Garden Of Herbs Seattle Area Farm Teaches Classes And Offers Food, Too

Just 30 miles from the hustle and bustle of Seattle, you can find 673 varieties of plants and herbs.

The Herbfarm in Fall City, a few miles north of Interstate 90, offers a place to relax and explore along with hundreds of classes on gardening topics.

Each week the Herbfarm offers 6-course luncheons and 9-course dinners that begin with a garden tour and end with herbal ice-cream.

For more information, call (206) 784-2222.

Short takes: Bits and pieces from around the Northwest:

Portland!, a new, permanent exhibit at the Oregon History Center museum will be unveiled Oct. 30.

The exhibit will illustrate Portland’s history and evolution using three-dimensional maps, interactive computer programs and other multi-media displays and visuals. For more information, call (503) 222-1741.

Chateau Whistler Resort in British Columbia is hosting a “Christmas in November” event from Nov. 3-5.

The weekend will include arts and crafts and cooking demonstrations, providing many ideas for the myriads of ideas for the holiday season. For reservations and information, call (604) 938-8000.

For a peek at winter’s artistic events in Northwest Washington, order “Live From Bellingham,” a free guide from the Bellingham/ Whatcom County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau. Call (800) 487-2032.

Mush: InterWest Adventures is offering two winter packages this season in the Jackson Hole/ Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park area, and on the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail.

Packages include dog sledding adventures, snowmobiling in Yellowstone or on the Continental Divide, cross-country skiing and snowshoe tours and more. Guests stay at bed-and-breakfast inns or ranches, with nearby towns offering Western-style entertainment.

Information and brochures are available by calling (800) 365-1014. Information about the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail is available at (800) 395-1014.

Cheap sleeps: Seattle Super Saver is back again, offering discount rates of up to 50 percent at more than 20 hotels in the downtown area from Nov. 1-Dec. 31.

From Jan.1-March 31 the same hotels will add a complimentary coupon book to their package.

For information call (800) 535-7071 or (206) 461-5882.

Book report: Books of interest to Northwest travelers:

“I-5 Travel Guide” (Bryce Publications, $14.95) is a guide that has a map and descriptions of every intersection along Interstate 5 in Washington state, with information about gas stations, restaurants, fast foods and other points of interest.

It’s a self-published book, and I found the most interesting part to be the amateur photos of abandoned gas stations, but it might be handy for people who drive the freeway for a living.

Oregon Family Adventure Guide” (Globe Pequot, $9.95) is a useful collection of family-oriented places to stay and things to do.

It’s organized by city, within regions, making it easy to plan a visit. More photos and maps would have been nice, but overall the book looks like an excellent resource.

Ski stuff: The new $4 million Best Western Rocky Mountain Lodge has opened in Whitefish, Mont. The 79-room facility has meeting space, a heated pool and spa, exercise room and free continental breakfast. The lodge, eight miles from the Big Mountain Ski resort, also will be offering ski packages that include lodging; for information, call (800) 528-1234.

, DataTimes MEMO: Send information about travel opportunities around the Pacific Northwest to: Travel Editor, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.