Ever notice how much more you notice about the world around you when you’re really out in it — not looking through a windshield?
Imagine how much more you’ll see, learn and appreciate when strolling around with a highly educated historical expert from the Clark County Historical Museum.
Seasonal walking tours that delve into the facts, personalities, architecture and historical trends that made Clark County what it is today have proved among the museum’s most popular offerings. In recent years, the museum has expanded and refined its guided tour series beyond such important-but-usual downtown Vancouver suspects as Esther Short Park and Officers Row; nowadays, those famous sites get deeper, thematic treatments in tours that peruse commercial and residential spheres separately, for example, or section off Lower, Middle, and Upper Main Streets for some really detailed examination.
Downtown Ridgefield was added to the tour roster a few years ago; this year’s new addition is downtown Camas. (Already past is a springtime Arnada Garden Tour that indulges in gorgeous colors and fragrances; look out during the Halloween sea-son for nighttime Haunted Walking Tours that indulge in downtown shadows and spooky storytelling.)
Saturdays at Maryhill Museum
Don’t forget the Maryhill Museum of Art, 100 miles east of Vancouver in the Columbia River Gorge. It boasts an eclectic collection of European, American, American Indian and Pacific Northwest artworks, and offers special Saturday programs and tours that are free with museum admission. Here’s the June schedule; check www.maryhillmuseum.org for complete listings for the year.
- •“Narrating the Landscape: Print Culture and American Expansion in the 19th century,” a lecture by art historian Matt Johnston of Lewis & Clark College. 2 p.m. June 3.
- “Worldwide Knit in Public Day.” Bring a ball of yarn and your knitting needles or crochet hook and join the fun. 1-5 p.m. June 10.
- “La Blouse Roumaine.” Tour the museum’s royal Romanian artifacts and fashions, then try your hand at embroidering Romanian-inspired designs. Noon-3 p.m. June 24.
- Tango lessons and dance party. 6-9 p.m., the last Saturday of every month, through October. All levels welcome. Price: $10 for museum non-members.
Regular admission to the Maryhill Museum of Art is $9; $8 for seniors; $3 for youth ages 7-13. 35 Maryhill Museum Drive, Goldendale.
Nine different tours are offered in June and July. They cost $10 per person and proceed rain or shine. They begin at noon on Fridays and 9 a.m. on Saturdays and usually last about one hour. Registration is required. Don’t forget to note your tour’s meeting place, because most don’t begin at the museum. While you’re at it, don’t forget comfortable shoes and a camera.
Here’s the whole tour schedule. The museum recommends you sign up soon, because space is limited and the tours fill up quickly. Call 360-993-5679.
Fridays at noon:
June 2, Officers Row. Meet at O.O. Howard House, 750 Anderson St.
June 9, Esther Short residential. Meet at Slocum House, 605 Esther St.
June 16, Esther Short commercial. Meet at Slocum House.
June 23, Lower Main Street. Meet at Fifth & Main streets.
June 30, Middle Main Street. Meet at museum, 1511 Main St.
July 7, Uptown Village. Meet at museum.
July 14, Shumway neighborhood. Meet at 31st and F streets (Vancouver School of Arts and Academics).
July 21, Ridgefield. Meet at Overlook Park, corner of Pioneer Street and Main Avenue.
July 28, Camas. Meets at 4th and Adams streets.
Saturdays at 9 a.m.:
June 3, Camas. Meets at 4th and Adams streets.
June 10, Ridgefield. Meet at Overlook Park, corner of Pioneer and Main.
June 17, Shumway neighborhood. Meet at 31st and F streets (VSAA).
June 24, Uptown Village. Meet at museum, 1511 Main St.
July 1, Middle Main Street. Meet at museum.
July 8, Lower Main Street. Meet at Fifth and Main streets.
July 15, Esther Short commercial. Meet at Slocum House, 605 Esther St.
July 22, Esther Short residential. Meet at Slocum House.
July 29, Officers Row. Meet at O.O. Howard House, 750 Anderson St.
