WALLA WALLA — Despite the snow in the mountain passes now, it’s still possible to catch some crisp, sunny fall days in this fun, wine-focused college town.
My husband and I drove over a couple of weeks ago. We enjoyed an amazing view of the beautiful valley from the grand old Marcus Whitman Hotel, a little shopping, nice walks, good food and, yes, some great wine.
Instead of riding the Interstate freeways, we took U.S. 2 to Spokane, Highway 95 south from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, through the east side of the Palouse to Lewiston and then west on U.S. 12 to Walla Walla. On the way back, we traveled state highways 240, 243, 281 and 28 — Richland to George to Quincy to East Wenatchee — and then headed home again on U.S. 2. It was a good choice, replete with fall color and truly not much longer to drive.
The autumn weather was warm in Walla Walla, almost summerlike to we west-siders.
The city has a lovely, walkable downtown core that has been praised in such publications as Sunset magazine.
The Walla Walla Visitors Center, 26 East Main St., www.wallawalla.org, has published walking tour brochures that cover downtown history and restoration, beautiful old homes, the city’s exceptional public art collection, Fort Walla Walla, the Whitman College campus, bike routes and more.
So what’s to do besides walk and bicycle?
First, I have to mention a few shops. No not wine shops. Hang on.
The Macy’s store in Walla Walla is partially housed in the former Liberty Theatre (built in 1917) at 54 E. Main St. The white, glazed terra cotta, Rhinelandish facade has blue accents and two dormers with very steeply pitched roofs. It’s just a regular Macy’s department store, but it displays photos of famous entertainers who once performed there.
Next door is the 1903 Die Brucke Building, which houses Book &Game, a fun independent bookstore and gift shop.
Our other favorite was Hot Poop, a music store at 210 E. Main, where owner and longtime Grateful Dean fan Jim McGuinn sells vintage vinyl, CDs, locally made guitars, stereo equipment, art and so much more stuff that it’s truly a challenge to walk around. At 42 years old, Hot Poop is the state’s oldest independent record store.
OK, now the wine shops. You will have to pick and choose or you will be tipsy before you know it.
I am one of those who has to swallow the wine in order to get a good taste. I just can’t swirl it around in my mouth and spit it out. So we limited ourselves to visits at just a few of the 34 tasting rooms downtown, including Browne Family Vineyards, Charles Smith and Seven Hills. We also drove south of town to Dusted Valley and on our way out we stopped at L’Ecole No. 41.
My favorite was Seven Hills, in part because its Walla Walla Valley cabernet sauvignon is delicious, but also because the actual winery is located downtown, 212 N. Third Ave., and housed in a beautiful brick building, circa 1904.
Also in this same brick building is one of our favorite Walla Walla restaurants, the Whitehouse-Crawford.
The restaurant is named for the company that ran a lumber planing mill and furniture factory there until its sale to the city in 1988. Public protest stopped the demolition of the building and saved it from becoming a parking lot. The Whitehouse-Crawford building is now listed on the Washington Heritage Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
The lumber for the red fir floors was cut in the nearby Blue Mountains more than 100 years ago. And the mill’s old Ohio-made boiler greets patrons as they enter the restaurant.
I enjoyed the roasted sea scallops ($32) and my husband had the braised pork Provencal ($28). Next time, I will try the appetizer basket of crispy Walla Walla sweet onions.
Since we splurged for dinner, breakfast the next day was at Bacon &Eggs where we ate good grits, local sausage, eggs, black beans and more, all for about $20.
Lunch was at a local favorite, Andrae’s Kitchen, which is housed in a convenience store at Farmer’s Co-op gas station on the south side of downtown. We ate smoked brisket and a fried green tomato sandwich for less than $20.
On the way out of Walla Walla Valley, be sure to stop at the Whitman Mission National Historic Site to learn more about the history of this beautiful part of our state.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.
Walla Walla Vintners
Led by owners Gordy Venneri and Myles Anderson and winemaker William VonMetzger, Walla Walla Vintners has been capturing medals and acclaim at a fast clip in 2015. For more, see Sunday’s The Good Life or click here.
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