This agricultural town east of the Cascade Mountains ships out more apples than any other place in the U.S. The visitors center explains more about the orchards and local character. Ohme Gardens, nearby, is a beautiful mountaintop garden offering sweeping views of the mountains, the valley and the Columbia and Wenatchee rivers. Phone 509-662-5785. http://www.ohmegardens.com.
At Rocky Reach Dam on the Columbia, you can watch salmon swim the 1,350-ft-/410-m-long fish ladder on their way upstream to spawn. The best months to see fish are May-September. There's also a museum at the dam open year-round. Its Gallery of the Columbia traces the dependence on the river from the time of the earliest Native American habitation to the 1800s. The Gallery of Electricity shows the importance of the energy produced by this massive dam. Phone 509-661-4960.
For more information on the area, contact the Wenatchee Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau. Phone 509-663-3723, or toll-free 800-572-7753. http://www.wenatcheevalley.org. 150 mi/240 km east of Seattle.
