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Haunted Happenings in Yakima

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I love free, fun activities and here’s one that shouldn’t be missed this month.

Shorty, a stage hand has been caught haunting the Capitol Theatre. Hear all about his handiwork on this tour.

Yakima's Capitol Theatre courtesy of the Yakima Valley Visitors Bureau

The P.A.S.T. is Present Paranormal Investigation Team is offering free guided, narrated walking ghost tours in downtown Yakima. Are the rumors of ghost-like activity on the third and fourth floors of Yakima City Hall actually true? Find out on this tour. Confirmed paranormal activity has been detected in the Yakima Valley Sports Center and The Depot Restaurant.

The Depot Restaurant courtesy of Karl Corpron

Recently published and written by Heather Caro for Yakima Magazine:  “The Depot was built in 1910 by the Northern Pacific Railway to be a focal point for the growing city of Yakima. Over the years, an untold number of people have passed beneath its signature white tiled dome (including a famous traveling hobo who used the pseudonym “A#1” to escape capture by the authorities … his signature is carved into the marble of what is now the ladies bathroom).”

The paranormal investigators who host this tour seek out the truth of spiritual claims by using commonly practiced scientific methods. They rule out all naturally occurring phenomenon, human influence, environmental factors and scientific based processes so what’s left is either inexplicable or paranormal in nature. Since the Yakima-based group formed in August of 2008, they have conducted investigations at private residences, businesses and historic outdoor locations throughout Washington State. http://www.pastispresent.net

Tours take place each Friday in October at 6 p.m., and Saturdays at 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Reservations are requested, but not required. However, a minimum of five people are needed to conduct a tour. To make a reservation, call 509.945.9830.

While you’re in Yakima, visit the Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail, have a spa treatment, shop or engage in any of the many outdoor activities like fishing, hiking or golfing. Find out more about what’s happening in Yakima at http://www.visityakimavalley.org.

Visit Fort Worden for a Host of Fun

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An appetizer courtesy of Bon Appetit

Fort Worden, in Port Townsend, along with Fort Flagler and Fort Casey on Whidbey Island, once guarded the nautical entrance to Puget Sound. Established in the late 1890s, these posts became the first line of defense designed to prevent a hostile fleet from reaching targets like Bremerton and Seattle. As an aside, I remember my dad talking about Fort Worden where he was stationed for awhile during WWII.

But these forts were never challenged and Fort Worden closed down in 1953. Eventually all three became state parks. The dedication for Fort Worden State Park took place in 1973.

Fort Worden, a 434-acre state park has 80 campsites, 60 picnic sites and holds a place on the list of State and National Register of Historic Places. The old barracks now serve as dorms and the hospital offers meeting space.

Besides offering public recreation, conference facilities, performing arts venues, vacation housing and historic and educational interpretive programs, it’s a darn cool place to visit.

The old Guardhouse has become a Gift Shop and Information Center filled with mementos like shirts, caps, coffee mugs, key chains, magnets, tasteful lighthouse gifts and of course, friendly volunteers. All proceeds from the gift shop go to improve the Park.

If you’re coming to the Fort for a conference or taking a class through Centrum, opt for the meals at Fort Worden Commons. Besides being a bargain at $34 for three meals, you’ll have numerous choices and from the sampling I tasted, the food is off the charts. You can thank Bon Appétit and Chef Jay Payne for the quality and freshness of the food.

Touch tank at Marine Science Center

Visitors can begin at the Guardhouse Gift Shop and navigate a walking trail with interpretive signs through the Fort’s history, which includes bunkers, tunnels and gun emplacements. Kids love to take flashlights inside the bunkers and tunnels and play.

On the beach, you won’t want to miss the Port Townsend Marine Science Center with its large touch tanks and creative geologic history and coastal wildlife displays. You can get up close and personal with a live octopus and an endangered pinto abalone. Hydrophones allow you to hear the sounds Orca Whales emit underwater. The Marine Science Center offers bird migration cruises, summer science camps for kids, nature walks, public programs and lectures. To check for days and times for events, visit www.ptmsc.org.

Alexander's Castle is a one-bedroom vacation rental and the oldest buiding at Fort Worden

You can rent the Officer Row homes for your vacation or even as a place to have Thanksgiving dinner if your family is large. Two of the units have been designated pet-friendly. www.fortworden.org

Enjoy your visit.

An Entertainment Farm in Buckley

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You never know what you'll see at a Renaissance Faire

Maris Farms, on their website, describes itself as an entertainment farm, a term I don’t believe I’ve heard before. But that’s a perfect description.

We just experienced their Medieval Renaissance Faire, which was delightful. The costumes worn by the entertainers, merchants, and even the visitors made the trip to Buckley, Washington all worthwhile. Colorful, detailed and outlandish don’t even begin to tell the tale of some of the outfits. If you liked what you saw, you could even buy or rent your own medieval wear.

Magicians, singers and Celtic music players entertained the crowds on for three separate weekends in August of 2010. You could have your cards or your aura read, eat turkey legs, relax in the pub garden or practice archery. Brenda the Braider braided hair while Granny Green painted faces and bodies.

For the youngsters, catapulting three-week old rolls, dried in the sun, into baskets was a hoot. Our two-year-old granddaughter didn’t want to stop. There’s always something cool and family-oriented going on at Maris Farms.

During October 2010, Maris Farms holds a Wonder-Fall Experience that includes a corn maze (I highly recommend taking a child who can get you out of the maze), pumpkin patch, haunted woods, jumping pillow, tube slides and weekend hayrides. Not to be outdone by other local farms with pumpkin patches, Maris Farms also offers monster truck rides, pony rides, cow tipping, corn cannons and pig races.

The Maris Farm staff hopes you’ll take your time when you visit – enjoy the animals in the barn, slide the tube slide, make some memories and take photos. That’s why they are always adding new features to their Fall events. This year that’s pedal carts.

Teens and adults who enjoy really being scared can opt for the Night Corn Maze experience.

Whatever your favorite fall experience, you’re likely to find it at Maris Farms.

Visit www.marisfarms.com for specials offered throughout the season.

Taking an archery lesson at the Maris Farm Medieval Faire

Hello Fellow Travelers!

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Olympia Farmers Market offers the best produce, flowers and crafts in Thurston County.

I’m a native of Washington and still enjoy playing tourist in our beautiful state. Having lived for one very unpleasant year in a military town in Georgia, that shall remain nameless, I think we often take for granted our state’s wide variety of terrains and climates, attractions and activities, lush green backdrops and wide open wheat fields.

As a travel writer who has contributed to numerous publications, I am often asked to cover stories here in my own backyard. Washington’s miles of ocean beaches, numerous lakes, raging rivers and calm creeks make the state both a favorite destination for tourists and one of the many reasons most of us can’t imagine living anywhere else. We have snow-covered mountains, an active volcano (Mt. St. Helens), and rugged hills, yet we’re also dazzled by rain forests, parched by deserts and lured by wineries and breweries.

You don’t have to drive far to find your next cup of coffee in Washington or to discover a farmer’s market selling lush local produce. For those seeking a “staycation,” our state offers a variety of farms, dude ranches, spas, and fine dining. Pop culture fans will enjoy visiting Forks – home to the vampires who live in the “Twilight” books. We pretty much have it all.

Relying on past experiences and future explorations, I’d like to share the wonders and treasures of my home state with you. Maybe you’ll be persuaded to visit and share our majestic bounty. Maybe you’ll have memories of your own to contribute.

Whether you travel with spouses, children, grandchildren, friends or even Fido, there are destinations in Washington guaranteed to take your breath away.

Shall we get started?

Heather Larson