There are few places in the United States that are as well known, for mountains, than Mount St. Helens.  Following the eruption of the volcano in 2004-2008 the massive power of the mountain was well documented.  Now you can climb the mountain, all 8,328 feet of it, and observe the beauty of the area surrounding the mountain.

The climb is not technical and usually takes 7 to 12 hours round-trip.  If you are a hiker in good condition it will be a hike that you will truly enjoy.  You will climb through beautiful evergreen/alder forest lands and over an ancient lava field, then on over 1.5 miles of volcanic ash to volcano’s rim where you will be able to peak into the steaming crater below.  On clear days you will also be able to see other volcanoes including Mt. Ranier, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson.

The USFS has limited the number of climbers to 100 per day from May 15 – October 21.  During the other portions of the year, climbing occurs on snow and therefore does little or no damage to the resource so it is not restricted to the number of people.  You can climb on your own or use one of the Mount St. Helens Institute guides.  These guides are trained in biology, geology, and environmental science.

When preparing for your climb you will want to be well equipped.  Below is a list of the food and equipment needed to have a safe experience atop Mount St. Helens:

Water:  3-4 liters per person
Food: High-energy food recommended.  Bring enough for several small meals and snacks.  Consider leaving extra in your car for when you return
Sun Protection: sunscreen, sunglasses with side protectors, hat, SPF lip balm
Hiking Boots: Lug-soled, waterproof, with ankle protection and ¾ shank
Gaiters: waterproof to keep rain, snow, ice and pumice out of your boots
Clothing: Dress in layers and include a warm hat, waterproof coat and pants.
First Aid Kit
Trekking Poles
Headlamp or Flashlight
Depending on the season and conditions, you may need an ice ax and crampons to summit Mount St. Helens.  Conditions vary daily, even in summer, so be prepared.

You must have a permit to climb the mountain, get yours early.

Mount St. Helens Institute
42218 NE Yale Bridge Road
Amboy, WA 98601
360-449-7883
info@mshinstitute.org

Mount St. Helens – Washington is a post from: Washington Tourism

The museum has been so popular and successful that it is going to build a new facility, which will be a permanent facility, on Olympia’s downtown waterfront.  The Museum has outgrown the space it has been housed in three times in 10 years so a permanent home is a necessary and welcome addition to the area.

The Hands on Children’s Museum provides creative learning through fun, interactive exhibits and programs for children, families and school groups.  The programs and participatory exhibits are designed specifically to encourage interaction and inquiry, as well as participation from the entire family.  It is a fantastic way for connectivity between the children and families, learning together and playing together in an exciting and interesting environment.

Using things like sand to develop the children’s sensory senses is a great way for them to explore basic concepts such as wet and dry, volume, pouring and sifting.  They develop three key area with this exhibit, physical development, motor skills and eye-hand coordination as well as cognitive development by letting the children explore changes in how the sand is different when wet or dry, they increase their vocabulary with words like molding, pouring and sifting and discovering that the same amount of sand in different containers look different.  It also gives children a chance to imitate the play of peers and watch the adults through dramatic play.  What a fun way to spend some time at the museum.

The children have the opportunity to care for the orphaned and infured animas in the Wildlife Rescue Center.  They can also bring woodland creatue to life at the Puppet Theater and act out a wildlife play (every child likes to put on a play) on the Backyard Stage.

The kids and their parents will learn together about how to live healthier and happier lives when they shop in the Market & Grocery.  They can harvest apples from the Orchard and pick vegetables from the Garden.  Then they can load and drive the Delivery Truck, build a sandwich at the Healthy Choices Deli, and more.

The Art Studio provides the kids with a huge assortent of new and recycled art supplies to express ideas and create their own unique works of art.

There is even a spot for the littlest ones.  The TotSpot is designed for parents and their children from age birth to four.   There is a Soft Space aRea for infants and crawlers and age appropriate arts and crafts for those a little bigger.

Take the kids to the Working Waterfront where they can explore the engine room, galley, decks and bridge on the Cargo Ship.  Lots of things to explore and learn in this exhibit.

All kids like to build things so the Built It display gives them the opportunity to create an unlimited array of paths for the Magnetic ball Run; arrange colorful gears to operate the gadgets at the Gear Table; create large-scale structures in the KidStruction Zone; drive, load and operate the construction site Dump Truck and more.

Admission:
Members Become a member!     FREE
Babies under 12 months     FREE
Toddlers 12-23 months     $5.95
Children 2-12 yrs     $7.95
Adults 13 and up     $7.95
Seniors 62 and up     $6.95
Regular Hours:
Monday – Friday     10 am – 5 pm
Saturday     10 am – 5 pm
Sunday     Noon – 5 pm
Special Hours:
Every first Friday of the month is FREE Friday Night: 5 pm – 9 pm
Members-Only Hours:
10 am – Noon, third Sunday of each month
Museum Closures:
The Museum is closed on the following holidays:
Easter, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas

From Southbound I-5:
Take Exit 105-A. Follow 14th Ave. through tunnel to Capitol Way. Turn right onto Capitol. At the next light, turn left onto 11th Ave.
From Northbound I-5:
Take Exit 105. Stay left, following signs to State Capitol. Follow 14th Ave. through tunnel to Capitol. Turn right on Capitol. At the next light, turn left onto 11th Ave.
Museum Parking is available on the upper level of the G.A. parking lot next door; along the Capitol Campus diagonals; and one block east of Hands On in the Natural Resources parking lot. Parking is 50 cents per hour on weekdays (8am-5pm), so bring quarters or dollar bills. On weekends and Friday nights, parking is free and easy! Dash, Intercity Transit’s Downtown Shuttle, offers a convenient park-and-ride option.

Address:
106 11th Ave SW
Olympia, WA 98501

Phone: 360.956.0818
Email: hocm@hocm.org
General Museum Information: (360)956-0818 X. “0″

Hands On Children’s Museum – Olympia, Washington is a post from: Washington Tourism

The Center is the home to three different theaters in the Tacoma area.  It houses the  Pantages Theater which seats 1169 and was built in 1918 (restored in 1983).  The Rialto Theater which seats 742 which was also built in 1918 (restored in 1991) and Theatre on the Square which seats 302 and was built in 1993.  These theatres serve as a presenter of leading artists on-stage.  It also hosts one of the largest performing arts education programs in Washington State.

The Broadway Center provides a vital home to eight of Tacoma’s Resident Arts Organizaitons that form the core of the performing arts system in the South Puget Sound region: Northwest Sinfonietta; Puget Sound Revels; Tacoma City Ballet; Tacoma Concert Band; Tacoma Opera; Tacoma Philharmonic; Tacoma Symphony Orchestra; and Tacoma Youth Symphony Association.

The Pantages Theater started out as a live theater for 8 years and then was transformed into a movie theater.  In 1032 the theater was purchased by Will Conner and known as the Roxy until the 1980′s when it was renamed the Pantages Theater.  It was purchased by the city in 1978  and the refurishment was undertaken as part of the revitalization of the downtown area.  It is the oldest of the Pantages Theaters still in operation.

The Rialto Theater opened as part of a national movie house chain.  The Rialto resembles Vienna’s 1916 Redoutensaal, the fist “shoe box” shaped orchestral hall.  Much of the original ornate plaster decoration remains today and is worth a trip to the area just to see it.

The Theatre on the Square is the third of the theaters for use by the citizens of the community.

Some of those that are at home in the theaters are the Northwest Sinfonietta, Tacoma Concert Band, Tacoma City Ballet, Tacoma Philharmonic, Tacoma Opera, Tacoma Symphony and the Tacoma Youth Symphony.  With all of these entities involved you will be able to find something you will enjoy regardless of the time of year you visit Tacoma.

Directions
From I-5, take the City Center exit to Highway 705.
Follow Highway 705 to the “A” Street exit.
From “A” Street, turn left onto S. 11th Street.
For Park Plaza North Garage, turn right on Commerce.
Parking is to your right.
For the Pantages and Rialto Theaters and Theatre on the Square, continue
west on S. 11th Street and turn right on Broadway.

Please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to curtain time.  If you are late in arriving you will be seated when there is an appropriate break in the performance.

You can take the Tacoma Link Light Rail for FREE transportation that connects the Theater District with the Tacoma Dome Station where parking is also free..  The Trail runs every 10 to 20 minutes until 10 pm on Monday htrough Saturday and 5:50 pm on Sunday.  Most often this transportation will work for performances but be sure to check when making your plans.

Phone: 253.591.5894 or 1.800.291.7593

Address:  901 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402-4415

Regular Hours: Monday – Friday, 11:00am – 6:00pm and Saturday, Noon – 4:00pm

Additionally Open 2 Hours Prior To Most Ticketed Events

Broadway Center for the Perfoming Arts – Tacoma, Washington is a post from: Washington Tourism

Now in its 4th year, the Orting Pumpkin Fest is primarily a food festival featuring items on the menu with pumpkin as a main ingredient. A few examples are: pumpkin sloppy joe burgers and chili dogs, pumpkin milkshakes, pumpkin pie, brownies and cider, pumpkin spice cotton candy, pumpkin fudge, pumpkin smoothies, caramel apples, elephant ears with pumpkin butter, pumpkin pizza, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cheese cake, cream cheese pumpkin rolls, kettle corn, and more. Other good food will also be available too.
It’s not all about food — there’s fun for the whole family on both Saturday and Sunday:
Worthy Music Ministries Family Entertainment Stage
Games & amusements for kids (sponsored by Liberty Mutual)
Live entertainment for all ages on two stages
Bring a peculiar pumpkin to put on display
Arts and Crafts vendors in the park
Classic Rock & the Blues on the Route 66 Pizza Stage & Beer Garden
Rod & Custom Car Show (sponsored by Jackie McMahon Law Firm)
Pumpkin Pyramid & Agriculture Display
First Love Antiques Show and Appraisals
Pumpkin themed bike & tricycle parade at noon
Little Pumpkin Pals Parade – Saturday at noon
Held in the Orting Downtown Park (Hwy 162), Sat Oct 9 and Sun Oct 10, 10 am – 6 pm
Produced by the Tacoma Events Commission, 253-326-4444, doug@tacomaevents.com

Annual Orting Pumpkin Fest – Orting WA is a post from: Washington Tourism

This 12,000 square foot center is fashioned after an ancient Yakama winter lodge.  The Yakama Nation Cultural Heritage Center tell of the life of the Yakama Indian, their life stories, survival and successes.  This is one of the oldest Native American Museums in the United States.

The exhibits in the museum will tell you the story of the Yakama Indian People through a blend of dramatic visual and listening experiences.  You will learn from the wonderful wall poetry, rich with oral tradition.  You will travel the time through the world of the Yakama ancestors up to the present day tribe.

The museum offers the experience of seeing life-size dwellings of the Plateau People, there are special sound effects along with narratives and music.

The Yakama believe that they have a responsibility to take care of the land that it was given in trust by the Creator to them to be held and protected for unborn generations.

There were different tribes and bands that created the Yakama nation of the Columbia Basin Plateau Tribes.  The following list are the names of the tribes and bands that make up the Yakama Nation: Palouse, Pisquose, Yakama, Wenatchapam, Klinquit, Oche Chotes, Kow way saye ee, Sk’in-pah, Kah-miltpah, Klickitat, Wish ham , See ap Cat, Li ay was and Shyiks.

The Yakama are no longer referred to as Indian, they passed a resolution to remove the word Indian and replace it with the official name of "Confederated Tribes and Bands of teh Yakama Nation."

At the site is also the Heritage Theater which provides movies to the Yakama Nation and all the communities in the lower valley.  The theater auditorium seats 350 people and the state is used for conferences, talent shows, plays, and graduations.  This is a great addition to the cultural enjoyment of the Nation.

The library is available for the general public and the Native American use.  Research and enjoyment are available here so come on over.

The campus has different hours and fees for the different entities. 
The Yakama Nation Museum is open: Seven Days a Week!
Sunday    8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Monday    8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday    8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday    8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday    8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday    8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday    9:00 am – 5:00 pm
   
Admission Prices
Adults (19-54)    $5.00
Seniors (55 & over)    $3.00
Children (11-18)    $3.00
Children (0-10)    $1.00
Family Rate     $12.00
–(2 Adults & 2 children under 18)
Enrolled Yakamas    free

The Gift Shop: Open Seven Days a Week!
Sunday            8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Monday            8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday            8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday    8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday    8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday            8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday    9:00 am – 6:00 pm

The Library: Hours
Sunday    closed
Monday            8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday            8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday    8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday    8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Friday    8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Saturday    closed

Note: YN Library is closed on the last Friday of each month.

Cultural Center: Open Five Days a Week!
Sunday    closed
Monday – Friday    8:00 am – 12:00pm
    1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Saturday    closed
CLOSURES:
Jul 4 — Independence Day
Sep 1 — Labor Day
Sep 19 — Indian Days

Location: 100 Spiel-yi Loop, Toppenish, Washington 98948

Phone: 509-865-2800
     

Yakama Nation Cultural Heritage Center – Toppenish, Washington is a post from: Washington Tourism

Theme Park

The theme park offers visitors tons of great rides to keep the heart rate up, including a wooden roller coaster called Timberhawk as well as a steel roller coaster named Wild Thing. You can also enjoy the thrill of riding a giant, spinning roulette wheel that straps you in and sends you spinning, as well as Lumberjack Falls, a log flume ride that sends you careening down a 50-foot drop. Don’t worry; there are plenty of other thrill rides available as well.

Many prefer a slower paced ride, however, and the park offers plenty of those as well. The Enchanted Railway takes guests through the wooded park at a nice, slow pace. Some of the smaller children might like to take a spin on the carousel, the Kiddie Coaster, or the Tree Topper. Just as there are many different thrill rides, there are many rides for the tots as well. It makes for a fun experience for all members of the family.

Water Park

Summer in Washington can get quite warm, so you are going to want to head over to the water park. You can find tons of great watery rides to enjoy, such as the very popular Zooma Falls, Konga River, Raging River, and the Wave Pool. Don’t forget to visit Hook’s Lagoon as well.

After riding and splashing for a good portion of the day, check out the midway and all of the great games that the family can play. Choose from such classics as the ring toss, milk can throw, and balloon darts. You will also find an arcade that should provide you with some shade on those particularly hot days.

You can grab snacks, lunch, drinks, and some sweet treats at locations throughout the park. All of your favorites are here, including burgers, pizza, cotton candy and ice cream. Before you take off for the day, be sure to stop by the gift shop and pick up a few souvenirs.

The park offers a great time for everyone in the family, from the time your get there in the morning until you leave.

Great Family Fun can be Found at the Wild Waves Theme Park is a post from: Washington Tourism

• Adult: 14 to 64 – $16
• Youth: 4 to 13 - $8
• Child: 3 and under – Free
• Senior: 65+ – $14
• Active military (with ID): $12.50
• Active military youth (with ID):$7

• Adult -   $20
• Youth - $12
• Senior – $18

Seattle Tourist Attractions is a post from: Washington Tourism