Monroe offers more than a fair amount to do

When the baby boomers who grew up in Snohomish County were kids, they looked forward to the Monroe Fair.

The official name became the Evergreen State Fair in 1949, but it took people time to catch up. Today the event is considered the largest county fair in the Pacific Northwest and the biggest annual event in the county.

Monroe, however, is far more than its fair.

With five months to go until the opening day in August, it’s a good time to explore Monroe and the area near where the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers meet to form the Snohomish River.

First off, people can see a lot of other events at the fairgrounds, just off U.S. 2. For example, this weekend the fairgrounds host a quilt show, dog agility trials, a poultry show and an indoor swap meet. The fair’s free spring festival is April 26 and 27, featuring live music, animal shows, carnival rides and a barbecue contest.

Stock car and other races are scheduled at the Evergreen Speedway nearly each Saturday through October.

And out on the east side of the fairgrounds is a museum called the Western Heritage Center. It’s open Wednesdays through Sundays with displays on the county’s mining, logging, agricultural and transportation history.

Lake Tye Park on Fryelands Boulevard is home to athletic fields, a play area, the city’s Easter egg hunt April 19 and music, and year-round use of the trail around the park’s manmade lake.

Monroe’s other large park, Al Borlin, is a 90-acre peninsula formed by the Skykomish River and Woods Creek. Thickly wooded, it has a network of trails. Get to it from Railroad Avenue and Simons Road at the east end of downtown.

A walk through historic downtown Monroe offers hours of entertainment. Like many cities in Snohomish County, Monroe is about 110 years old.

The Monroe Historical Society offers exhibits in its home in the old City Hall, 207 E. Main St. Stop by on a Monday, Wednesday or Saturday and pick up a self-guided Main Street walking tour booklet.

While checking out the historical buildings, duck into chef Adam Hoffman’s Northwest Bistro and Twin Rivers Brewing Co. and tasting room, 104 N. Lewis St.

With its large Hispanic population, Monroe also is home to several Mexican restaurants and bodegas, especially in the Historic Downtown area. Check out Tienda Vallarta’s edible cactus leaves, and Mexican spices or Pueblo Viejo’s panaderia treats, tortillas and pinatas.

Also in Historic Downtown are the Sky River Bakery, which for nearly 30 years has been housed in what used to be the Savoy Hotel. Look for several antique and shops with long histories, including Don’s Barbershop, with its $10 haircuts and old photos, and Main Street Books, with its old books and new local titles.

Then head south on Lewis out of town to the beautiful Tualco Valley on the highway to Duvall. Some of the land to the west once was farmed by the prisoners at the reformatory.

Falling Water Gardens, an aquatic nursery and garden center at 17516 Highway 203, is worth a stop just to see their fish ponds.

Or turn east just after you cross the Skykomish south of Monroe and take a ride out Ben Howard Road for some of the county’s prettiest rural countryside.

The Monroe River Valley Farm, site of an old slaughterhouse along the Skykomish across from the city, is home to Paula’s Wine Knot Bar, 19829 168th St. SE, which has become a noted entertainment venue.

Car buffs should check out Jim &Betty Green’s Hot Rod Gallery at 17520 147th St. SE on the west side of town or the Reptile Zoo, a mile east of downtown at 22715 U.S. 2.

The auto museum had its beginnings as Jim Green’s Performance Center in Lynnwood, where it was located for 42 years. Green and his family also designed and raced cars. They opened the museum in 2012.

Scott Petersen founded the Reptile Zoo in 1996 after teaching high school biology. He has performed with his reptiles at more than 800 schools and as well as on TV. The zoo features snakes, turtles, lizards, alligators and arachnids.

Finally, in April and September, the chimney at the Frank Wagner Education Center on Main Street is visited by migrating Vaux’s swifts. The birds perform aerial acrobatics as they enter the chimney each night and draw crowds to watch.

And don’t forget the fair, Aug. 21 through Sept. 1.

TOURIST IN YOUR OWN TOWN

In each of our cities in Snohomish and Island counties, we have tourist attractions often overlooked by the people who live in this region. Have you taken the time to be a Tourist in Your Own Town? This the third in a continuing series of monthly explorations of our hometowns.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.