Richland

Richland is a city of 51,000 people (2020) in the Columbia River Plateau. Together with Pasco and Kennewick they form the Tri-Cities area of Washington.

Understand

The city is home to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a large national research lab. Immediately beyond the lab is the beginning of the Hanford nuclear site, where the ongoing remediation is the single largest construction project in the country.

Get in

By car, Richland's central business district is immediately off of Interstate 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.

Tri-Cities Airport (PSC IATA) is located in Pasco, roughly 10 miles 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

Ben Franklin Transit provides bus transportation within Richland and the Tri-Cities area.

See

Do

  • 🌍 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 β€” 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.
  • 🌍 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.
  • 🌍 The Chamna Natural Preserve. A park near the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia Rivers. It offers hiking through a multitude of habitats ranging from grasslands to riparian wooded areas.

Eat

  • 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

  • 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

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.

Go next

Routes through Richland
Yakima ← Prosser ←  N  S  β†’ Kennewick β†’ Hermiston
Yakima ← Prosser ←  W  E  β†’ Pasco β†’ Walla Walla


This article is issued from Wikivoyage. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.