From a nearby living ghost town to local history and architecture to barns galore, our mobile tours offerings are sure to have something for everyone, with even more tours coming soon. Learn more about these offerings below, and be sure to add them on when you register for the conference. Snag your spot before they fill up!
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Information for All Tours
- Please wear comfortable walking shoes/clothes and bring a water bottle!
- Tours will happen rain or shine, so be sure to bring a rain coat, umbrella, and whatever else you’d want to enjoy your tour in the rain.
- Please arrive at least 10 minutes in advance of your tour’s departure time. Tours will leave promptly, so if you are late, you will have to navigate to catch up with your tour yourself, even for bus-based tours. Several tours will be meeting at the same time, so look out for your tour usher, who will have a sign with the appropriate tour name on it. (Check the schedule for your mobile tour meeting location.)
Tuesday, October 6
Liberty: A Living Ghost Town
Guide: Michelle Thompson, Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation
What better way to get into the season than with a tour of a “living ghost town” led by DAHP’s Michelle Thompson? Settled in 1883, Liberty, Washington’s oldest mining townsite, is just 28 miles from Ellensburg but feels like stepping back in time. We’ll explore Liberty’s history, buildings, and preservation. Although many of Liberty’s buildings have come and gone, many are still standing and inhabited as the town currently boasts a population of 12!
Time: 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Cost: $50
Meet-up location: TBA
Good to know: This tour will include light walking (Liberty is about 1/4 mile long) on a flat paved road. There are public bathrooms in Liberty.
Explore Ellensburg’s Mid-Century Modern Gems
Guide: Michael Houser, Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation
Join State Architectural Historian and mid-century modern aficionado Michael Houser on a tour of mid-century modern resources in Ellensburg. This bus tour includes stops at a variety of modern masterpieces, including architect Paul Thiry’s cabin and architect Paul H. Kirk’s award-winning Fine & Applied Arts Complex on the Central Washington University campus. Additional stops include modern homes and churches. Fun commentary along the way will open your eyes to the wonders of mid-century design.
Time: 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Cost: $40
Meet-up location: TBA
Good to know: Attendees will be driven between more distant sites via bus, but will get off the bus at each stop, including walking between multiple buildings on CWU’s campus.
Tracing Downtown Ellensburg from Ashes to Identity
Guides: Sadie Thayer, Kittitas County Historical Museum; and Mike McCloskey, Local Historian/Tour Guide at the Kittitas County Historical Museum
Explore historic downtown Ellensburg with a local historian, tracing how the Great Fire of 1889 transformed the built environment and how those post‑fire decisions continue to define Ellensburg today. Discover landmark buildings, evolving streetscapes, and the layered stories of the people and industries that shaped the district. Attendees will be invited to read the physical landscape, consider what has endured or changed, and reflect on how interpretation and stewardship keep historic places meaningful and alive.
Time: 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Cost: $20
Meet-up location: TBA
Good to know: The tour will cover approximately 1 mile total, including interpretive stops and discussion. The tour will take place entirely outdoors and on foot, using public sidewalks. Most sidewalks are brick-lined with ADA-compliant curb ramps at intersections. Participants should expect typical downtown conditions, including some uneven surfaces, minor elevation changes, and periods of standing.
From Walls to Welcome: Designing Walks, Talks, and Tours Through Community Storytelling
Guides: Emily Jacobs, Story Quilters LLC; Chuck Lennox, Lennox Insites
How do you turn a mural into a meaningful visitor experience? In this interactive workshop, participants will use Ellensburg’s new Phoenix Alley mural installation to sketch a tour while learning the basics of audience, flow, messaging, and interpretive technique. Attendees will leave with practical tools for creating place-based walks, talks, and tours that support heritage, tourism, and vibrant downtowns.
Time: 10:00 am – 12:30 pm
Cost: $20
Meet-up location: TBA
Good to know: As a workshop, the majority of this mobile tour will take place in a classroom space. It will also include a short walk to (and through!) Phoenix Alley, which will involve crossing downtown streets and is wheelchair accessible.
Wednesday, October 7
Stop-Worthy, Shop-Worthy: What Makes a Magical Main Street Business?
Guides: Seanette Corkill and Anne Marie Luthro, Frontdoor Back Retail Store Design
We’ll kick off with a dynamic 60-minute presentation of retail best practices, where you’ll learn the foundational principles that build successful retail establishments and identify the challenges retailers face. With those principles in mind, we’ll split into two groups and embark on a 90-minute guided walking tour. Exploring Ellensburg’s downtown retail offerings, we’ll examine the stores to determine which elements are supporting a memorable shopping experience before reconvening briefly to share observations and lessons learned.
Time: 9:00-11:30 am
Cost: $20
Meet-up location: TBA
Good to know: This tour starts with an hour-long presentation before the walking tour of businesses. Attendees will not be able to leave items in the classroom where the session starts.
Tax Credits in Action: Adaptive Reuse in Downtown Ellensburg
Guide: Jeronimo Roldan, Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation
This walking tour explores recent Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit projects in downtown Ellensburg, showing how rehabilitation supports preservation, economic development, and community revitalization. Participants will visit a range of adaptive reuse projects in housing, commercial, and mixed-use buildings. The tour will highlight how preservation standards and financial incentives work together to support successful rehabilitation and long-term building reuse.
Time: 9:00-11:30 am
Cost: $20
Meet-up location: TBA
Good to know: The walking distance for this tour will be 1-2 miles total, with stairs/steps at different points of the tour and standing at each stop.
Stepping Inside the Turbine: Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility Tour
Guide: Andrea Crawford, Wild Horse Wind Facility
Take in the sweeping views on a wild, windswept ridge at the Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility while learning about renewable energy production and the area’s unique history. Enjoy 360-degree views of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and the Columbia River Basin from the visitor center, then embark on a guided walking tour. Survey shimmering silicon solar panels; get blown away by the scale of a turbine gearbox, generator, and blade; then step right inside a towering wind turbine!
Time: 1:30-4:30 pm
Cost: $40
Meet-up location: TBA
Good to know: Please dress in layers for the wind, and sun and wear closed-toed shoes. A hard hat and safety glasses will be provided. Signed liability forms must be turned in at the front desk prior to the tour (these will be sent to attendees in advance and/or available on site). The guided walking tour is 1/3 of a mile round trip on a gravel trail with one steeper descent down to the turbine. As a note, participants may also drive their own vehicles to the base of the turbine instead of walking; please email if you would like to do this.
Thursday, October 8
If These Haylofts Could Talk: A Heritage Barn Tour
Guides: Michael Houser, Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation; Chris Moore, Washington Trust for Historic Preservation
Travel the backroads of the county to discover some of the rich agricultural history of the Kittitas Valley. This tour will highlight Washington’s award-winning Heritage Barn Register Program by touring several historic barns and other agricultural buildings. Come learn about barn types and construction methods and discover more about the state’s ongoing efforts to preserve these important structures.
Time: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Cost: $40
Meet-up location: TBA
Good to know: This will be a bus-based tour from barn/farm sites with individual walking and exploration around at each site.
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