Kennewick, Washington: Things to Do on the Columbia, Where to Eat and When to Go

Driving From Seattle: 211 Miles, Most of Them on I-90 and I-82

Kennewick is 211.6 miles and about 3 hours 45 minutes from Seattle by car. Take I-90 east to Ellensburg, then I-82 southeast through Yakima. The Benton Franklin Fair’s own directions from Seattle leave I-82 at exit 102 for I-182 toward Richland and Pasco, then take SR 240 at exit 5A toward Kennewick, which brings you into town along Columbia Park. I-82 itself bypasses Kennewick to the south, and US 395 runs north and south through the city toward Spokane. From Portland, the drive is 202.8 miles and about 3 hours 42 minutes.

Flying In: Tri-Cities Airport Is 10 Minutes Across the River

Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) is in Pasco, about 5.7 miles and 10 minutes from Kennewick by taxi or rideshare. Five airlines serve it: Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta and United. The airport lists nonstops to Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Orange County, Las Vegas, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Phoenix Mesa, Denver, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and San Francisco, and Seattle is the easy hop on either Alaska or Delta. Pasco is also where Amtrak’s Empire Builder and Greyhound stop.

Getting Around: Two Bridges to Pasco and a $1.50 Bus

Kennewick is a driving city, and Columbia Park, Southridge and Clover Island sit miles apart. Ben Franklin Transit runs buses across the Tri-Cities: the adult cash fare is $1.50, an all day pass is $4 from the driver, riders under 19 ride free, and seniors 65 and over and veterans ride fixed routes free with a BFT pass. Kennewick has two transit hubs, the Three Rivers Transit Center near the Toyota Center and the Dayton Transfer Point downtown. The Blue Bridge (SR 240) and the Cable Bridge (SR 397) cross the Columbia to Pasco, and Richland, on the same side of the river, is 10.3 miles and about 16 minutes away. For the bigger picture, see our Tri-Cities guide, the Richland guide and our Benton County page.

Cedars at Pier One: Crab Cakes Over the Water Since 1976

Cedars opened on Clover Island on March 4, 1976, and it is still the Kennewick dinner that comes with the river: the building sits over the water at 355 N Clover Island Drive, with views up the Columbia and across to the Cable Bridge. Order the crab cakes, two large cakes laced with lobster cream sauce for $25, or come early for the Early Bird Salmon, $28 from 4 to 6 PM with the salad bar, a roll and a side. Cedars is open Tuesday through Sunday, 4 to 9 PM; the dining room stops seating at 7:30 and the lounge at 8, and reservations are by phone only. Menu prices are cash prices, and cards add 3.25 percent. The Port of Kennewick removed the restaurant’s nearly 50 year old dock in 2024, so boaters now tie up at the island’s public docks.

Ice Harbor Brewing: Halibut and Chips at the Marina, Pints Under the Public Market Sign

Two former Hanford workers started Ice Harbor in 1997, and for years it brewed in a historic grain mill downtown. Today it runs two Kennewick rooms. The Brewery Pub at 10 E Bruneau Ave, under the big Public Market sign, has a pizza oven and the Caboose Room for events. The Marina taproom at 350 N Clover Island Drive opened in 2007 with outdoor seating on the water; order the halibut fish and chips, hand cut fillets in Harvest Pale Ale batter and panko. Both are open 11 AM to 8 PM Sunday and Monday and 11 AM to 9 PM Tuesday through Saturday. More taprooms are in our Tri-Cities breweries story.

Rockabilly Roasting Co: Drum Roasted Coffee on West Kennewick Avenue

Rockabilly roasts specialty beans on a drum in house and serves them from its downtown cafe at 101 W Kennewick Ave, and it promises nothing it sells is older than a week. Ask for Rev It Up, a deliberately light Brazilian roast with almond and peanut notes that the roaster sells only as espresso. The cafe opens at 7 AM on weekdays and 8 AM on Saturdays and is closed Sundays, so plan a downtown coffee stop accordingly.

El Fat Cat Grill: Fiji Tacos at a Walk Up Window on Edison

El Fat Cat Grill has one location, at 539 N Edison St, and takes walk up orders only, Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 3 PM. The order is the Fiji Tacos: curry marinated chicken topped with mango, jicama, vegetable jardinière, lettuce and house mayo. It can sell out before closing, so check its social pages before you drive over, and read our Top 5 Taco Trucks in the Tri-Cities for the rest of the circuit.

Columbia Gardens: A Tasting Room and Food Trucks on Columbia Drive

The Port of Kennewick built Columbia Gardens Wine and Artisan Village on Columbia Drive to pull downtown back toward the river, with tasting rooms, a food truck plaza and a waterfront path. Monarcha Winery, a Palencia Wine Co. label, pours at 421 E Columbia Drive, by appointment Monday through Wednesday. The plaza’s trucks rotate through barbecue, Hawaiian, Mexican, seafood ceviche and comfort food, and the port asks visitors to check each vendor for hours. For a different kind of crawl, follow our Trail to Tamales in Tri-Cities.

Richland: The Hanford Story, 16 Minutes Upriver

Richland is 10.3 miles and about 16 minutes from Kennewick, and it is where the Manhattan Project story lives. The REACH Museum sits at 1943 Columbia Park Trail, at the Richland end of the same riverfront, and the Manhattan Project National Historical Park visitor center is at 2000 Logston Blvd. B Reactor tours are suspended for major construction and are projected to resume in late summer 2027; in the meantime, the park ran a free Atomic Explorations ranger program at the visitor center Monday through Saturday at 2 PM from May 25 to September 5. Start with our Richland guide.

Sacajawea Historical State Park: Where the Snake Meets the Columbia

Sacajawea Historical State Park in Pasco is 6.4 miles and about 13 minutes away, a 267 acre day use park at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers. Walk the grounds to read the seven story circles by artist Maya Lin, then step into the interpretive center, which covers the Corps of Discovery, Sacagawea and the Sahaptin speaking tribes of the region. The park closes from November 1 through March 31, so this is a spring through fall stop. If you have a high clearance four wheel drive and a full day, the Juniper Dunes Wilderness, about seven miles northeast of Pasco, protects 7,140 acres of dunes up to 130 feet tall and the northernmost western juniper groves; it has no maintained trails or water and is surrounded by private land, so read our Juniper Dunes Wilderness story before you go. The Tri-Cities guide covers more of Pasco.

Red Mountain: Cabernet Country 25 Minutes West

Benton City, the town at the foot of Red Mountain, is 20.1 miles and about 25 minutes from Kennewick. Red Mountain’s first vines went in in 1975, and the AVA is known for Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. An afternoon of tasting there pairs well with dinner back on Clover Island.

Walla Walla: Under an Hour East

Walla Walla is 48.8 miles and about 58 minutes from Kennewick. It works as a long day trip, but the downtown and the wineries reward an overnight. Start with our Walla Walla guide.

Go in May, June or September, and Plan July Around the Hydros

Kennewick is semiarid country in the Cascades’ rain shadow. On the 1991 to 2020 normals, the average high is 91.3 degrees in July and 90.3 in August, January averages 41.7, and the city sees about 7.87 inches of precipitation a year. May, June and September give you warm days without the worst heat. July brings the big crowds: River of Fire on the Fourth and the Water Follies hydroplane weekend later in the month, which closes parts of Columbia Park and the Sacagawea Heritage Trail and charges entry to some areas. Winter is quiet and can bring days of fog when inversions settle over the basin, but December has the lighted boat parade and the Cable Bridge Run.

What Changed in 2026: Read This Before You Plan

The Public Market at Columbia River Warehouse, the indoor market at 10 E Bruneau Ave, closed on March 31, 2026; Ice Harbor’s Brewery Pub in the same building is still open. The Downtown Kennewick Farmers Market did not run in 2025, and a May 2026 roundup of Tri-Cities markets found no Kennewick market scheduled for 2026, so check before planning a Thursday around it. Badger Mountain Organic Winery, the vineyard behind our Washington’s First Organic Winery story, closed its tasting room on October 31, 2025, though its wines and club continue. On Clover Island, the Clover Island Inn’s Crow’s Nest restaurant is closed for renovation and the inn lists its pool opening as to be determined. Across the river, B Reactor tours in Richland remain suspended until a projected restart in late summer 2027.

How Long to Stay: One Day for the River, Two Nights for the Region

One full day covers Kennewick itself: a morning on the trail in Columbia Park, coffee and the Museum at Keewaydin downtown, and sunset and dinner on Clover Island. Stay two nights to add Richland’s Hanford sites, Sacajawea State Park and either Red Mountain or Walla Walla. In July and August, do anything outdoors early, and bring water on the trail.