Yakima (the city) is located in the like-named Yakima Valley in south central Washington. The river that runs through the city is named (you guessed it) the Yakima River. In 2015, Yakima was one of ten US cities to receive the “All-America City” award. The valley is an agricultural haven, as the area produces fruits and vegetables that are sent across the country.
The Yakima Valley produces so many fruits that Del Monte Foods has a canned fruit processing plant in the area. The primary crops include hops, tomatoes, grapes, watermelon, apples, pears, corn, and peppers. A must-visit for farm-fresh fruits is Johnson’s Orchards. You’ll also love their pies.
The wine industry may be Yakima’s fastest growing. Yakima Valley has over 100 wineries, several of which offer tours on horseback. In addition to the city of Yakima, the nearby areas of Rattlesnake Hills, Columbia Gorge, Red Mountain, and Prosser each have a wide selection of wineries.
In case you don’t just want to eat and drink the entire time, Yakima offers some beautiful outdoors recreation. Locals enjoy hiking along the old railroad tracks on the Cowiche Canyon Trail. Yakima also a few state parks worth visiting.
Yakima is much dryer than the Puget Sound cities in Washington. Winter is technically the wet season, but it is still pretty dry. The weather is cool and it is the off-season since so much is based around outdoor activities.
Spring often means wine release events. Yakima warms up fairly quickly in the spring. By May, daily high temperatures are back to the 70s.
Summer is a fantastic time, especially for those who like to play outside. The daily high temps get into the high-80s. The weather is sunny and dry.
Fall is the wine (well, grape) harvest season and it comes with some celebratory events.