yakama nation cultural center

MaryF398

A fairly new museum as museums go, the Yakama Nation museum is easily accessable from the highway with plentry of parking. A good children's museum with lots of large visuals and an excellent history of the Yakama Nation. And, the restaurants attaches so it makes a good rest from highway travel.

oldsue

What a find. Excellent museum with a great deal of information about the native Americans and the area . Slightly amateur but that was half the charm. Helpful staff Worth an hour or so of your time

METRUN360

We stopped to look around the museum and gift shop briefly after eating at Miner's and before finishing our drive to Bend, Oregon.It was very interesting. Very insightful and tasteful as well.In addition we got to see a traditional Yakama wedding taking place outside which was very nice!

sejcook

This is far and away one of the best historical museums I've ever had the good fortune to spend time in. True, it isn't large, but it covers a lot of ground. It is not limited to Yakama Nation information, either. Although most of it is about the Yakama Nation and beautifully done. Yes, they do need to replace some light bulbs and make it easier to read all the marvelous material that is available. An even nicer part of this experience was talking to the women who run the gift shop an hearing about their personal experiences. We were also lucky enough to be there when there was a wedding going on. I highly recommend visiting the cultural center. As my title implies, I'm sorry I waited so long to see it and I will be going back to make sure I haven't missed anything important. Regarding food, you can eat at the great buffet in the Legends Casino which is just down the road.

Wander_Wan

We stopped off here to get a taste of the Native American culture in Yakima (this seems to be the main interpretive centre in the area) and it was interesting insight to the lives of the local culture. All aspects of Native American life is covered, including involvement in the World Wars. No photography is allowed anywhere inside, so bear that in mind when you enter the building.

GypsyGrl2122

The cultural center is nice to stop in and see but the museum is darkly lit and limited in its space. The Native Americans in this area did so much, offered so much it's too bad there is not more space to show it all. The work that has been done there, the history is worth seeing but doesn't take long to review. Although you can see the center from highway 97 it is a bit difficult to find the entrance.Entry cost to the museum was very affordable.Admission was:Adults: $6.00Seniors 55 & Over: $4.00Children (11-18): $4.00Children (0-10): $2.00Active Military: $4.00Guided Tour: $25.00Open 8 am - 5pmThere is a restaurant in the same building. Check times and openings on the website. I found the food OK.

Kingsharkey

Found this with much difficulty. Search "Yakama Nation RV" to find. Garmin GPS did not recognize street address found on Google. Not sure if being on Yakama reservation made difference. Small but interesting. Could use more depth/substance. Rather dimly lit. Interesting gift someof which are not Native American.

MaryP849

We only had 2 hours to spent - could have stayed 3 and learned more. Wonderful displays - good explanations of artifacts...Only problem is some of the lights on the display cases were off and we couldn't read the write ups in those cases...Great on site display of lodge house and tee pee. Nice gift store but prices there aren't cheap. Interesting that it has espresso coffee for sale.

Bob1263

A great cultural center. Very nice displays. Well worth a visit. There is a restaurant and theater on the property as well.

chaisem28

Wow such an interesting stop! So much info about Native American culture especially in the Yakama area! Well worth a visit!

StickyGlue62

Having lived in Washington state and being an author of the a book dealing with the Yakama wars (1855-58) I was hoping to gain new information about the tribe and the area. I was disappointed. The display that describes the Walla Walla council was accurate but the way it was worded it left out some important facts. It left the reader thinking that all whites didn't care much for the tribe which was not true. While it did have mannequins of various tribal leaders, around the US, there was nothing about one of the greatest leaders of the Yakama tribe- Chief Kamiakan who lead the war and came the closet, of all Indian leaders, to driving out the whites and unifying the various tribes in the area. The rest of the displays are dealing with the origins of the tribe as well as what happened to them after the war. It was interesting. The museum is small (there is a fee to enter) and doesn't take that much time to finish. There is also a small gift shop which you can browse after seeing the museum.

KD4ML

The museum is well organized and interesting. We especially liked the manikins of notable Indians in traditional costumes, representing various tribes. They have a large display of artifacts, structures and many scenes of village life. There are lots of indigenous animals on exhibit. (Excellent taxidermy.) Unfortunately, there was also a certain amount of thinly veiled, negative propaganda regarding the sad plight of the Yakama which overshadows their accomplishments. It would have been nice to have seen more information about their daily lives and traditions. NO PHOTOS ARE ALLOWED.

supersnookers

When over in Toppenish, we always go there for a movie. For $6.00 it makes for a fun night of some good movies. They are fairly new movies, and the theater is nice.

ShelleyG33

Having lived in Eastern WA most of my life I thought I was well-educated in Native American history. I learned many things I didn't know at this small but well-kept museum. It was definitely worth the small entrance fee.

davec472

The Yakama Nation Cultural center is essentially a museum of local indian history. They have reproductions of indian housing, historical clothing, weapons etc. The displays are top notch and the description are very good. Many museums have boring descriptions of their displays but these are quite good. Both of my kids enjoyed it tremendously as did I. Behind the museum is a restaurant where you can order conventional meals but also items that might be considered indian food. I didn't eat there as the prices where a little high but it looked like a nice restaurant.There is also a camping area. I believe RV's can be parked and there are some indian tents to rent (and explore if empty).