3 Best Sights in Cashmere, North Central Washington

Part of Liberty Orchards, Aplets and Cotlets was founded by two Armenian brothers in Cashmere, the apple, apricot, and pear capital of the Wenatchee Valley. When area orchards hit a rough patch in the 1920s, the brothers began producing the dried-fruit confections of their homeland, naming them aplets (made from apples) and cotlets (made from apricots). Free samples are offered during the 15-minute tour of this little factory and candy store set amid the shops and cafés of charming downtown Cashmere. The shop also has displays about the company's history and sells many other specialty sweets, including Turkish Delight, fruit-and-nut Orchard Bars, and a great variety of chocolates. 

At this engaging living history museum on the edge of the historic hamlet of Cashmere—midway between Wenatchee and Leavenworth—you can explore an excellent collection of Native American artifacts, as well as 20 pre-1900 Chelan County buildings that have been reassembled and furnished with period furniture and other historical objects. Surrounded by snowcapped mountain peaks, Cashmere is one of Washington's oldest towns, founded by Oblate missionaries back in 1863, when the Wenatchi and their vast herds of horses still roamed free over the bunch grasslands of the region.

Although it's just 34 acres, this high-desert park in Dryden, about 3 miles northwest of Cashmere, is a terrific spot to admire otherworldly, pinnacle-shape rock formations, as well as a favorite destination for rock climbing. A steep 1½-mile trail leads to a dramatic promontory with great views of Wenatchee Valley.