Richland is a city of 51,000 people (2020) in the Columbia River Plateau, where the Yakima River flows into the Columbia. It is the closest city to the Hanford Nuclear Site, where development of its historic nuclear reactor lead to a large national research lab and a waste remediation effort that is the single largest construction project in the country.
Richland is one of the Tri-Cities of Washington, which also includes Kennewick and Pasco. The Tri-Cities are the third most populous metropolitan area in the state, after Seattle-Tacoma and Spokane.
Understand
[edit]Richland and the greater Tri-Cities region were developed as one of the secret sites of the Manhattan Project in the early 1940s. The atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in 1945 contained plutonium produced at the Hanford Nuclear Site, surrounding the world's first full-scale nuclear reactor.
Today, the nuclear site has changed its mission from plutonium enrichment to environmental clean up and restoration. The city is home to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a large national research lab.
Get in
[edit]By car
[edit]
Richland's central business district is immediately off of Interstate 182 (I-182) at Exit 5, George Washington Way.
The Tri-Cities are close to each other but a long way from anyone else: expect at least a 75-minute drive from Yakima, 3.5 hours from Seattle.
By air
[edit]Tri-Cities Airport (PSC IATA) is in Pasco, roughly 10 mi (16 km) east of Richland. There are daily flights from Seattle/Tacoma, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Get around
[edit]
- Ben Franklin Transit, ☏ +1 509 735-5100. M-F 6AM-6PM; Sa 8AM-6PM. Operates fixed route buses within the Tri Cities area and to Benton City, West Richland and Prosser. $1.50 cash fare.
See
[edit]- 1 The Reach Museum, 1943 Columbia Park Trail, ☏ +1 509-943-4100. Tu-Sa 10AM-4PM. In summer, also Su noon-4:30PM. Adults $10, seniors/students/military $6, children 5 and under free.
- 2 LIGO Hanford Observatory (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory), 127124 N Rt 10, ☏ +1 509-372-8106, [email protected]. Visitor Center: Tu-F 9:30AM-4PM. Public walking tours: 2nd Saturday of each month. a 4-km-by-4-km gravitational wave detector, measuring the minute ripples in space-time caused by cataclysmic cosmic events such as colliding neutron stars, black holes, and supernovae. Free.
Do
[edit]- 1 Richland Players Theater, 608 The Parkway, ☏ +1 509-943-1991, [email protected].
- 2 Tri-City Raceway (Red Mountain Event Center), 47615 E SR 224, Benton City, ☏ +1 509-845-5510, [email protected]. The only 0.500 mi (0.805 km) paved trioval in North America.
Hanford Nuclear Site
[edit]Established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project, the site was home to the B Reactor, the first full-scale plutonium production reactor in the world. Plutonium manufactured at the site was used in the bomb dropped at Nagasaki. During the Cold War, the project expanded to include nine nuclear reactors and five large plutonium processing complexes, which produced plutonium for most of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The production reactors were shut down between 1964 and 1971.
Many early safety procedures and waste disposal practices were inadequate, resulting in the release of significant amounts of radioactive materials into the air and the Columbia River. Hanford became the focus of the nation's largest environmental cleanup, with over 10,000 workers employed on cleanup activities.
Hanford also hosts a commercial nuclear power plant and various centers for scientific research and development, such as the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the Fast Flux Test Facility, and the LIGO Hanford Observatory.
As Hanford is still an active research and industrial cleanup site, the only public access is through guided tours. Tours are infrequent and capacity is limited, so reservations should be made months in advance.
- 3 Hanford Site Cleanup Tours, 2490 Garlick Blvd, ☏ +1 509-376-6969. Apr-Nov: M-Sa. Four-hour tours of the Hanford Nuclear Site focusing on Hanford's current cleanup projects. Stops include a model waste storage tank used to develop cleanup techniques (the Cold Test Facility), the 200 West Pump and Treat facility (cleaning contaminated groundwater), and the Waste Treatment Plant construction zone. Reservations required on a first come-first serve basis — registration for the year's tours opens in early March and closer dates may fill quickly. Cancellations will open up a few slots, particularly later in the season. This tour is only open to U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years old.. No cameras or cell phones are allowed on the tour, and there is no storage for items at the office building where the tour begins. Free.
- 4 Manhattan Project B Reactor Tours, ☏ +1 509-373-2774. Shorter tours visit only the B Reactor, the world's first large-scale nuclear reactor. Like the site tours, advance reservations are necessary; 50 tour dates per year between April and September, including most weekends. Groups will get about two hours on site, plus 45 minutes each way on a chartered bus to reach the isolated facility. Unlike the full site tours, there is no citizenship requirement, but photo ID is mandatory. Also, visitors under 18 are allowed but must be with their parent/guardian or adult designated by them, and have a signed release form. Free.
- Pre-War Historic Site Tour. This tour covers the remaining buildings of the former farm towns of Hanford and White Bluffs, which were displaced by the military for the construction of the Hanford nuclear site during World War II. This tour does not include the nuclear cleanup projects or the B Reactor, and US citizenship is not required. Free.
Parks and natural areas
[edit]
- 5 Hanford Reach National Monument, ☏ +1 509-371-1801, [email protected]. Most areas open from 2 hours before sunrise to 2 hours after sunset. The monumental Hanford nuclear fuel production site lies to the northwest of Richland, and strict security means that the land surrounding it was not developed — and became a surprising wildlife preserve. A National Monument since 2000, Hanford Reach covers thousands of acres in a giant U-shape along the Columbia River.
- 6 Badger Mountain Centennial Preserve. Badger rises above the Tri-Cities and is a popular hiking destination for a wide variety of climbers. There are a number of trails climbing the mountain with varying levels of difficulty.
- 7 Bateman Island. This island in the Columbia River is home to many different species of wildlife, including deer, birds, carp in the wet season, and numerous small animals. Common recreational activities include fishing, bird watching, and hiking. The island also has multiple geocaches on it.
- 8 Chamna Natural Preserve. A 276-acre park near the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia Rivers. It offers 11 miles of hiking trails through a multitude of habitats ranging from grasslands to riparian wooded areas.
- 9 Saddle Mountain B.L.M. Recreation Lands. A large outcrop in the plains. Popular as a hang-gliding spot. A wildlife refuge since 1953, it became part of the Hanford Reach National Monument in 2000.
- 10 W. E. Johnson Park, 2674-2560 Hall Rd (head west on Van Giesen from the Hwy 240 intersection and turn south on Hall Road, adjacent to Wood’s Nursery; entrance off of Tanglewood Drive). 5AM-11PM. A magnificent set of trails in the Yakima Delta area, reminiscent in some ways of nearby Chamna Park. Free.
Wine tasting
[edit]The region's long, warm summer days (an average of 300 days of sunshine per year) and crisp cool nights, combined with rich volcanic soils and controlled irrigation, make it a nearly perfect location to grow premium grapes. A wide variety are grown throughout the region including Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Pinot Noir and others.
There are over 160 wineries within an hour's drive. Many of these wineries offer wine tasting and tours.
- See also: Kennewick wine tasting
- 11 Anelare Winery, 19205 N McBee Road NW, Benton City, ☏ +1 509-303-5869. A private and limited bottling winery that offers premium wines to club members and selected varietals to the public. It is open to the public for tasting or you may reserve private tasting rooms for personal or business functions.
- 12 Pacific Rim Winery, 8111 Keene Rd, West Richland, ☏ +1 509-967-7477, [email protected]. It specializes in Rieslings.
Buy
[edit]- Adventures Underground, 1391 George Washington Way, ☏ +1 509-946-9893. Books, comics, games, hobby supplies, records, and a cafe.
Eat
[edit]- Apollo Authentic Greek Restaurant, 620 Cullum Ave. (Located by Lee Blvd.), ☏ +1 509-943-9841. Apollo offers a wide variety of fine Greek cuisine. Take-out is available.
- Monterosso’s Italian Restaurant, 1026 Lee Blvd, ☏ +1 509-946-4525. Lunch Tu-F 11AM-2PM, dinner M-Th 5-9PM, dinner F Sa 5-10PM. Italian restaurant in an antique railroad dining car.
- Spudnuts Donut, 228 Williams Ave (Uptown Shopping Center). M-F 4AM-6PM, Sa 4AM-4PM.
- Sterling's Restaurant, 890 George Washington Way. There is an all-you-can-eat or single trip salad bar, several soups prepared daily, and a wide and impressive menu featuring appetizers, fresh omelets (breakfast and dinner), steak, seafood, chicken, pasta, salads, burgers, and a kid's menu with shrimp, chicken fingers, french fries and fruit. Beer, wine, and spirits are on the drink menu. There is a newer branch at 2500 Queensgate Dr.
Drink
[edit]- Atomic Ale Brewpub, 1015 Lee Blvd, ☏ +1 509-946-5465. M-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 11AM-8PM. One of the only microbreweries in the area, this brewpub features such locally famous brews as Half-Life Hefeweizen, Atomic Amber and Plutonium Porter. The eatery features gourmet wood-fired pizzas.
- Whiskey River Bar & Grill, 775 Goethals Drive, ☏ +1 509-943 1971. 10AM - 2AM. Working class dive bar, with indoor/outdoor seating, some live music (classic rock, traditional country) and periodic karaoke.
Sleep
[edit]Richland doesn't have a large supply of hotels, and many of its travelers are on business at the Lab. As a result, hotels can unexpectedly book out at any time of the year. Kennewick's hotels are generally quite convenient to Richland as well, Pasco somewhat less so.
- Courtyard Richland Columbia Point, 480 Columbia Point Dr, ☏ +1 509-942-9400, fax: +1 509 942-9401.
- Hampton Inn, 486 Bradley Blvd., ☏ +1 509-943-4400. The budget end of the Hilton empire, it's a classic business hotel: nothing fancy, but the facilities are well maintained and the staff helpful.
- Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, 1970 Center Parkway, ☏ +1 509-737-8000.
- Holiday Inn Richland on the River, 802 George Washington Way, ☏ +1 509-946-7611. The building is passing through dated and wrapping all the way back around to retro - don't overlook the long curving hallway, or the pickled wood ceilings on the upper floor. Otherwise, a standard midrange hotel. Rates are on the high side for what you get.
- 1 The Lodge at Columbia Point, 530 Columbia Point Dr, ☏ +1 509-713-7423, toll-free: +1-844-200-8641, [email protected].
Go next
[edit]| Routes through Richland |
| Yakima ← Prosser ← | N  S
|
→ Kennewick → Hermiston |
| Yakima ← Prosser ← | W  E
|
→ Pasco → Walla Walla |