thousands of flowers.

Ohme Gardens was the creation of Herman Ohme, who,

A display of red, white and blue flowers depicts the American

with his wife, Ruth, in 1929 started to transform the bluff into

flag.

the kind of lush, alpine terrain found on the other side of the

In the town of Cashmere, 11 miles northwest, is Liberty

Cascades. At first the project was a private family retreat; at

Orchards, most famous for its Aplets and Cotlets, soft candies

the insistence of early visitors Ohme opened his gardens to

made with fruit juices and walnuts and covered with powdered

the public in 1939.

sugar. Factory tours are available. Groups at Cashmere Cider

Groups interested in the area’s history can visit Wenatchee

Mill can enjoy cider tasting, orchard tours, hayrides, U-pick

Valley Museum and Cultural Center. On display are exhibits

fruit and cooking classes. Groups can see how whiskey, gin,

featuring artifacts dating back to the Ice Age as well as trade

brandies and other liquors are made and sample the

goods used by Native Americans in centuries past. More recent

products at It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere, an artisan distillery

history includes the landing in Wenatchee of the world’s first

in Cashmere that uses fruits and grains grown in Washington

trans-Pacific flight in 1931, an in-depth look at Washington’s

State. The Cashmere Museum & Pioneer Village recreates

apple industry, household items used in Wenatchee homes

the history of Columbia River Indians before the arrival of

around 1900, and various art and cultural exhibits. Behind-the-

white settlers. The village is made up of 20 authentic pioneer

scenes tours investigate secret spaces and basement collec-

buildings including a smithy, school, saloon and jail.

tion rooms.

A few miles farther is Leavenworth, a Bavarian-style tourist

The variety and quality of fruit in the area makes Chateau

village known for its German restaurants, inns and shops. Its

Faire Le Pont Winery a great stop for groups. The winery

Nutcracker Museum has 6,000 nutcrackers, some of which

produces premium wines from locally grown grapes and other

date back 500 years. The village, with its alpine architecture

fruits. It offers tours, tastings and even a winemaking program

and flower-filled window boxes, also has a packed events cal-

that allows group members to blend their own wine. The

endar, including Oktoberfest and a Christmas lighting festival.

winery’s large outdoor decks and gazebo offer mountain views.

For information on Washington’s Apple Country, contact

The building itself is a renovated 1920s brick warehouse once

the Wenatchee Valley Visitors Bureau, 800-572-7753;

used for holding fruit to be loaded onto trains.

wenatcheevalley.org LGT

70 June 2012

LeisureGroupTravel.com