9 Best Sights in North Central Washington, Washington

Self-guided tours reveal how chinook salmon are released into the Wenatchee River in the hope they will return someday to spawn and keep the species thriving. Even if nothing's spawning, the view of millions of eggs in the nursery or thousands of small, 4-inch "fries" wriggling in the aquarium is something to see. Be sure to set aside time to walk the pretty, 1-mile Icicle Creek Nature Trail loop, an easy and enjoyable stroll with wildlife viewing platforms, interpretive signs, and great bird-watching. A butterfly garden is in front of the hatchery building.

This 125-foot-tall hydroelectric dam on the Columbia River, about 8 miles north of Wenatchee, supplies power to about 7 million people, and there's much for visitors to see and do here, including an engaging Discovery Center and a 17-acre park with picnic shelters and great river views. Expanded and reopened in 2021, the Discovery Center has four floors of all-new interactive exhibits, including the Sternwheeler Video Game, where guests pilot a sternwheeler through a video of rapids. On the lower floor, displays present Native American artifacts from the former Museum of the Columbia. Three theaters, virtual reality activities, a STEM Center, hydroelectric exhibits, art displays, and a full calendar of learning events make this a must-stop for families and anyone interested in learning more about hydroelectric power and river habitats.

Part of Liberty Orchards, Aplets and Cotlets was founded by two Armenian brothers in Cashmere, the apple, apricot, and pear capital of the Wenatchee Valley. When area orchards hit a rough patch in the 1920s, the brothers began producing the dried-fruit confections of their homeland, naming them aplets (made from apples) and cotlets (made from apricots). Free samples are offered during the 15-minute tour of this little factory and candy store set amid the shops and cafés of charming downtown Cashmere. The shop also has displays about the company's history and sells many other specialty sweets, including Turkish Delight, fruit-and-nut Orchard Bars, and a great variety of chocolates. 

At this engaging living history museum on the edge of the historic hamlet of Cashmere—midway between Wenatchee and Leavenworth—you can explore an excellent collection of Native American artifacts, as well as 20 pre-1900 Chelan County buildings that have been reassembled and furnished with period furniture and other historical objects. Surrounded by snowcapped mountain peaks, Cashmere is one of Washington's oldest towns, founded by Oblate missionaries back in 1863, when the Wenatchi and their vast herds of horses still roamed free over the bunch grasslands of the region.

In the town known for its year-round Christmas vibe, this one-of-a-kind reindeer farm is where you can meet and learn about Santa's valued magical-sleigh-pullers. It's open 11 months of the year, but the most festive time to come is December, when Santa makes guest appearances and poses for photos with visitors. He returns in July for "Christmas in July," when you can also meet the baby reindeer that were born in spring. In January, the Elsa and Anna characters from Frozen make a one-day visit during the winter tour season (November, January, and February). The rest of the year, tours are just as interesting but not as crowded.  Reservations are a must and visits to the farm are not allowed without tickets. Reindeer aren't as tall as they are sometimes depicted, but their antlers are formidable; the up-close visits in their enclosure are only recommended for ages 8 and up (and anyone under 13 needs to be with an adult). You'll get an opportunity to feed the reindeer and, after the tour is over, enjoy snacks around the campfire.

More than 9,100 modern and antique nutcrackers—some of them centuries old—are displayed in this museum, which in 2022 was added to Guinness World Records for having the world's largest nutcracker collection. You can also view exhibits on the region's Native American heritage and pioneer families presented by the Upper Valley Historical Society. The museum gift shop stocks nutcrackers of all sizes and in the likeness of all kinds of characters.

The museum is made up of several downtown buildings that nod to Winthrop's colorful mining and ranching past, including "the castle," a late-19th-century log house built by one of the town's pioneer founders. Other structures include a country store, print shop, schoolhouse, women's dress shop, and an open-air display of vintage mining equipment. Although you can go inside the buildings in summer only, the grounds alone are worth a stroll and are open year-round.

A flat and easy 3-mile trail winds along this pretty city park on the banks of the Wenatchee River, down the hill from downtown Leavenworth. The trail crosses Blackbird Island and has several patches of beach that are ideal for a dip on a hot summer day. It's a wonderful park and trail for wildlife watching.

Located in two connected early-1900s former government buildings, the city's well-designed history museum contains Native American and pioneer artifacts, exhibits on Washington's famed apple industry, and a display about the 1931 landing of the first-ever nonstop flight across the Pacific, which went from Japan to Wenatchee. Children enjoy the hands-on area and the model railway. The museum also displays works by Northwest artists.