Filling your days in the Methow You won’t run out of things to do BY A SHL E Y LO DATO
P
eople who don’t know the Methow Valley often say things like “It’s beautiful. But what do you DO around here?”
And people who know the Methow Valley just smile, because although the Methow is renowned as a place of summer outdoor recreation, with numerous options for climbing, backpacking, day hiking, river rafting and tubing, paddleboarding, swimming, water skiing, mountain biking and fishing, it’s also a place where you can master a new skill, participate in the arts, compete in an athletic event, immerse yourself in the community, and learn something new. When you don’t limit your options, the options are limitless.
ARTSY STUFF ■ FEAST YOUR EYES Find topnotch art at The Confluence: Art in Twisp, on Glover Street in Twisp, and at the Winthrop Gallery on Riverside Avenue. Both feature works by Methow Valley artists. Some artists and craftspeople also have open studio hours on the TwispWorks campus, where you can watch the artists at work. At Glassworks of Winthrop on the boardwalk, you can see a glassblower in action. Some valley shops also display local art, notably Rocking Horse Bakery in Winthrop, and Cinnamon Twisp Bakery and Methow Arts, both in Twisp. Look for unique items at other boutiques and stores throughout the valley. ■ CREATORS AND MAKERS A one-stop destination for locally created products, Methow Valley Goods in the TwispWorks campus features the work of more than 70 Okanogan region artisans,
Summer 2022
craftspeople, creators and makers. https://twispworks.org/on-campus/ twispworks-partners/valley-goods.
■ ART WALK The Methow Valley boasts a range of public art, stretching from the upper reaches of the valley down into the confluence with the Columbia River at Pateros. Visit www. methowarts.org/public-art-map for a map and brief description of the art and artists. See related article on page 44. ■ SUMMER READING Browse for leisure-time reading material at Winthrop’s impressively stocked Trail’s End Bookstore on Riverside Avenue. Check out the children’s section at the back of the store, with big picture windows overlooking the river. Our two libraries, in Winthrop and Twisp, welcome visitors to browse the stacks in limited numbers, and both offer free Wi-Fi: www.ncrl.org/ locations. Free books can be found at one of the valley’s free little libraries, located in the Mazama Store courtyard and outside the Twisp Post Office. Take a book or leave a book. ■ SILVER SCREEN The Barnyard Cinema opened in 2017 and has since become a place to experience the thrill of the silver screen and connect with other moviegoers. Through screenings of blockbusters, documentaries, animated and independent films, Barnyard Cinema offers audiences the chance to be entertained, provoked, frightened, and stirred by characters and concepts. www. thebarnyardcinema.com. ■ LIVE PERFORMANCE Restaurants and bars in both Twisp and Winthrop are again beginning to feature evening entertainment like live music, open mic sessions, trivia nights and other activities. Plays, concerts, poetry
35 Photo by Steve Mitchell
