Museums

CENTRAL WASHINGTON AGRICULTURAL MUSEUM

The Central Washington Agricultural Museum is an 18-acre, open-air museum located in Fulbright Park in Union Gap. It is a tribute to local farmers.

The Central Washington Agricultural Museum was founded in 1978. Its buildings are open AprilOctober. A Horse & Buggy Museum was added to the grounds in late 2017.

Displays include antique tractors, sorters, harvesters, more than 3,000 antique hand tools, a working sawmill and various items related to life on the farm.

Every August, the museum hosts the Central Washington Antique

2105 Tieton Drive, Yakima, WA 98902 info@ yvmuseum.org 509-248-0747

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Farm Equipment Expo, which draws hundreds of vintage farm machines and exhibitors from around the region. A large collection of steam-powered engines, early gaspowered equipment, horse-drawn machinery and other items will be on display. There are demonstrations of a working sawmill and blacksmith shop, a parade of farm equipment, a threshing bee, a flea market, live entertainment and more.

Interactive exhibits include a 1930s replica gas station, a general store and a drive-through area for buses. At an irrigation exhibit, visitors will learn how the area’s former semi-arid desert landscape was transformed into one of the most fertile growing areas in the world.

At the Amos Cabin, visitors are often met by someone dressed as a pioneer, who explains what life was like as a settler in the Wild West.

Organizers hope to leave every visitor with an understanding of what it took to feed America while experiencing the settling of the West.

Visit the museum’s website at centralwaagmuseum.org to learn more.

YAKIMA VALLEY MUSEUM

Located in Franklin Park, this museum offers various historical exhibits about the Valley. They feature its natural history, plateau cultural objects, pioneer life, early city life, and the roots and development of the local fruit industry. Visitors can enjoy a collection of horsedrawn vehicles, additional historical exhibits and a reconstruction of the Washington, D.C., office of former Yakima resident and U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. The museum is located at 2105 Tieton Drive in Yakima.

AMERICAN HOP MUSEUM

The Yakima Valley is the largest hop producer in the world, and there is a lot of industry history to share. This museum aims to preserve, protect and display the historical equipment, photos and artifacts that have long been important to beer brewing. The museum is located at 22 S. B St. in Toppenish.

YAKIMA VALLEY RAIL AND STEAM MUSEUM

The Yakima Valley Rail and Steam Museum Association was formed in 1989 when the depot was remodeled with help from the Fort Simcoe Job Corps. After three years of work, the museum officially opened in 1992. The next year, the depot and adjacent freight house were purchased from the Burlington Northern Railroad. Then in 2000, the museum portion was renamed the Northern Pacific Railway Museum. The museum is located at 10 S. Asotin Ave. in Toppenish.

PRODUCE

Yakima County is home to one of Washington state’s most diverse agricultural systems. Agriculture contributes a whopping $1.6 billion to the local economy.

Yakima County is the leading county in the nation in apple production with more than 50,000 acres of apple orchards producing premier apple varieties like Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Cripps Pink, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, and hundreds of others.

The county is also tops in the nation in the production of hops. There are nearly 30,000 acres of hops planted on trellis systems for the essential ingredient in the world-renowned brews of the Pacific Northwest.

Yakima County produces an estimated 70 percent of the hops grown in America, and in recent years surpassed Germany as the world’s top hops producer. The county is also a big player in production of sweet cherries, plums/prunes, nectarines, peaches and pears.

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As visitors travel around the Valley, they may also come across apricots, tart cherries and pluots (plums crossed with apricots). The county is also the state’s No. 1 producer of melons, including watermelon, cantaloupe and muskmelon.

The growing berry industry features a wide assortment of blueberries and raspberries that are on display in local farmers markets and contribute to a fruit juice industry that ships worldwide.

The county grows more than 20,000 acres of grapes, including juice grapes like Concord. Premier winegrape varieties like Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Riesling and Chardonnay are grown here to feed a growing wine industry. The Yakima Valley is home to the state’s highest concentration of wineries.

Yakima County is the leading producer of squash (summer and winter) and peppers (bell and chili) in Washington and has more than 3,600 acres of sweet corn. From May to September, roadside vegetable stands are loaded with asparagus, onions, snap beans, cucumbers and tomatoes.

The farms in Yakima County range from large-scale orchards and other big operations to small-scale family

growers, many of them using organic methods to produce specialty crops. Many of these farms offer U-pick options so visitors can gather their own fresh vegetables from fields.

Yakima County’s agricultural influence isn’t only limited to what it grows. The county is also No. 1 in the state in dairy, milk production, cheese production, cattle and calves, sheep and lamb production and meat goats.

FARMERS MARKETS

During the summer months, Yakima Valley visitors will find several farmers markets operating throughout the area, offering yet another fun option for enjoying the Valley’s bountiful harvests.

These markets bring farmers and food producers together in one spot, along with arts-and-crafts vendors, specialty food producers, food vendors and entertainers to create a fun shopping experience.

Visitors can check out the Yakima Farmers Market downtown on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on a blocked-off area of Third Street, right in front of the Capitol Theatre. The market typically runs from May through October.

Some other area markets worth checking out include:

• Selah — Selah’s market runs on Wednesdays from 5-8 p.m. at 210 S. First St. in the parking lot behind the King’s Row restaurant. Check out its Facebook page to learn more. • Prosser — The Prosser Saturday Market is open May through October in the park at 1329 Sommers Ave. Operating hours are from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Learn more at prosserfarmersmarket.com • Sunnyside — Sunnyside’s market runs Wednesdays from 4-7 p.m. throughout the summer at Fourth Street and Edison Avenue near the city park.

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