REACH Museum

Photo: Kathy T via Google Maps

The REACH Museum sits on Columbia Park Trail along the Columbia River in Richland, and it is the place to start if you want to understand how this stretch of desert and river came to be what it is. Run by the Richland Public Facilities District, the museum tells the story of the Columbia Basin “from the Ice Age to the Atomic Age and beyond,” covering geology, plants and animals, Native heritage, irrigation, hydropower and the Hanford Site.

The museum takes its name from the Hanford Reach, the nearby section of the Columbia River, and it describes itself as the central hub for telling the story of both the Manhattan Project and the Hanford Reach National Monument. It is a compact, well organized museum, and its outdoor spaces add native plant gardens, sculptures and sweeping views of the river.

What You’ll See

• Gallery One: The landscape story, from the Ice Age Floods that carved the basin to drawers of petrified wood and fossils, an electronic fossil dig where you piece together mammoth bones, and Native American artifacts from beaded bags to digging sticks.
• Gallery Two: The Manhattan Project and the Hanford Engineering Works, the secret wartime facility that produced plutonium, and how that work transformed the Tri-Cities.
• Grand Hall: A floor to ceiling satellite map of Columbia Basin agriculture, a hydropower exhibit where you can grasp a real power line, a large aquarium of Columbia River fish, and an exhibit on the founding of the Red Mountain wine region.
• The River Protected: Live fish from the Columbia River and Washington lakes, with daily “Do You See Me?” tags spotlighting a featured species.
• Outdoors: A restored 1954 GMC bus that once carried Hanford workers, a 1947 Vagabond trailer you can step inside, a garden with a working irrigation pivot, a trail to the river lined with steel cutouts of 22 native animals, and the Solar Stage, whose arches line up with their concrete base at noon on the solstices.

The Story Behind It

The REACH opened on July 1, 2014, after more than a decade of planning, and it succeeded an earlier Richland museum known as the Columbia River Exhibition of History, Science, and Technology. The building’s ground floor holds two main galleries, space for rotating exhibits and a great hall. The museum is supported by the REACH Foundation, a nonprofit that raises money and advocates for it, and it places a strong emphasis on school field trips and family learning.

Tips for Your Visit

• The museum says a complete visit typically takes 45 to 60 minutes, and new admissions stop a little before closing, so arrive with time to spare.
• The Cold War bus, the Vagabond trailer and the outdoor fountain are open seasonally, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
• Accessible parking sits near the entrance, indoor exhibits and outdoor pathways are wheelchair accessible, and loaner wheelchairs and noise reducing headphones are available at the front desk. The museum also hosts monthly Sensory Friendly Nights.
• Hanford B Reactor tours are run by the Department of Energy, not the museum. The museum’s site notes that tours are suspended for the 2027 season, so check with Manhattan Project National Historical Park before planning around one.

Plan Your Visit

Address: 1943 Columbia Park Trail, Richland, WA 99352
Phone: 509.943.4100
Website: visitthereach.us
Hours and admission: Check the museum website for current days, hours, and admission before you visit.
Directions: View on Google Maps