Walla Walla Opens Up For ‘Art After Hours’
Downtown Walla Walla’s worth a visit just on its own merits. The historic community - one of the oldest in the state - restored the downtown area to the charm of an earlier era. And now the local galleries in this southeast Washington community have teamed to stage Third Thursday: Art After Hours, a monthly showcase of local artists and galleries.
The event is staged the third Thursday of every month and is free. Galleries stay open until 8 p.m. Walla Walla was recently picked as the 22nd best small arts community in the U.S. by the author of “The Best Small Arts Towns in America,” John Vilanni.
For information: Downtown Walla Walla Foundation at (509) 529-8755.
All aboard: This year, visitors to Victoria, British Columbia, can get there aboard the new Victoria Star2 boat operated by Victoria-San Juan Cruises.
The Victoria Star2 carries up to 150 passengers and runs from Bellingham to Victoria with a stop at San Juan Island. And, guests don’t have to go clear to Victoria, some disembark on San Juan Island for the day and catch the return boat 7 hours later (on which a salmon dinner is served).
Passengers can also book one- and two-night packages in Roche Harbor or Friday Harbor ($88-$234) or one- and two-night packages in Victoria $159-$340).
The cruises leave Bellingham daily at 9 a.m. and return at 8 p.m. through Oct. 6. The roundtrip cruise to Victoria is $75, $37 for kids 6-17 (one-way fares are $42 and $21). Roundtrip to Roche Harbor is $37, $18 for kids. For info: (800) 443-4552.
Running the Rogue: If you are a woman and you are at least 40 years old, you can spend six nights rafting the scenic Rogue River in Oregon.
The tour group Outdoor Vacations for Women Over 40 will run a whitewater rafting trip down the Rogue Aug. 26-Sept. 1. The first and last nights will be spent at a local inn, the others will be spent camping along the river. For information: Outdoor Vacations, PO Box 200, Groton, MA 01450; (508) 448-3331.
Rail tour: As the centennial dates of historic events rolled around in the last few years, attention turned to sites historic in the Pacific Northwest. Books have been written and movies made about the defeat of General George Custer on a battlefield in Montana in 1876. Now tourists can travel by train to the Little Bighorn and on to Yellowstone and Glacier national parks.
A private train will run on the historic Montana Rail Link on a nine-day trip (only four of which will be aboard the train), boarding at the Livingston Train Depot. The train crosses Bozeman Pass (elevation 5,760 feet). Passengers disembark for a sidetrip to the restored Gallatin Gateway Inn, formerly a depot used by early rail travelers to Yellowstone.
At Three Forks travelers visit the Missouri River headwaters, one of the sites where the Lewis and Clark Expedition stayed almost two centuries ago. At Helena there’s a cruise on the Missouri. The tour ends at Glacier Park. Accommodations in the national parks is at Lake Yellowstone Hotel and Glacier Park Lodge. Cost is $2,990.
For information: PVA Travel Planning, 2600 El Camino Real, Suite 609, Palo Alto CA 94306; (800) 795-5700 or fax (415) 812-7357.
Imperial bargain: 5th Avenue Suites hotel in Portland offers an Imperial Tombs of China museum package through Aug. 31. $165 includes one-bedroom suite (Mon.-Sat., $125 Sun.), two one-day tickets to exhibit, coffee and tea in lobby, wine tasting in the lobby, valet parking. Kids under 18 stay free. 1-800-711-2971.
, DataTimes