Explore Vancouver Washington - Patty Grasher

It's time to begin Your Adventure at Vancouver Washington! Use this city guide to mark your calendar to amazing historic sites, attend popular events, fests, fairs and festivals. Start at Vancouver's 1.5 billion dollar, world-class scenic Waterfront located at the center of the metropolitan Vancouver/Portland landscape. Stroll along the river, shop at exclusive and delightful boutiques and enjoy cuisines and drinks at some of the highest rated establishments in the country. Gather a friend or two and visit Downtown, Uptown and surrounding areas to discover wonderful and fun places for daytime and nighttime activities. Stroll through Vancouver's 90 beautiful parks, 20 natural areas and spectacular riverside pathways. Wander near and far along bike paths and routes through the city and beyond. Caffeine reigns in Vancouver which was listed as the Number 2 Coffee City in the country in 2019 by ApartmentGuide with one coffee business for every 2,224 residents. Want something a little stronger as the day progresses? Vancouver boasts as starting the first commercial brewery in the state in 1826, continuing on through prohibition (shhh, don't tell), and now is bubbling with over 40 breweries as well as a number of wineries and whiskey bars. There are plenty of family friendly places to have fun, explore and learn. Lovely parks, amusement centers, waterslides, climbing, and sport areas. Did you know? Vancouver is one of the few cities in the United States that can boast of a popular National Park just blocks away from its City center. This historic site consists of distinct major attractions . . . The Reconstructed Fort Vancouver is an in depth look at the major British frontier trading post which was the hub for fur trade from the Rockies to the Pacific Coast in the early 1800s. The Pearson airfield established in 1905 with a dirigible landing was only two years after the Wright Brothers first flight in 1903. The airfield continues today as one of the oldest active air fields in the country. Continue to Vancouver Barracks, site of the 160 year military presence where at least 60 officers stationed here became Army Generals playing significant roles in the Indian Wars, Civil War, two World Wars and other military conflicts as well as the birthplace for the first Army PX in the country. The 21 beautiful restored houses of Officers Row adjacent to the National Park is a city owned historical tribute to the U. S. Army presence here as well as being the largest colle