Things to Do in Kenmore

Northwest native Murphy Pierson draws on the experience of more than 30 years fishing Puget Sound’s waters to help aquatic enthusiasts charter their own saltwater-fishing excursions. Specializing in guided salmon tours, Murphy equips guests with bait, tackle, and fish whistles for year-round charters where they try their hand at reeling in king salmon and coho in the summer or blackmouth in the winter. During May and June, Puget Sound Sports Fishing’s morning and afternoon trips down the Edmonds-nestled waterways turn into bottom-fishing voyages for lingcod. While visitors rest at the end of their trip, Murphy and his crew get their hands dirty cleaning and bagging each catch for the water-weary fishers.

Mike Dickson plunks his keyboard as he stares into his work computer. But in his mind, he holds a fly rod and looks out onto a river teeming with steelhead. For someone who grew up fly-fishing—including guiding at a river lodge in Alaska and teaching fly-fishing on the weekend—Dickson couldn't endure more than a year at his office job, which he landed out of college. He shuts down his computer one last time and then joins his fisheries biologist dad, Dennis, at Dickson Flyfishing.

Today, the father-son team guides and teaches fly-fishing to all levels of anglers on the waters of the Olympic Peninsula. Conscious of their environmental impact, the Dicksons lead eco-rafting trips throughout the year on the Skagit, Sauk, and Queets Rivers to fish for steelhead, cutthroat trout, and salmon with scales made of gold. For more adventurous clients, Mike and Dennis guide winter fly-fishing trips for tarpon on the flats of the Caribbean and lead three-day campouts on the Grande Ronde River. Additionally, scenic rafting tours bring visitors up close to wildlife such as eagles. The Dicksons also run a virtual fly shop, where they sell their own line of equipment.

Fremont’s colorful disposition bursts through sidewalk cracks during The Fremont Tour, which the Weekly Herald described as “one part art history, one part local lore and several more parts street theatre.” Each 80-minute stroll trails the playful banter of costumed guides, who, with names such as The Fremont Fairy Godmother and J-efe, the Turkish Rap Singer, intersect facts with bits of comedic improv and performance. Public art and architecture take center stage as groups weave along the half-mile route, and engaging audience participation keeps tour takers from challenging passing sculptures to games of hacky sack. After the tour, Fremont’s lively atmosphere continues to buzz as the neighborhood’s public squares, food joints, and open-air market encourage further exploration.

The ability to swim allowed humanity to explore the seas, discover pearls inside oysters, and evolve arms devoid of inflatable muscles. Wave Aquatics Centers’ instructors understand the importance of such a skill, aiming to impart it within children and adults alike across the community. Working as a nonprofit organization fueled by the common purpose of providing students of all ages with a slew of programs and lessons, the staffers share their wisdom in Juanita and Redmond High School pools. They train their charges in competitive swimming, maintaining three teams, including a year-round Masters-level team taught by professional coaches and reformed mermaids.

On Tashunka Farms’ nine acres, the farm border collie often greets visitors at the gate. This fuzzy welcome is par for the course at the farm and animal refuge, where two spacious arenas hold stables and horsemanship camps. Equestrian training and horse care are the facility’s bread and butter—the dedicated staff recently took in a malnourished mustang named Chance and worked to bring him back to health with food, exercise, baths, and attention. This care also extends to the motley crew of the petting zoo, whether it’s to one of the fuzzy lionhead rabbits, soft chinchillas, fire-breathing chickens, or peculiar fainting goats that stiffen and fall over when they’re alarmed or excited.

A father-son team, Dickson Flyfishing guides and teaches fly-fishing to all levels of anglers on Olympic Peninsula waters, Puget Sound rivers, and many eastern Washington rivers. Conscious of their environmental impact, they lead eco-rafting trips throughout the year on the Skagit, Sauk, and Queets Rivers, as well as fishing trips for steelhead, cutthroat trout, and salmon with scales made of gold. More adventurous clients can embark on winter fly-fishing trips for tarpon on the flats of the Caribbean or three-day campouts on the Grande Ronde River. Additionally, scenic rafting tours bring visitors up close to wildlife such as eagles. Dickson Flyfishing also runs a virtual fly shop, where they sell their own line of equipment.