On Saturday 11 September 2021, I visited the Cashmere Museum and Pioneer Village as a solo female…read moretraveler. The front desk worker was a bit brusque in their interactions, however there were a few of us entering at once, so it might have just been a bit overwhelming for them. As someone on a budget, the price was a little on the high side, however nothing exorbitant. The exhibits were easy to navigate and good use was made of the available space. Artifacts were meticulously laid out both inside the main museum and in the pioneer village. The Great Northern Railway car was open to exploration, which was very neat. The whole pioneer village was well maintained and a great way to get some context for what life in Cashmere was like in the past. I noted a few bloopers on my visit, one concerning geology and one concerning currency. Some people I know love bloopers, in Hollywood they are something that might go wrong in constructing/putting together a movie and are visible in the final product, and they feel it can add to the overall experience. However, I am not currently the biggest fan of bloopers, though I used to enjoy them more, perhaps I am just a bit rusty on their enjoyment value.

I've been there before but it's been yrs ago i liked what I saw then and I'm trying to see if the…read moreladies from my Wednesday group would like to go up and see the village

So I will be completely honest, I wanted to go to the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum. Yes, me, a…read moregrown adult, with no children in tow, just me and my love for quirky, niche museums. No invisible kids, no excuses. I was so excited to finally check it out. After a long ferry ride from Stehekin and a not-so-long drive from Chelan to Leavenworth, I thought we had made it just in time to sneak in before closing. Sadly, I found out the hard way that the museum stops selling tickets 30 minutes before closing (noted on the website - oops) and we arrived five minutes too late. I was disappointed but it just wasn't meant to be. What was meant to be, however, was the gift shop. And let me tell you - this is not your average souvenir shop! It's more like a mini preview of the museum as there were hundreds of nutcrackers on display for purchase and/or admiration. There were traditional German nutcrackers, themed ones (sports, professions, holidays), and even some that were so cute and whimsical. I spent a little time marveling at the variety and craftsmanship. Soooo yes, I got my nutcracker fix even without a ticket to the full museum! From what I could see (and from their website), this place has over 9,000 nutcrackers from more than 50 countries with artifacts dating all the way back to the Roman Empire. It's the kind of collection rarely found in the United States and the museum's mission to preserve and educate about the history and artistry of nutcrackers is honestly so cool. If I'm ever in Leavenworth again, I would try to time it better to try to actually visit the museum. For now, I'm giving a solid four stars because while I didn't get to explore the full museum, the sheer delight of the gift shop, the ambiance, and the nutcracker overload still made it a great stop. Another unique gem tucked in the heart of this Bavarian town, errr, Leavenworth!

Tourist attraction in the town of Leavenworth, WA, the Nutcracker Museum has a large selection of…read morenutcrackers both for viewing (in the museum) and for purchase (in the gift shop). The museum requires admission ($5 per adult, free for active military family), On the day we went, there was a table of donated nutcrackers being sold for $5 (compared to the $100+ for new imported ones), which attracted our attention (and our dollars).

Parking is available on-site and in front of the building for free of charge. When I visited the…read moreWenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Centre in the summer of 2021, hand sanitizer was provided by the front desk and masks were required due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The worker at the front desk was friendly and helpful in getting the admission purchased and getting us on our way exploring the museum. Exhibits span multiple floors across a main building and an annex. My favorite exhibit was the one on the Great Northern Railway, located upstairs in the main museum building. Informational placards were spaced around a model train system (diorama) that one could signal the model train to run. The scene the train ran included depictions of the actual railway and moved slow enough we could walk along with it as it traversed the model tracks. The information did a good job incorporating the physical geography, natural hazard, and social aspects that played a significant role in the building and establishment of the railway. The second exhibit I found captivating was the apple industry-related exhibit located on the ground-level in the annex. I have lived in Washington State for over 20 years and am familiar with the importance the fruit carries for the state, however the exhibit did a good job of highlighting some of the technical aspects of day-to-day work in the apple industry and the importance of the industry in Wenatchee Valley more specifically. Appreciated the local-context the information posted provided. All around the exhibits were wonderful and I especially loved the Liberty Organ, it was my first time seeing the innards of an organ like that.

A friend of mine was giving a presentation here earlier in the year, and I dropped by for moral…read moresupport. This museum is located downtown, and from what I could see, the focus is on local history. It sounds like this museum has several programs & presentations throughout the year and offer the community many interesting exhibits. So if you want to get the lowdown on the Native communities of the area, or what life has been like in this beautiful part of the country, you should drop on by.

Don't be intimidated by the security gate - this place is super family friendly and FREE! Great…read morestop on a road trip where you can pop in the discovery center and learn, as well as let the kids (and your dog) play outside on the playground and beautifully landscaped grounds. All the employees (security and those in the discovery center) seemed super happy to share insights and were very welcoming. Plus there were water bottle fill stations and CLEAN family bathrooms. We will be back!

Very informative, fun for kids. Lots of information. The most fun game was downstairs. There is a…read morevideo screen and you're the captain. You're trying to navigate your boat through the rapids and he rocks complete with sound and video effects . The give you tours to walk across to see the turbines. Talk about the fish, fish ladders and how they're trying to preserve the fish swimming out to the ocean.

What a amazing blast into history. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. The ideas that they…read morehave displayed are a wonderful event of our history. I will be coming back.

I loved it!! I love history museums generally and they really did do well with this one. I would…read morehave happily paid for it. They had a lot of different galleries and each one was very interesting. My 10 year old loved it as well!

Traveled to Wenatchee over Thanksgiving weekend and visited this shop. I was happy that they had a…read morevariety of posters that I hadn't seen before. My experience got cut short, and I left the shop. Here's what happened. I was looking at an art print, and couldn't find any information on the artist, so I took a picture of the print with my mobile. At this point, the worker shouted at me, "What you are doing is illegal!" ...and went off on an angry rant that her boss told her that she was supposed to say that, and that I should bring my wife in to see the print in person, and that they had some other store in downtown Wenatchee. At that point I told her that I was leaving. She tried to get me to stay, but I can't take being yelled at. So, here's the thing. I'm an art buyer, and I respect that museums and galleries may not want their original works photographed. These places always have a no-photograph sign. But, that's because they instead have a brochure with the artist's name, web site and even catalogs. I'm a shopper. And, this is a new, mostly empty, print shop, in a distant mall. I think they're new at actually selling anything. If they want me to become interested in the artist, they might want to spread the word about their products and make it welcoming to shop there. They killed a potential sale. They saw an interested customer, and basically told me that I shouldn't buy there. I'll find other art at another store. I have, many times. They're stuck doing things the old way. Here's a tip. Your artists actually want people to know about their art. That's why they put it in an print shop. If it's just a poster, then it's just another holiday commodity, and people today are comparison shoppers.

From the owner: We have framed art, limited edition prints, posters and customer frames.read more

What a gem. Our…read moretrip to Lake Chelan was greatly enhanced by visiting this little museum--and especially by the lovely Lou who is a wonderful historian.

I love this museum!!! You could learn more about the past of Chelan lake, Indian Americans, and…read morefashion. They give you a bingo paper that if you get a bingo you could get a souvenir rock any color!

Glow in the dark rocks! I was in town for a wedding and happened upon this museum while…read moregeocaching. What a gem! I only had time to explore one room but the time I spent talking with Lori was so fun and informative. I even got to hold a meteorite! The building is full of interesting history and the staff are eager to show you around and tell you the stories. Be sure to ask them to turn out the lights so you can see the fluorescent rocks. It was so cool! Grab a cold drink in Wenatchee then head up the hill. You'll be glad you made time to visit Waterville!

What a great little gem in the sleepy town of Waterville. We made an unexpected stop here and they…read morehave quite the mineral collection on one side and local history in the rest. My favorite part was the old electrical meters that had been removed from around town. They were labeled with year of manufacture, removal date and building it served. A great stop and very helpful person at the information desk!

I'm sure part of it is nostalgia, but this museum is great. There is so much history surrounding…read moreGrant County and Ephrata and the people who volunteer at the museum are incredibly knowledgeable. The best time to go is during Sage n' Sun weekend because they have people dress up and act like the first settlers to this area. There's a pretend gun fight and all sorts of fun stuff. Mick Qualls is usually set up in the Newspaper building and he can tell you anything you want to know. Mabel Thompson used to teach in Grant County and at over 100 years old she still sits in the school answering questions visitors to the museum during Sage n' sun. You also get to wear a sticker saying how long you've lived in Ephrata which is fun. It's a great experience and every child and adult living in the area should go.

They should be embarrassed to charge for this 'museum' let alone the $5 per adult they so boldly…read moretake. It's all storyboards, basically nothing you couldn't find on the internet. They want to make sure you are aware you are not in the Nutcracker museum when you walk in, lol, that's how disappointing this museum is. We were the only ones there when we arrived but the group behind us got the guided tour because they had stayed in town. Don't waste your 10 minutes or your money. An odd hallway about skiing on the way out. It will always be remembered as the worst museum I've ever been to.

I enjoy museums of all forms and sizes, and I am particularly fond of small-sized exhibit halls for…read moreits uniqueness, creative display and interaction, and just right amount of info load. However, the upper valley museum disappointed me with its customer service, curation, display layout, and souvenir store. On June 30, I was greeted by no staff during its business hour. I had to wonder around for ticket sale assistance and brief introduction. As a result, I found a staff member and paid $3 cash and no recommendation though I asked. No recommended visiting consequences later "helped' me read materials in a reversed chronological order. Noted this museum is only a room that has lot display boards on the wall and crowded artifacts and objects inside. I do not mind long reading, but I cannot stand poor curation and lack of visual aids and examples. When I was there, exhibit of vintage accordions was featured with printed Wikipedia pages. In addition, all city history display info offers nothing unique. I could learn about the town inside out by reading online. Why bother paying a physical visit in-person? Before finishing my disappointing visit, I took a look at the store corner. All postcards and photos were mixed together in a box for $0.50 per piece. Yes, I could choose any of them at any gift shop at downtown Leavenworth for $0.33 each. Thanks to gift shop's well-organized display hangers, I could have saved time on sorting and looking hard. Yes, I finished my museum visit within 30 minutes. This was ironic because the museum staff member warned me of LOT reading ahead. Yes, I wept for my $3 admission. No, if I could have chosen again, I probably will go to nearby Cashmere pioneer village, at least for its efforts to put an interactive experience together.