I’m writing from my hometown: Walla Walla. The blue mountains and patchwork fields are etched on my heart.

I love that this is a community that I can come back to and still feel at home. It’s a town where people smile and say hello, a town with a booming wine industry that’s every bit as poetic as it is pragmatic, a town with beautifully restored brick buildings, community parades, farm-to-table restaurants, green lawns, and an idyllic college campus.

If you have time to pop over for a weekend, here are some of my favorite things to do:

1. Wine taste at Seven Hills
2. Dine at Whitehouse Crawford
3. Stroll Whitman College Campus
4. Shop at Studio Opal Boutique
5. Get candy from Bright’s
6. Lunch at Olive (I like the prosciutto and grape pizza)
7. Walk parts of the Oregon Trail at sunset near the Whitman Mission
8. In summer, swim at the new outdoor aquatic center Veterans Memorial Pool (a great place to take kids) or visit the Downtown Farmer’s Market
9. Have coffee and flakey pastries at Colville Street Patisserie
10. See a play at the Little Theatre

If you are looking for a place to stay, my childhood friends have a charming vacation rental that’s walking distance to downtown. Check out Menlo Park House here.

And now for some photos:

The Little Theatre playhouse, built in 1944

A whimsical scene from Studio Opal Boutique

Whitehouse Crawford Restaurant, housed in a historic lumber planing mill and furniture factory, which was built in 1904

Award winning Seven Hills Winery, also housed in the Whitehouse Crawford building

A view of the snowy Blue mountains from near my family’s house.

Lauren