Settling the Washington territories in the 1800s were many pioneer farmers, woodsmen who became timber barons, and Scandinavian fishermen who felt right at home amongst the deep fir forests lining the Pacific Northwest coast. The Nordic Heritage Museum (www.nordicmuseum.com) in Ballard is an ethnic treasure trove, and Poulsbo is an enclave for Norse nationals.

Dutch dairymen preferred Lynden, near Bellingham, where ice cream shops line the streets and a pioneer house museum captures the lifestyle and industry of settlers in charming detail. Immersion into days of old is found in Ferndale, a country town settled 150 years ago, with a stage stop, schoolhouse, print shop, jail, church and 11 logger cabins shown by vintage-attired docents May through September. Nearby this Pioneer Park is Hovander Homestead Park, an elegantly restored farmhouse bursting with antique farming machinery. More than 500 farm implements and equipment plus vintage kitchens and ironstone dishes are also tucked away in a family-run farm museum in Spokane at the Red Shed, (509-466-2744).

When in Eastern Washington, travel down through the Palouse, the most productive wheat-growing region in the world. Stop by the Blue Bunch Wheatgrass pioneer farm and Walla Walla's mansion district along Catherine, Palouse, Birch and Colville streets.

Port city Bellingham’s Whatcom Museum of History and Art is housed in a stately building (circa 1892) with clock tower and cupolas overlooking the harbor. Inside, wall murals depict loggers posing beside their monumental Douglas fir conquests. The museum's logging and Northcoast Indian Collections are excellent windows into the region's past.

A walk through the contemporary sculpture garden at Western Washington University, also in Bellingham, is an exploration of spatial dynamics and the relationship of nature and culture as expressed by Northwest, U.S. and foreign artists including Calder, Noguchi and Fitzgerald. A no-charge audio tour enlightens a visit here. (360-650-3963)

LOCALS SUGGEST:

• For a fascinating excursion visit The Pioneer Farm Museum in Eatonville whose authentic displays, enactments and story-telling will unveil the life of the Nisqually Valley natives and white homesteaders in the shadow of Mount Rainier. (360-832-6300)
• Another place to learn about early pioneers and Native peoples is on the Olympic Peninsula at the Forks Timber Museum, featuring logging exhibits and tracing the development and history of the Forks community from its early days to the present. (360-372-9663 or www.forks-web.com/fg/timbermuseum.htm)
• Tucked in the remotest northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula is the world-class Makah Cultural and Research Center depicting the pre-contact life of this Pacific Coast tribe through the uncovered remains from Ozette, a traditional Indian village buried by a mud slide 500 years ago. A large collection of beautifully preserved artifacts, early photography and full-scale replicas and dioramas make this a fascinating destination.
• Sink into some Indian-style family fun at the Yakama Nation Resort RV Park and Cultural Center by renting one of 14 colorfully decorated teepees. The Cultural Center here tells the story of the Yakama people with exhibits depicting traditional salmon fishing at Selilo Falls; sacred Pahto (Mt. Adams) watching over the land and creating many legends; wetlands and marshes where Tule was gathered for mat making; huckleberry and root digging customs; and a new wedding trade scene of two families exchanging goods as part of a marriage contract. Treaty signing, boarding schools, sweat lodge, a Tule tee and a 76-foot high Winterlodge and theater round out the cultural offerings. (800-874-3087 or www.yakamanation.com)