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| The hand-painted kites at the Kite Museum are works of art |
There's always something going on at the beach. Washington's
Long Beach Peninsula, in the southwest portion of the state, was named one of
‘America’s Favorite Beach Towns’ by ForbesTraveler.com and voted ‘Best Beach’
by the viewers of Seattle’s KING-5 TV. The Long Beach Peninsula offers visitors
colorful shops, great locally sourced seafood, unusual museums, horseback
riding, and miles of oceanfront dunes and beaches.
Long Beach is known for kites and the sea breezes that hold
them aloft. Each August kites from all over the world are found at the annual
Washington State International Kite Festival. You'll see colorful mass
ascensions, sport kite events and trick flying. For one glorious week, kites
are king in this beach town.
Year round you can enjoy the beauty and sport of kites by
visiting The World Kite Museum in Long Beach. This two story building displays
different shapes and uses of kites ranging from the Kites of WWII to the
beautiful display of Asian kites. These hand painted and beautifully
constructed works of art caught my eye on a recent visit.
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| Pirate ship kite. |
Throughout the museum
you'll constantly be looking up to see what's flying. A tall-masted pirate ship
kite fascinated us. Videos display the kites in action. You can even make your
own kite to take with you. The beach is close-by. (museum has admission charge)
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| Vintage photo of the cranberry harvest. |
In fall, thoughts turn to the bright red cranberry. Early
August is harvest time. You can see the bogs being flooded and the cranberries,
that will float to the top of the water, being scooped up. The annual Cranberrian Fair,
held in October is a good time to sample cranberry cuisine, tour bogs and travel
by Cranberry Trolley.
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| Ripening cranberries. |
The Cranberry
Museum is worth a visit. You can learn about the history of cranberry
production in Washington, see cranberry-related machinery, take a self guided
bog tour and buy a locally produced cranberry product in their gift shop.
Although these are great times to visit the Long Beach
Peninsula, I enjoy the beach year round. Storms can batter the coast and make
cozying up to a fire place a real treat.
The beach is always great for walking.
Long Beach has the Discovery Trail and Boardwalk to enjoy. And the local chefs
do wonders with the locally sourced cuisine.
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