Seattle getaway: Lake Chelan, Washington in spring

Lake Chelan is one of my absolute favorite places. You know when someone says to close your eyes and go to your happy place? For me, that’s Chelan. It’s got an average of 300 days of sunshine {!!}, a gorgeous lake, water sports galore, a fun downtown, and it’s one of the best sandy beaches in Washington. My family has been going to Lake Chelan since I was little, so I’ve been to the lake over 25 times in my lifetime, which includes 15 times with my husband. We’re now continuing the tradition with our own children by making Chelan our extended family vacation with cousins and grandparents. At this point it holds so many memories and good times that it truly feels like my home away from home.

There are honestly too many things to list when it comes to naming highlights, so I’m going to focus on the most recent trip. This was the first time we’ve ever been during the “off-season”, but with the exception of a small number of things everything was just as it usually is during our summer vacations.

The biggest difference this vacation was that we decided to camp at Wapato Lake Campground {close to Wapato Point in Manson on Lake Chelan}. This was our maiden voyage in our Westfalia Weekender camper van, which until now has been an awesome in-town rig, but it needed to see the open highway and we could think of nowhere better to christen it than our favorite summer roadtrip. Although I was excited about camping in our van {aka “the cabin”}, I was also a bit apprehensive because we typically stay at luxurious condos or houses on the lake with the whole extended family. As you can imagine, there was a large possibility that camping might be a huge letdown. It ended up being really nice in the May weather {but we all agree August might be miserable}, and we’d definitely do it again in the spring and fall temps. Here are some trip highlights in the town of Chelan and in Wapato Point:

Lakeview Drive In – I've been eating at Lakeview since our first trip to Chelan all those years ago, and every year it doesn't disappoint. Some of my best memories of Lake Chelan as a kid was going for a dip cone with my dad after playing a game of mini golf at Don Morse Park, and I'm really happy that I get to relive that again with my kids. Seating is all outdoors, but they have a newly renovated eating area that looks really nice and overlooks beautiful Lake Chelan. Address: Lakeview Drive In 323 West Manson Road Lake Chelan, WA. 98816
Chelan Lanes Bowling Alley – Even after decades of visiting Lake Chelan as a kid, I had never set foot inside Chelan Lanes until this year when my sister in law suggested it, but it ended up being a ton of fun. It wasn't too loud or too crazy with kiddos, and the lanes themselves were kept up really well. They even have newer features that can add bumpers to the lanes for specific players, instead of everyone having to bowl with bumpers. Isn't that cool? I will definitely be returning when we visit next, especially if we come back during July and August as this would be a great way to escape the heat for a bit. 518 West Manson Hwy Chelan, WA 98816 Riverwalk Park – Built and maintained by the Chelan County PUD, this park is one of my favorite walks anywhere. With a 1-mile paved walking trail around the Chelan River, it is the perfect place to take a walk with the kiddos, snap some pictures, and enjoy a bag of popcorn from Bear Foods Market. The park has restrooms, a covered picnic area, and a has a farmer's market at certain times of the year. Address: Riverwalk Park Downtown 117 E. Wapato Ave Chelan, WA 98816Shopping on Woodin Avenue – I love that many of the stores I've loved for years have endured and still have fun things to look at every year like Kelly's Ace Hardware, Black Dog Frame Shop, and Riverwalk Books, and Bear Foods Market. And, of course you can always hunt for bugs under park benches *shakes head*. Blueberry Hills Farm – We found this little gem about 6 years ago and have been hooked ever since. With gorgeous scenery and amazing {seriously, AMAZING} food, this is one stop not to be missed. We've eaten there for breakfast, lunch and dinner {though not on the same day}, and their menu never disappoints. Their prices are a bit higher, but their portions are huge. Share if you must, take leftovers if you can. Blueberry Hills 1315 Washington Street Manson, Wa  98831

Beach time and pool time of course were awesome, but I’m betting you already knew that. I'm not normally a pool person, but I'd do anything for my little water babes. Besides, a cold pool is a great way to get good snuggles from my son.
We love the Wapato Point parks and they were especially nice in spring since it wasn't as hot as summer and we didn't need to hide under shade. Sandy and fun to dig in and without a whole lot of rocks {although there are more in spring than in summer when the water level is higher}.
There were quite a few tears from the kids as we drove away from the lake and left our spring vacation behind, but we've promised to come back as soon as we can.
If you're in Seattle, I would highly recommend heading east of the Cascades and enjoying some awesome spring, summer and fall sunshine and sand. Rumor has it that they also get a ton of snow, but I'm not sure I buy it. For more information about Lake Chelan, visit the Lake Chelan site and Visitors Center.