Don't be intimidated by the security gate - this place is super family friendly and FREE! Great stop on a road trip where you can pop in the discovery center and learn, as well as let the kids (and your dog) play outside on the playground and beautifully landscaped grounds. All the employees (security and those in the discovery center) seemed super happy to share insights and were very welcoming. Plus there were water bottle fill stations and CLEAN family bathrooms. We will be back! read more

Rocky Reach Discovery Center - Playground by the discovery center. - Visitor Centers Near Me - Wenatchee, Washington

Very informative, fun for kids. Lots of information. The most fun game was downstairs. There is a video screen and you're the captain. You're trying to navigate your boat through the rapids and he rocks complete with sound and video effects . The give you tours to walk across to see the turbines. Talk about the fish, fish ladders and how they're trying to preserve the fish swimming out to the ocean. read more

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Located at the Rocky Reach Dam is the Rocky Reach Visitor Center. The visitor center is a wonderful place to learn all about hydroelectric power and how it is made. The Visitor Center is run by the Chelan PUD. The exhibits are fun and interactive. You can be a steam boat captain and drive a steam boat down the river. You can learn about the hydroelectric power and how electricity is made. Then there is the wildlife or fish exhibit where you can look into a fish ladder. Unfortunately, the fish ladder was not in operation at the time of our visit. They do have employees who will give you a quick tour and tell you facts about the Chelan PUD. The employee told us that this area of Washington has the cheapest electrical rate in the country. According to the Chelan PUD website, they charge 2.7 per kwh. He then thanked me and California for buying electricity from them at elevated rates to pay for Chelan's County parks that the PUD maintains. When I checked Southern California Edison's website, I was shocked to see that they charge 31 cents for kwh if I am in Tier 1. If I exceed my baseline allocation, I am charged 40 to 50 cents per kwh. I enjoyed my quick visit to the visitor center. I'd love to come back during salmon season to see the salmon in the ladder. read more

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We had a wonderful tour of the Rocky Reach Dam at the Discovery Center in Wenatchee, by David Gere. He was enthusiastic and entertaining while providing a fantastically educational experience for all ages. The tour guide makes or breaks this type of experience, and David was delightful. His enthusiasm was contagious and we're looking forward to registering for the Hard Hat Tour in the future. We had a group with various ages, the youngest being seven, and the tour was thoroughly enjoyed by all. I highly recommend getting on a tour with David, it was the highlight of our time in Wenatchee. read more

Free and substantially educational, this interactive visitors center explains the creation and impact of the PUD in Chelan County. The combination of a coursing river and elevation drop make this dam extremely successful. It's impact providing hydroelectric power is top in the country and exemplifies the ability to do so while protecting the fish and wildlife in the riparian areas. The exhibits range from audio video to display cases and hands on attempts to navigate a river boat or follow the path of a salmons life. The fish ladder viewing area on the lower level is a firsthand view of the fish in this river. Visit! read more

Rocky Reach Discovery Center - Partial outdoor signage - Visitor Centers Near Me - Wenatchee, Washington

Located only a few miles outside Wenatchee, this property is a multi attraction gem. The property is beautifully landscaped with a large area devoted to gardens, a picnic area and playground. On the day of our visit, there was a touring library truck set up outside the visitors center. We toured the various exhibits, took in panoramic views of the Columbia River from balconies and watched numerous Coho and sockeye salmon pass by the fishways 5 windows. read more

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GREAT new visitor center and wonderful helpful knowledgable stuff. Great for families and electric power buffs alike. Take a picnic lunch and enjoy the beautiful grounds. read more

Awesome place. Go an discover the Wenatchee valley and history of the inhabitants decades ago. Take the tour of the dam with the guide. So much information about the resources in the area. The deli for lunch is a big must! read more

I thought I would be a pretty good steam boat Captain I grabbed the wheel and started up the River. Unfortunately I had no maps or experience and I ran aground and destroyed the ship and it's cargo. Then I looked up and it had already made the news. Try it. It's fun Then I tried the restaurant. Very good food at a reasonable price. Worth the trip. read more

Hello, Rocky Reach! My husband and I rented a Tesla Model S to do a road trip from Bellingham to Grand Coulee and back, heading west on highway 2 and back east on highway 20. For the trip, we plotted a route that included high amperage EV charging stations provided by Plug-In NCW and their hosting properties. I'm glad we did, as this lead us right to the Rocky Reach Dam and visitor's center. I love visiting large public infrastructure projects and learning about renewable energy and the history of the local areas. Rocky Reach fits this bill perfectly, with a superb self-guided tour and a very nice visitor's center. The views of the fish ladder are spectacular and the catwalk above the powerhouse with panoramic views of the dam is incredible. The grounds are impeccably maintained and the visitors center, from the 1950s (?) is in excellent shape, as well. Having done the Grand Coulee Dam tour, I have to say that Rocky Reach Dam is more impressive, more interactive, and more informative. Kudos to Rocky Reach Dam staff for making this trip so memorable. Also, thanks for providing free electric vehicle charging (something that isn't available at Grand Coulee)... driving a water-powered car is pretty cool. read more

This was one, if not THEE favorite stop on the way to Lake Chelan 3 years ago! I'm bringing new people this year!

We stopped through here as part of a day trip around the Cascades and we absolutely loved it. This dam has a fairly large (dog friendly) park, a playground, even a place to perform weddings. The park here is far better maintained than quite a few of the parks I've been to in Western Washington...and greener. The best part was that it was free. We took the time to go visit the exhibits and see the fish ladder (no fish sadly, wrong time of year). Also, right now they have an introduction to Geocaching going on which while super easy for experienced Geocachers was a lot of fun. They even gave us a really nice coin as a prize for completing it at the end. It's great for kids. We're going to bring my nephew here this summer. read more

What a great museum and self-guided tour! Beautiful grounds, excellent playground with stunning views of the area. Free admission. Has a cafe and small gift shop- perfect place for a picnic stop as well. read more

Rocky Reach Discovery Center - Fish ladder - Visitor Centers Near Me - Wenatchee, Washington

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The AAA Tourbook said it was a gem, and it is definitely worth a stop. Access to the facility, museum and gardens are free and there is a lot of see. There is a fish ladder, great views of the dam inside and out, interactive electricity exhibits, and lots of artifacts of the history of the area. It's also pretty cool that it all hasn't really changed since the 50s-60s. read more

What a great place! They have a large museum and beautiful grounds. No cost to visit. Plenty to do to keep kids busy for awhile and very little crowds even during busier times. We come here every time we visit Leavenworth. read more

During a trip to Chelan we needed a rainy day activity to keep our kids occupied. We thought we'd check out the Rocky Reach Visitor's Center. It totally exceeded our expectations! Our kids loved the salmon ladder and salmon "waterslide," the museum was entertaining and the highlight was watching the turbines and the workers from behind the glass. Additionally, Mama D's Cafe was delicious - great service and amazingly good sandwiches. We'll be stopping by in the summer to play on the playground (looks phenomenal) and to check things out again. read more