No Results Found

Come as you are, visit a celebrity Lady, listen for echoes of Kurt Cobain, step back into the time when timber ruled, feel as free as a bird.

Aberdeen’s welcome sign recites words from a song penned by the late native son, Kurt Cobain of the rock band Nirvana. “Welcome to Aberdeen – Come as You Are.” That take your time, let-your-hair-down welcome reflects the easy spirit of this comfortable and friendly place perched on Grays Harbor where the Chehalis and Wishkah rivers meet.

This “Gateway to the Olympic Peninsula” began life as a center for forestry and fishing. But it is more famous these days as the birthplace of grunge and the hometown of Nirvana’s Cobain and Krist Novoselic of Nirvana. Some of Cobain’s lyrics, in songs such as “Something in the Way,” refer to locations in the town.

More recently, Aberdeen’s downtown has been transformed, with colorful banners created by two dozen different artists and a “Walk of Fame” that pays tribute to Grays Harbor citizens who have made their mark. They include Cobain; NCAA and NFL football star John Elway; William Boeing, the founder of the Boeing Airplane Company; and artist Elton Bennett.

In terms of physical size, the biggest celebrity in these parts is undoubtedly the Lady Washington, a replica of the original ship that was sailed by Captain Robert Gray, the namesake of Grays Harbor. The Lady resides at the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, which is also home to the Tall Ship Hawaiian Chieftain. The Seaport offers sailing programs, charters, and a learning center.

Tours offer visitors a chance to experience the past by sailing up and down the Pacific Coast with the crews that operate the two ships. The Lady Washington was designated the state’s official ship in 2007, recognizing its years of service as a goodwill ambassador to the nation and the world. The legislation also acknowledged the ship’s role as a floating classroom for young people from across the country.

History is the canvas at the Aberdeen Museum, with an impressive collection of exhibits and artifacts that re-create scenes from 1880 through 1920 when fishing and lumber were dominant industries. There is a replica home, a general mercantile store, a one-room schoolhouse, and hundreds of historical photographs. The play’s the thing at the Driftwood Playhouse. The Bishop Center at Grays Harbor College also host shows and concerts.

A stroll through the downtown area reveals shopping discoveries at local merchants and galleries. Self-guided walking tours take visitors past luxurious Victorian mansions built by timber barons in the Broadway Hill area. Tour books are available at the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Information Center. Ten miles of waterfront trails beckon for hiking and exploration, and Lake Aberdeen – just a few minutes east of downtown – is a favorite place for swimming, fishing and picnicking, and visiting the fish hatchery. The Compass Rose, located at the confluence of the Chehalis and Wishkah rivers, is 40-feet across, and shows both true north and magnetic north. It’s a great place to watch the ships and the world go by.

Hoquiam

The City of Hoquiam (pronounced HO’-kwee-um) takes its name from the local Native American term that means “hungry for wood.” Incorporated in 1890, the town grew as a center for lumber and today is a charming blend of old and new, with historic river front mansions, and modern amenities.

The F. Arnold Polson House, built in 1924, is a National Historic Site. It is home to the Polson Museum, which contains the most extensive local collection of Grays Harbor history. The 26-room mansion is surrounded by two acres of parkland and extensive gardens. The museum is just finishing its Railroad Camp, designed to match the aesthetic, material and functional qualities of a century-old locomotive shed.

The gorgeous 7^th Street Theater, built in 1928 at the end of the vaudeville era and the dawning of the “talkies,” seats more than 1,000 people for the enjoyment of amateur and professional concerts and plays. It’s also a National Historic Site.

The City of Hoquiam has completed a $1.2 million restoration of the Historic Train Depot, donated to the city in 1992 by the Burlington Railroad. Hoquiam’s Castle, built in 1897 by timber merchant Robert Lytle, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a private residence and Bed & Breakfast.

Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge, off Highway 109 near the Bowerman Field Airport, is a stopover for hundreds of thousands of shorebirds during their spring and fall migrations. The birds flock here to feed on their way north to the Arctic and then pause again on their return trip south.

Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the preserve contains about 1,500 acres of intertidal mud flats, salt marsh and uplands, and attracts big numbers of sandpipers, dunlins, dowitchers, and plovers. Falcons, eagles and pelicans are also frequently seen. A new 1,800-foot boardwalk brings visitors closer to the bird’s acrobatic aerial displays. The Grays Harbor Shorebird Festival, timed to match the spring migration, draws people from around the world to view this wildlife spectacle.

The town’s logging heritage is celebrated every September with the Logger’s Playday. Ax-throwing and tree-climbing competitions delight spectators, and the parade usually has more than 100 entries. Grays Harbor Farmers Market and Craft Fair on Riverside Drive is open year round Wednesday through Saturday, with mouth-watering local produce, pastries, fresh seafood, fine arts, and quality crafted items.

Cosmopolis

Cosmopolis means “city of the world,” but this little town has more in common with small-town America. In 1855, it was the site of the first Indian Treaty meeting in this area of the coast between the territorial governor and representatives of coastal Indian tribes. The event is proudly recalled and celebrated by a large mural on First Street, on the east side of Highway 101.

Opal Art Glass creates exquisite crystal by mixing sand, soda ash, lime and other trace ingredients, heating them to 2,100 degrees. The resulting glass is manipulated and cut into nationally-renowned glass art. Owners Johnny and Darlene Camp operate their workshop and store on First Street, dazzling visitors with their exquisite creations.

Mill Creek Park is a 57-acre oasis with walking trails and a pond stocked with fish.

The waterfront walk along the Chehalis River is another popular place to stretch your legs and enjoy the fresh air.