Water2Wine Cruises in Richland, WA

For my trip home this year I wanted to do something other than hanging around the house. In my search for something interesting to do, I came across Water2Wine Cruises which started operating in 2016. The company offers a few different cruise options, including ones with entertainment, but the best option for my trip was a Sunday brunch cruise.

We set sail from the Columbia Point Marina in Richland, WA at 12:30pm. The marina has plenty of parking and it was easy to spot the yacht and where we needed to check in. After a short wait for others to arrive, we boarded the 96-foot yacht and were handed mimosas. At check-in we were given a table assignment, so we headed to our seats.

On the brunch cruise every party was seated on the lower level, but the upper level has tables as well. It appeared that every seat had a great view of the river and there’s also the option to leave your seat to get a completely unobstructed view from the front or back of the yacht during the 1.5 hours (other cruises are longer) you’re on the Columbia River.

The brunch was buffet style and the food was delicious, especially the roasted potatoes. Water, coffee, and tea were free while alcoholic beverages could be ordered for an additional price.

Although my table didn’t order anything extra, the staff was still very attentive. The yacht itself is decorated beautifully and also has bathrooms available. My group definitely enjoyed ourselves. I’d definitely go on one of the longer cruises next time.

Ride the Ducks in Seattle, WA

When I live in a city, I rarely do any of the tourist things and yet I love them when I'm on vacation in an unfamiliar place. So I lived in Washington for years without ever doing the Ride the Ducks tour. (I also only ever went up twice to the Space Needle observation deck--it's pricey and a long line, but the view is pretty spectacular.) If you live in a city with tourist-y things, I think it's worth checking them out. I had tons of fun on my Ride the Ducks tour. I chose Westlake Center as my starting point (Seattle Center is the other starting point which is the location to choose if needing to store any large items). The tour covers the same area regardless of where you start. Although the boat captain/tour guide will have some cheesy jokes, the tour is tremendous fun especially when on the water. Getting to see the houseboats up close was amazing.