Check out these local festivals and attractions for an adventure steeped in Washington culture

written by Cathy Carroll

A digital aurora borealis shimmers in a Nordic museum, a fresh-hopped beer festival’s intoxicating aroma invites and a 268-foot waterfall reveals ancient tribal stories. Take in these sensory-filled adventures through new cultural landscapes as diverse as the state’s geography.

SEATTLE

The National Nordic Museum

Ballard-based artist Ginny Ruffner’s monumental Project Aurora—a 20-foot-tall installation of undulating, shimmering sheets of colored light that evokes the aurora borealis—arrived earlier this year. She collaborated with Ed Fries, a prominent video game programmer and entrepreneur, and Wanda Gregory, a University of Washington lecturer and former video game professional, to program the piece to capture the unpredictability of the natural phenomenon.

Catch this permanent exhibit Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 10 p.m. as part of general admission to the museum and community space on Ballard’s working waterfront, in an iconic building that embodies Nordic design. | www.nordicmuseum.org/exhibitions

SEATTLE

Chihuly Garden and Glass + Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience

In addition to Chihuly Garden and Glass’s eight galleries, the centerpiece Glasshouse and lush sculpture garden, Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience runs October 17 through 20 with exhibitions, parties for mingling with artists and collectors, exclusive studio tours and live demonstrations. Engage with dozens of local glass artists—from reality TV stars to rising Seattle talents—showing why Seattle is recognized as the nation’s largest hub of glass art.

Refract programs happen across Seattle and neighboring cities including Everett, Bainbridge Island, Issaquah and Tacoma. Much of the more than ninety events around the works of more than seventy artists is free. | www.chihulygardenandglass.com, www.refractseattle.org

SNOQUALMIE

Snoqualmie Falls + Visitor Center

Witnessing the beauty and power of Snoqualmie Falls, its water pounding and cascading on a 268-foot drop, is an experience deepened only by learning how it is central to the Snoqualmie Tribe’s creation history, passed down since time immemorial. The Snoqualmie Falls Gift Shop and Visitor Center is the place to discover the fascinating historical, cultural and spiritual significance of this place, sacred to the tribe, which renovated the center last year along with the adjacent, tribal-owned Salish Lodge & Spa.

Through Snoqualmie tribal art, video interviews with tribal members and interpretive displays, the center reveals how the tribe honors its spiritual practices and fights to protect the falls and our other sacred lands from encroaching threats. | www.salishlodge.com

TACOMA

In the Spirit: Arts Market & Northwest Native Festival

Artist vendors, Native music, cultural dances and exhibitions, all free, are presented August 10 at the Washington State History Museum, Tacoma Art Museum and Museum of Glass. The Indigenous Fashion Show at Tacoma Art Museum highlights contemporary designs by Indigenous designers, led by creative director Mary Kelsay of MEKA clothing. | www.tacomaartmuseum.org/events

YAKIMA

Fresh Hop Ale Festival

Unlike other beer festivals, this is outstanding in its field—a main ingredient, hops, is grown here. Yakima Valley harvests 75 percent of the nation’s hops, and each one is harvested and processed during thirty intense days every September. It culminates October 5 with this nationally recognized festival attracting sixty-five brewers from around the U.S. competing with ales crafted specifically for the festival that use only freshly harvested hops. Sip Yakima Valley wines and ciders, savor local flavors from food trucks and vendors and take in live music. | www.visityakima.com

PORT ANGELES

The Dungeness Crab Festival

You’ll find fresh Dungeness crab, live music on three stages and more than seventy-five booths devoted to the Olympic Coast’s diverse cuisine, Native American heritage and environmental initiatives at this October 11 through 13 event. Savor a traditional crab dinner at the First Fed Crab Central Tent, stretching onto the City Pier. Explore the Feiro Marine Science Center, and watch for whales and sea lions from the pier tower. | www.crabfestival.org