What's New in the West: September 2010
The latest highlights include underground tours in Sacramento, a foodie's guide to Portland, giraffes in Boise, and King Kong in Hollywood.
- Guided tours by Old Sacramento Underground show you walls and sidewalks hidden in the late 1800s, when California’s River City raised its streets to escape floods. $15. historicoldsac.org.
- Find eco-conscious keepsakes at the new Habitat store in Yosemite Village, Calif. yosemitepark.com.
- The free Roots of Motive Power Festival in Willits, Calif., fires up a steam shovel, cars, and locomotives Sept. 11–12. rootsofmotivepower.com.
- Tahoe too crowded for you? Independence Lake—a new Nature Conservancy property north of Truckee, Calif.—is open for day use June through October. nature.org.
- Fashioning Felt, an exhibit at the San Francisco Museum of Craft & Design, features more than 70 works—from wall hangings to chairs—illuminating the history and uses of matted wool Oct. 22–Feb. 20. $5. sfmcd.org.
- Napa and Sonoma with Kids, a new iPhone app, lists over 135 family-friendly outings in California wine country, with tips for parents. $3. itunes.apple.com.
- Cool your heels, tube the Payette, or cheer the kayakers at Kelly’s Whitewater Park in Cascade, Idaho, through mid-September. Free.
kellyswhitewaterpark.com. - New attractions at Idaho’s Zoo Boise: Walk among wallabies, pet the farm animals, or feed the giraffes, Joseph and Julius. $6.50. zooboise.org.
- The 256-page Food Lover’s Guide to Portland rounds up everything culinary—bakeries, breweries, creameries, distilleries, produce marts, spice shops—but not restaurants. $18. barnesandnoble.com.
- Find out who wins when a three-ton gorilla battles a raging dinosaur on the world’s only wraparound stereoscopic movie screen at King Kong 360 3-D in Hollywood, Calif. universalstudioshollywood.com.
- View 45 works in Charles Deas and 1840s America at the Denver Art Museum. Some works by the painter of legendary Western scenes are displayed for the first time in 150 years. Through Nov. 28. denverartmuseum.org.
- Learn your stalactites and stalagmites at the new 2,600-square-foot visitor center for Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park near Whitehall, Mont. fwp.mt.gov/parks.
- Buddy discount: Save $50 on two or more adult ski passes bought together at Alaska’s Alyeska Resort. From $1,150. alyeskaresort.com.
- View a newly restored 1866 blast furnace, the only one of its kind west of the Rockies, at George Rogers Park in Lake Oswego, Ore. ci.oswego.or.us/parksrec/sites.htm.
Illustration by Michael Klein
This article was first published in September 2010. Some facts may have aged gracelessly. Please call ahead to verify information.
