2 Best Sights in Vancouver, Southeastern Washington

The earliest permanent settlement on either side of the Columbia River was established as a trading post in 1824 by Hudson's Bay Company. When Washington fell under complete control of the United States through the 1846 Oregon Treaty, Fort Vancouver became the nation's foremost military post in the Pacific Northwest. This 207-acre site in the middle of present-day Vancouver tells the story of the settlement's early days, and how it's been the home of such renowned military leaders as Ulysses S. Grant, George McClellan, and George Marshall (of Marshall Plan fame). In this impressive and somewhat overlooked component of the National Park System, orient yourself at the park visitor center, where you can watch a film about its history. Then tour the reconstructed fort stockade and barracks, and visit the 22 stately Victorian homes of Officer's Row (including the Queen Anne–style Marshall House, which is operated by the Clark County Historical Museum). The Pearson Air Museum is also part of the park.

Just a 10-minute walk south of downtown, Vancouver's formerly industrial waterfront has been reborn as a handsome, contemporary mixed-use development flanked by a beautifully landscaped promenade and V-shape, cantilevered Grant Street Pier, which is suspended over the Columbia River by cable stays. The $1.5 billion project opened in 2018 and will expand over the years—potentially to include a public market. Other key features include a 7.3-acre Waterfront Park with imaginative public art installations, a sweeping grassy picnic area, a small urban beach, an amphitheater, and direct access to the Columbia River Renaissance Trail, an existing 5-mile paved multiuse track that connects additional parks, restaurants, and public art along the north shore of the Columbia River. Nearly a dozen prominent Washington wineries (Maryhill, Brian Carter Cellars, Pepper Bridge, Airfield Estates, and Barnard Griffin among them) have opened tasting rooms here, along with several restaurants and two hotels (an AC Hotel by Marriott and a Hotel Indigo). Especially when the sun is out, this festive district's restaurant terraces, pathways, and pier fill up with friends, families, and onlookers of all ages.