2 Best Sights in Wenatchee, North Central Washington

This 125-foot-tall hydroelectric dam on the Columbia River, about 8 miles north of Wenatchee, supplies power to about 7 million people, and there's much for visitors to see and do here, including an engaging Discovery Center and a 17-acre park with picnic shelters and great river views. Expanded and reopened in 2021, the Discovery Center has four floors of all-new interactive exhibits, including the Sternwheeler Video Game, where guests pilot a sternwheeler through a video of rapids. On the lower floor, displays present Native American artifacts from the former Museum of the Columbia. Three theaters, virtual reality activities, a STEM Center, hydroelectric exhibits, art displays, and a full calendar of learning events make this a must-stop for families and anyone interested in learning more about hydroelectric power and river habitats.

Located in two connected early-1900s former government buildings, the city's well-designed history museum contains Native American and pioneer artifacts, exhibits on Washington's famed apple industry, and a display about the 1931 landing of the first-ever nonstop flight across the Pacific, which went from Japan to Wenatchee. Children enjoy the hands-on area and the model railway. The museum also displays works by Northwest artists.