Richland, Washington: What to Do, Where to Eat and When to Go

Driving From Seattle: Three and a Half Hours, Two Good Routes

Richland is 201.7 miles and about 3 hours 29 minutes from Seattle by car. The standard route is I-90 east to Ellensburg, then I-82 southeast through Yakima and Union Gap to the I-182 junction near Richland; I-182 carries you into town, where SR 240 splits off. The National Park Service points Hanford visitors to a second option: leave I-90 for SR 24, then follow SR 240 for the last 30 miles along the desert to Logston Boulevard and the park visitor center. Use a map app for the exact turnoff from I-90. From Portland, the park counts 222 miles by way of I-84 east and US 97 north.

Kennewick and Pasco are the other two Tri-Cities. See our Tri-Cities guide, the Kennewick guide, Spending a Day in Pasco and our Benton County page.

Flying Into Tri-Cities Airport: 11 Nonstops, 14 Minutes From Richland

Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) is in Pasco at 3601 N 20th Avenue, 10.5 miles and about 14 minutes from Richland by car. Five airlines fly there: Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta and United. The airport’s destinations page lists 11 nonstops: Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Orange County, Las Vegas, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Phoenix Mesa, Denver, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and San Francisco. Seattle is the easy hop, on both Alaska and Delta. Portland is the newest return: Alaska restarted twice daily nonstops on June 10, 2026, the first PSC to Portland service since 2018. The terminal opens two hours before the first flight of the day.

Getting Around: Bring a Car, but Save a Morning for the River Trail

Richland is a driving town, and the day trips below all need a car. Ben Franklin Transit runs the local buses across the Tri-Cities: the adult cash fare is $1.50, an all day pass is $4 from the driver, and youth, seniors 65 and over and veterans ride fixed routes free with a BFT pass. Downtown parking is free, though some lots carry posted time limits. The best way to see the riverfront is on foot or by bike. The Sacagawea Heritage Trail is a 23 mile paved route through Richland, Kennewick and Pasco that passes the REACH Museum; walk the Richland stretch along Howard Amon Park in the cool of the morning. Our Hiking Trails in the Tri-Cities story has more.

Spudnut Shop: Potato Doughnuts in Richland Since 1948

The Original Spudnut Shop at 228 Williams Blvd, in the Uptown Shopping Center, has been frying doughnuts made with potato flour since 1948, and the current owners say they kept the same recipe, the same techniques and the same team when they took over. Get a classic glazed. One fan quote on the shop’s own site sets the house rule: “Don’t call them donuts, these are spudnuts.” The doors open at 4 AM Monday through Saturday and close at 2 PM, Sunday runs 6 AM to noon, and the shop warns that it sells out every day, so call ahead if you want a dozen.

Atomic Ale Brewpub and Eatery: Beer Soup on Wartime Ground

Aaron Burks opened Atomic Ale at 1015 Lee Blvd in 1997, and it bills itself as the Tri-Cities’ first brewpub with the area’s original wood fired oven. Order the red potato soup, made daily with the house hefeweizen, Canadian bacon and a hint of thyme, then a pizza from that oven. The brewpub says the wartime women’s barracks stood across the street and an A&W drive in with roller skating servers later occupied this lot, so walk the hallway of historical photos. Ask your server whether a brewer is free to show you the brewhouse. More taprooms are in our Tri-Cities breweries guide.

Barnard Griffin: A Tulip Lane Tasting Room With a Full Kitchen

Rob Griffin and Deborah Barnard started Barnard Griffin in 1983 with borrowed fruit and rented cellar space, and the winery has been at 878 Tulip Lane since 1996. Rob reached his 40th Washington harvest in 2016, which the winery says made him the longest tenured winemaker in state history. You do not need a reservation to taste, and unlike most tasting rooms this one runs a full kitchen: the 2026 example menu lists soft pretzel bites with warm Cougar Gold dip and a chicken pot pie under puff pastry. The campus closes on select weekends in January, March, May and October for wine club events, so check before a weekend trip.

Anthony’s at Columbia Point: Alder Planked Salmon Over the Marina

Anthony’s sits at 550 Columbia Point Drive, overlooking Columbia Point Marina and steps from Marina Park, and it is the Richland dinner that comes with a river view. The alder planked wild king salmon with melting leeks, $55 on the current menu, is the Northwest plate to order. Happy hour runs Monday through Friday, 3 to 6:30 PM, in the bar only.

Porter’s Real Barbecue: Get There Before the Brisket Sells Out

Porter came home to the Tri-Cities from South Carolina in 2009, started smoking meat on a $99 offset smoker, ran a food truck, and opened the first Porter’s in Richland in March 2015. The Richland shop at 1092 George Washington Way smokes its meats for up to 14 hours and cuts them to order, which is why the menu sells out. Get the prime grade brisket by the third of a pound, or the Jonny sandwich, a quarter pound each of brisket and pulled pork plus smoked bacon, for $16. Burnt ends are Tuesday only and beef ribs are Friday and Saturday only; hours are 11 AM to 8 PM Sunday through Thursday and 11 AM to 9 PM Friday and Saturday, or until sold out.

Red Mountain: Cabernet Country Just Past Benton City

Benton City, the town at the foot of Red Mountain, is 12.9 miles and about 16 minutes from Richland. Red Mountain is an American Viticultural Area known for Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. The first vines were planted in 1975, and the AVA is planted mostly to red grapes. It is the easiest wine afternoon you can take from Richland. Read Spending a Weekend at Red Mountain before you go.

White Bluffs: The Last Free Flowing Columbia, With Hanford Reactors Across the Water

The Hanford Reach National Monument protects the nation’s only remaining nontidal, free flowing stretch of the Columbia River, and the White Bluffs are the place to see it. The North trail is 7 miles round trip with about 500 feet of gain, past sand dunes and white cliffs, with the old Hanford reactors visible across the river. To get there, take SR 240 north 29 miles, SR 24 for 19 miles past the Vernita Bridge, then about 5 miles of refuge road, the first 4 on gravel. There is no water and few facilities, so carry what you need and skip midday in summer. The South Slope trail, 10 miles round trip, starts off Ringold Road north of Pasco. There is no entry fee at either trailhead.

Palouse Falls: A 200 Foot Drop, an Hour and 38 Minutes Out

Palouse Falls State Park Heritage Site is 74.2 miles and about 1 hour 38 minutes from Richland. The Palouse River drops 200 feet into a basalt bowl here, and it is Washington’s official state waterfall. The park is a 94 acre day use site with three viewpoints, the highest being the Fryxell Overlook. All trails into the canyon and to the base of the falls are permanently closed. Parking is extremely limited, weekends bring long waits, and trailers and RVs are not allowed, so go on a weekday morning. A Discover Pass is required. See our Palouse Falls State Park Heritage Site page and The Obsession with the Palouse Falls.

Walla Walla: An Hour East, and Worth the Overnight

Walla Walla is 57.6 miles and about 1 hour 5 minutes from Richland. It works as a day trip, but it rewards a night. Start with our Walla Walla guide, then read An Overnight Stay in Walla Walla and the Fort Walla Walla Museum listing.

Best Time to Visit Richland: May, June and September, Not Late July

Richland is desert. On the 1981 to 2010 climate normals, the average high is 88.3 degrees in July and 87.5 in August, and the city gets just 7.62 inches of precipitation a year. May, June and September give you warm days without the worst heat, and they line up with the calendar: Cool Desert Nights and the Richland Regatta in late June, Tumbleweed on Labor Day weekend, and the Department of Energy’s free historic site tours from May through September. Winter is cold and quiet, with average January highs near 41 degrees.

What Is Closed or Changing in 2026 and 2027

The big one: B Reactor tours are suspended for major construction. The National Park Service says the reactor is closed to public access while the Department of Energy replaces the roof and completes other preservation work, and the Department of Energy tour site projects a restart in late summer 2027, though the REACH Museum says the 2027 season is off and 2028 is undecided. In the meantime the Department of Energy runs a free Pre World War II Historic Facility tour, about 4 hours long, from the visitor center at 2000 Logston Blvd. It stops at the Bruggemann Warehouse, the Allard Pump House, the White Bluffs Ferry Landing, the First Bank of White Bluffs and Hanford High School, and passes the B Reactor with visitors staying on the bus outside the fence. The 2026 season ran May 1 through September 26, and registration opened April 1 at 8 AM, so watch for the 2027 dates in early spring. In the air, Alaska’s Portland nonstop came back to Tri-Cities Airport on June 10, 2026.

How Long to Stay

One full day covers the Manhattan Project story in town: the park visitor center, the REACH Museum, a slow drive past the alphabet houses and an evening on the river at Howard Amon Park. Stay two nights to add Red Mountain and a morning at White Bluffs. In July and August, plan anything outdoors for early morning.