Things To Do
Wine Tasting in the Red Mountatin AVA
There are several wineries in the Red Mountain American Viticulture Area (AVA) - famous for their cabernets. Enjoy any of the wineries within the area. We will be getting married at Tucannon Cellars, so our wedding we will be serving their wine! However, you can try some of our other favorite tasting rooms in the area: Kiona Cellars - amazing wine and beautiful views! Hightower Cellars MonteScarlatto Estate There are several others, these are just our top recommendations aside from Tucannon! We recommend booking a reservation ahead of time online at most of these venues. Below we've added some guided tours in this area.
Trail ride, or wagon ride at Red Mountain Trails! (Family friendly)
Book a guided horse back ride on the trails of Red Mountain, or a family wagon ride through the vineyard. End at Red Mountain Trails with a flight of wine by the fire pit.
Bike ride through Red Mountain AVA!
Don't have a bike with you? No problem! You can rent them with Red Mountain Trails and do a guided bike ride, touring the wineries and vineyards of the Red Mountain Area. Check out their website for more details. You also do not have to do the guided tour, and can just do this on your own!
All things water!
The Tri-Cities is also known as the "Three Rivers", here is where the Snake River, Yakima River, and the Columbia river all meet! There are plenty of outdoor water activities you can do in the area. Including renting a paddle board or kayak to take out, or float the river! Adam and I love taking our paddleboard with our pup, on the Columbia at one of our parks in town. You can visit the link to get ideas on rentals and spots to go.
Hiking, wildflowers, and sunshine!
May is prime time for our local wildflowers blooming! It is a beautiful time to get outside and see some flowers, and enjoy the sunshine. We have a few hills here that the locals call "Mountains", although our friends from the rockies will likely disagree, they are still nice places to get outside and get some nice views! I recommend using the Washington Trails Association website to find a more in depth list of trails, and rec areas, with notes, directions, maps, etc. >Hiking Guide > Search Hikes > Region: Central Washington > Sub-region: Tri-Cities Below are a few we love:
Twin Sisters hike at Walulla Gap
This is Alexis' favorite hiking area in the spring! The moss covered basalt cliffs, the blooming balsamroots, and daisys! It feels like a scene from Iceland. It's only about two miles, but you can make it as short or as long as you'd like. Ask Al for a plant guide!
Badger Mountain (West gate trailhead)
Badger Mountain. There are two trailhead options for here. Alexis' favorite is the one on dallas road (Westgate Trailhead on Google). You can see some rare plants blooming here in May, that are endemic to the Columbia Basin! You can also get a nice view of the volcanic mountains Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier on a nice clear day. Beautiful views of the rivers and the city as well! There are multiple trail options here and you can choose a quick out and back, or a 10k loop. You can also visit the other side, and see a more grassy and moist plant habitat compared to the drier sagebrush dominated habitat on the west side. Ask Al about plants you'll see if you're interested!
Bird Watching
With all of our rivers, we have so many beautiful and amazing birds come visit us! There are several places to bird watch. A few I specifically love: McNary Wildlife Refuge Horn Rapids County Park Leslie Groves Park Amon Creek Natural Preserve Chamna Natural Preserve
Bike the Tri!
There are multiple riverfront paved paths throughout the area, and a few places to rent bikes! And we may or may not have a few (7) bikes you can borrow while you're here. We love biking and this is the one time of year it's not too hot or too cold.
Do you like beer, senator?
Did you know that the U.S grows the most hops in the world? Did you know that 70% of that is grown here in Washington? Seriously! An hour away from the Tri-Cities is the Yakama valley, the hop capital of the world. Which means we have some seriously farm fresh beers. The GOAT: Bale Breaker. However, if you want to try this it is an hour drive from Richland. Bale Breaker processes the hops and brew their beers in the same field they grow them and it is so fresh. Here is a list of local breweries we love (Most are family & dog friendly & serve cider): White Bluffs Brewery. Our #1 pick in the tri-cities. Good beer, good people! 21+ only & no food. Moonshot Brewery: They have two locations. The Pub at the park, and the tasting room. Both are family friendly and only the pub serves food. Ice Harbor Brewery: Good food, good beer and family friendly! We recommend the location at the Marina. Bombing Range Brewery: Right next to White Bluffs Brewery. Good beer, best pizza in the tri-cities.
Tacos, tacos, tacos!
This is probably not true, but I think we have most taco trucks per capita in the country here. They're literally in every parking lot. We love the green one in the gas station parking lot on Aaron drive (Tacos Super Uno). I've also linked a website to a list of places to try! Additionally, for a sit down place check out Picante in Kennewick.
Wine Cruise on The Columbia
Water2Wine Cruises - It may sound like a cult centering around Jesus, surprisingly though it is a day cruise on the Columbia where you taste Washington wine, and eat food while taking in the sights. We haven't done this yet, but it has been on the top of our to-do list for awhile! It looks fun and they even have a family friendly option - a sightseeing cruise where you can skip the wine and take a relaxing boat ride.