Walla Walla Visitors Guide

Attractions
Calendar of Events
Hotels
Outdoor Activities
Entertainment
Winery Information

If you are planning to visit Walla Walla, you won't want to miss the following attractions...

Downtown Walla - Downtown's historic buildings house an eclectic mix of restaurants, galleries, and shops. Special events include the Farmers Market, the summer concert series, and numerous parades. The free summer concerts are on Thursday evenings at Heritage Park   and Saturday mornings at the Farmers Market. They perform from the middle of May to the middle of September.

Walking Walla Walla- Get to know the area with a walking tour or the area. There are four different maps to choose from, and can be picked up at the Walla Walla Chamber of Commerce. Choose from The Downtown Walk, The Historic Homes Walk, Up Boyer & Pioneer Park Walk, and the Fort Walla Walla Walk.

Fort Walla Walla Museum- Explore a 17-building pioneer settlement  and five spacious exhibit halls filled with thousands of pioneer and military artifacts. Learn about the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the Walla Walla Valley. Live History performaces on Saturdays and Sudays, June through August. Located at 755 Myra Road, Walla Walla

Kirkman House Museum - One of the Northwest's outstanding Victorian Structures. Located at 214 North Colville, Walla Walla or visit www.kirkmanhousemuseum.org

Whitman Misson National Historic Site- Step back in time and learn the story of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman.  Located off Highway 12, Walla Walla

Pioneer Park - This 58-acre complex includes an avaiary, a rose garden, two fountains, tennis courts, baseball and soccer fields. A walking path shows off the parks historic trees, ponds, and gardens. Spend 4 th of July in the park, with music, art displays, food, and fireworks.

Ski Bluewood- Ski in the Blue Mountains. Bluewood is known for its clear skies and dry powder. Located 21 miles south of Dayton on N. Touchet Rd    www.bluewood.com

Walla Walla Wine Tasting - Don't miss visiting the local wineries. There are over 69 to choose from.  The tasting rooms of the Walla Walla Valley are especially beautiful and welcoming. Many wineries have made their homes in restored historic buildings or new state of the art facilities. www.wallawallawine.com

Klicker Store - Whether you are looking for antiques, famous Klicker strawberries, pumpkins, Christmas trees, or just want to visit the reindeer, the Klicker Store is a great place to take a break and maybe enjoy an ice cream cone while you are there. Located at 3300 E Isaacs Avenue.

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Calendar of Events:

March - Whitman Renaissance Faire

May -Spring Release Wine Weekend, Balloon Stampede

June -Lewis and Clark Days, Art Walla, Woodstick Family Musical Festival

July -Walla Walla Sweet Onion Blues Fest, 4 th of July in the Park, Vintage Walla Walla, WWCC outdoor amphitheater musical

August - Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days

September - Wheelin' Walla Walla Weekend

October - Italian Heritage Festival

November -Kris Kringle Kazoo Klassic

December - Christmas Parade of Lights, Holiday Barrel Tasting

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Some of our local Hotels…

Best Western Walla Walla Suites Inn 7 East Oak St, WW 509-525-4700

Holiday Inn Express,   1433 W Pine St. WW 509-525-6200

Marcus Whitman Hotel & Conference Center 6 W Rose St. WW 509-525-2200 (ask about the Windermere discount rates)

Super 8 Hotel Hwy 12 and Wilbur Ave, WW 509-525-8800

(as a side note, if you are planning a visit to Walla Walla, be sure to line up your lodging in advance. The Hotel's in the area are frequently full.)

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Outdoor Activities

Biking and Walking Paths- Paved trails run throughout Walla Walla   from Rooks Park, east of town to the College Place city limits, near Fort Walla Walla Park. The region's rolling wheat fields and nearby Blue Mounains are just right for the more experienced mountain bikers and road cyclists.

Golf- Enjoy playing golf at one of the 5 public courses in the area or for private member the Walla Walla Country Club offers a scenic golf course, club house restaurant, and swimming pool.

Walla Walla Country Club-1390 Country Club Road, WW 509-525-1780

Veterans Memorial golf Course- 201 E Rees Ave, WW 509-527-4507

Wildhorse Resort & Casino- I-84 exit 216 Pendleton, OR 1-800-654-9453

Touchet Valley Golf Course-209 N Pine ST. Dayton WA   509-382-4851

Pheasant Creek Golf Course 14302 Touchet North Rd Touchet, WA 509-394-4653

Milton-Freewater City Golf Course- 310 Catherine Ave, MF OR 541-938-7284

Skiing- Winter in the valley gives you great choices of snow-covered play grounds within an hours drive of Walla Walla.

Ski Bluewood- www.bluewood.com

Spout Springs- www.skispoutsprings.com

City Parks- Fort Walla Walla Park has a historic museum. Pioneer Park boasts a scenic rose garden and an aviary of exotic and colorful birds. Rooks Park borders Mill Creek and a wonderful walking path. It is a great spot for outdoor volley ball and picnicking.

Fort Walla Walla Park- Walla Walla 's larges park has play equipment, skate park, picnic tables, horseshoe pits, sand volleyball facilities, and an amphitheater. There is a 70 acre wildlife preserve that has streams and a hiking trail, plus a museum with thousands of pioneer and agricultural artifacts. Located at Dalles Military and Myra roads, WW

Jefferson Park- A locomotive on display makes this park easy to find. Kids will enjoy the play equipment, seasonal swimming pool, and youth fishing pond. Located at Ninth Avenue and Malcom St., WW

Pioneer Park-Walla Walla's oldest park has play equipment, picnic tables, walking path, exotic bird aviary, historic gazebo, flower gardens, streams and ponds, and a rose garden. Located at Alder and Division Streets, WW

Rooks Park- A beautifully landscaped park along Mill Creek. Great for picnics, sand volleyball, and large group events. Located off Mill Creek Road.

Bennington Lake- A man made lake maintained and operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. It's original purpose was for flood control, but now has become a hot spot for fishing, hiking, and horse back riding.

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Entertainment

There is an impressive collection of art in public locations. The local college arts programs, and the efforts by the local Blue Mountain Arts Alliance encourage businesses to sponsor community artists. The successes of local foundries specialize in highly acclaimed art that is shipped worldwide.

Some art events to look forward to are:

Art Walla- The annual Blue Mountain Arts Alliance festival celebrating the arts of the Walla Walla Valley. It is a 10 day event and is a self guided tour of artists' studios and galleries.

Carnegie Art Center- There is art demonstrations during Art Walla and throughout the summer.

Bronze Pour Gala- This is held at the Walla Walla Foundry. This event show cases delicious food, wonderful Walla walla Valley wines, a terrific art exhibit in the beautiful Walla Walla Foundry gallery. There is an exciting night bronze pouring during the event. www.bluemountainartsalliance.org   or www.artwalla.com

Antiques in the Walla Walla Valley are many times found in historically significant buildings that are themselves antiques. The owners of the area galleries have extensive knowledge of antiques, and many have been in the business for decades.

The Walla Walla Symphony is the oldest continuous symphony orchestra west of the Mississippi River. It promotes the tradition of great music which include classics by the masters, world premiers by Northwest and International composers and America 's most popular standards.

Theater and dance enthusiasts can attend year around performances on the local college campuses as well as the Little Theatre of Walla Walla and community dance schools. The Walla Walla Community College Foundation has a Summer musical each year on the outdoor stage at the Fort Walla Walla Amphitheater.

Little Theater of Walla Walla audiences enjoy 4 full-length plays each year along with a weekend of one-act works and children's theater program.  located in the little Red Barn at

1130 E Sumach St, WW 509-529-3683

Harper Joy Theatre offers nearly 100 free performances every year. Located at 305 E Boyer,WW 509-527-5180

Fort Walla Walla Amphitheater hosts the Walla Walla Community College Foundations Summer musical in July. A wonderful spot to watch this excellent entertainment outdoors, underneath the stars. Located at Fort Walla Walla Park off Myra Road.

Local entertainment also includes...

Bowlaway Lanes  411 Ash St, WW  509-529-3000

Stardust Lanes  330 S 2 nd Ave., WW 509-525-3536

M-F Drive in Theatre  84322 Hwy 11, Milton-Freewater  541-938-4327

Hallet Cinemas  1325 W Poplar St., WW 509-522-2222

YWCA Ice Chalet- corner of 1 st and Birch St, WW 509-525-2570

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Local Wine Industry

The climate, soil and conditions of the Walla Walla Valley make this appellation ideal for growing grapes of superb quality. The wines from the valley have earned national and international recognition from publications such as Bon Appetit, Decanter, Gourmet, International Wine Cellar, Sunset Magazine, and  The Wall Street Journal. Today more than 69 wineries are operating the Valley and more than 1,200 acres of vineyards have become part of the agriculture landscape. The northerly latitude of Washington State allows an extended growing season with long sunshine-filled days balanced with cool evening temperatures of our higher elevation. This unique climate allows the grapes to slowly develop their flavor and complexity while retaining their natural acidity.

Walla Walla Wine Events:

Spring Release Weekend- The first weekend in May, The Valley's winemakers are on hand to introduce  their new wines and share their wine making process. This gives visitors the opportunity to taste and take home a selection of wines only found by visiting the wineries and tasting rooms.

Balloon Stampede Weekend- Over Mothers Day Weekend during the Balloon Stampede, many of the wineries open their doors to offer visitors a wonderful selection of wines to enjoy. The Valley is beautiful this time of year, and the skies are filled with colorful hot air balloons.

Vintage Walla Walla is held the first Sunday of June. It is a celebration of art and the taste of the Valley's newest wine releases with a rare selection of older vintages. A wonderful opportunity to taste a special selection of Walla Walla wines.

Holiday Barrel Tasting- This annual event on the first full weekend of December is held amidst a festive atmosphere of the season. Winemakers and cellar staffs provide samples of future releases straight from the barrel. Each winery participates in it's own unique way with offerings such as art, music, culinary treats, ice sculptures, and more.

The Walla Walla Community College offers wine education through the Enology and Viticulture Center. Their focus is the wine making process from planting the grapes to bottling and marketing the final product. The program has a teaching commercial winery with viticulture classrooms. There is a hospitality training area, a teaching vineyard, and a varietal collection that has been planted and is maintained by students. The students' intern in wineries and vineyards while completing courses in school.

Local Walla Walla Valley Wineries:

Abeja 
Amavi 
Ash Hollow 
Basel Cellars Estate Winery
Beresan Winery
Bergevin lane Vineyards
Bradenview Cellars
Bunchgrass Winery
Buty
Canoe Ridge Vineyard - www.canoeridgevineyard.com
Cayuse Vineyards  
College Cellars  
Colvin Vineyards  
Cougar Crest Winery
Dunham Cellars
Dusted Valley Vintners
El Mirador Winery
Ensemble Cellars
Five Star Cellars
Forgeron Cellars - www.forgeroncellars.com
Fort Walla Walla Cellars
Glen Fiona
Harlequin Wine Cellars
Isenhower Cellars
James Leigh Cellars
K Vintners
Latitude 46º N
L'Ecole Nº 41 - www.lecole.com
Leonetti Cellar
Long Shadows Vintners
Lowden Hills Winery
Morrison Lane
Nicholas Cole cellars
Northstar Winery
Patit Creek Cellars
Patrick M. Paul vineyards
Pepper Bridge Winery
Reininger Winery
Rulo Winery
Russell Creek Winery
Sapolil Cellars
Seven Hills Winery
Spring Valley Vineyard
Stephenson Cellars
SYZYGY
Tamarack Cellars
Three Rivers Winery - www.threeriverswinery.com
Va Piano Vineyards
Walla Walla Village Winery
Walla Walla Vintners - www.wallawallavintners.com
Waterbrook
Whitman Cellars - www.whitmancellars.com
Woodward Canyon winery
Yellow Hawk Cellar
Zerba Cellars

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