Amtrak Adds New Vancouver to Vancouver Train - Amtrak Cascades started a second daily train from Vancouver B.C. on August 19. This new train provides same day service to and from Vancouver, Washington and Vancouver B.C. that was not previously available making tourism to both destinations more feasible. The Canadian government waived border clearance service fees to accommodate the second train as a pilot project until after the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympics Winter Games in February. WSDOT and Amtrak will evaluate the service to determine if traffic levels justify the cost of ongoing customs services.

The southbound train departs Vancouver B.C. daily at 6:40 a.m. and arrives in Vancouver, WA at 2:24 p.m. The northbound train departs Vancouver, WA at 3:05 p.m. and arrives in Vancouver B.C. at 10:45 p.m.

SWCVB Partners with Alaska Airlines and Enterprise Rent-A-Car to Offer Group Discounts - The Southwest Washington Convention & Visitors Bureau has partnered with Alaska Airlines and Enterprise Rent-A-Car to offer group discounts for its clients traveling into Portland International Airport (PDX).  The newly formed partnerships will benefit meeting planners who are looking for ways to cut their expenses in tough economic times in order to continue having face-to-face meetings.

The Heathman's Hand-Hewn Hospitality Just Got Bigger! - The Heathman Lodge has just completed an expansion adding over 4,200 square feet of additional meeting space in a new wing of the hotel.   This new addition gives the hotel nearly 10,000 total square feet of flexible meeting space. In addition, the hotel added 40 new rustic styled guestrooms and suites. 

Clark County Adds Two New Hotels - The 91-room Holiday Inn Express & Suites opened in March near the Westfield Vancouver Mall. The Best Western Parkersville Inn & Suites off state Highway 14 in Washougal opened in April with 79 rooms.  Welcome!

Hilton Receives Award for Sustainability - Each year, Hilton Hotels & Resorts recognizes its top performing North American hotels with awards based on outstanding performance.  Hilton Vancouver Washington was among only 32 hotels in the U.S., Mexico and Canada to be recognized when they received the Sustainability Achievement Award for their commitment to operate in a sustainable fashion throughout 2008.

East Fork Cellars is Open for Business! - There’s a new winery in town!  East Fork Cellars just opened a retail tasting room last month in Ridgefield just minutes from several other wineries that dot the countryside of rural north Clark County.

Owner and winemaker Jeff Waddell is a fourth generation wine grower and began growing grapes in the Northwest about 9 years ago.  His passion for the art of wine growing and handcrafting wines prompted he and his wife Stacey to make their tasting room just as much about the experience as it is about the wines.  They enjoy helping new wine drinkers identify wines to their liking and helping the avid wine enthusiast learn everything about viticulture and the wine business.

East Fork Cellars grows Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay grapes on their vineyard not far from the new tasting room.  In addition to making wine from their own vineyard, East Fork specializes in creating wonderful blends of red varietals grown on a vineyard they manage in Northern California. 

When you visit East Fork you have a unique opportunity to try your hand at blending your own wine.  For $10 you will get five different varietals and wine maker notes to use in making your own combinations.  Once you have your favorite blend, East Fork can produce and custom label bottles at a 15% discount.

Just next door to the winery is a high-quality fish market and café, Pacific NW Best Fish.  Food from the café can be brought into the tasting room and the relaxed atmosphere, free Wi-Fi service, and eclectic music make this a great place to just hang out.

East Fork Cellars is located at 24415 NE 10th Avenue in Ridgefield, Washington just east of I-5.  They are open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm, but the owners often stay as late as the guests prefer.

Laurelwood Public House and Brewery Bring Suds to Clark County - Battle Ground will soon have a new restaurant and brew pub.  Portland-based Laurelwood Public House and Brewery will open their doors on July 1 in the new Battle Ground Village mixed-use development.  Including Laurelwood’s two restaurants at Portland International Airport, the new location will their sixth in the Portland/Vancouver metro area, and the first to Clark County.  Laurelwood is the sixth largest brewpub in the region and their beer has won multiple awards from festivals and competitions around the country.

Turtle Place: A Park of a Different Color Green - Turtle Place, Vancouver’s new eco-friendly downtown public park saw incredible community support on May 1st for the dedication ceremony. At least 200 people were on hand for the “Running of the Turtles.”  The transformed C-Tran transit center is now an inviting space for visitors and citizens to enjoy.  The project was a joint effort led by Vancouver’s Downtown Association with support from the City of Vancouver, C-Tran, Clark Public Utilities and countless others who donated hours to the project.  With a theme of Conserve, Reuse and Recycle, the crowning jewel of the park is a large water sculpture made entirely of reused urban materials that uses water runoff from the nearby building.  If you have not seen it yet, it’s worth a look! 

Outdoor Markets are Open! -
Vancouver Farmers Market - Beginning March 21st, Vancouver Farmers Market will start their spring/summer outdoor market season. The streets come alive every weekend with over 200 vendors offering local produce, plants and high-end arts and crafts. Food booths with local and international specialties keep the crowd well-fed while entertainers provide live music. As one of the region's largest outdoor farmers markets, the Vancouver Farmers Market is proud to celebrate its 19th season this year. The market is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver next to Vancouver's public square Esther Short Park, where summer concerts and outdoor festivals take place. The market runs Saturdays and Sundays from March 21st to November 1st 2009. Hours: Friday 5pm - 9pm (through September 4); Saturday 9 am - 3 pm and Sundays 10 am - 3 pm. The market is located at 505 West 8th Street (on Esther Street south of 8th Street)
Battle Ground Farmer's Market, will celebrate it's 5th season in 2009 at Battle Ground Village Courtyard off Grace and Rassmussen from April 18th - October 17th 2009. The hours are Saturdays 9 am- 3 pm.
Camas Farmer's Market brings you local food, connections to farmers, chef demos, kid's activities and much more! The market starts the 2009 season on May 27th and will convene each Wednesday from 3 pm to 7 pm in historic downtown Camas. The new location this year is on NE Fourth Avenue between NE Everett and NE Franklin, in front of the beautiful Camas Public Library.
Washougal Main Street Market located in Reflection Plaza in downtown Washougal will begin on May 23rd and will continue every Saturday through September 26 from 9 am to 3 pm. The open air market will feature goods from local farmers, artisans and wineries.

Bureau Launches New Online Interactive Map - Today’s visitors are becoming more and more Internet savvy and are exploring new places to go and things to do while online.  In order to serve those visitors and enhance the destination’s online representation, the Bureau has worked in partnership over the past six months with MapWith.Us to create a new interactive map of Clark County.  The online map (will link to map) pin-points locations and provides descriptions and contact information to a variety of visitor points of interest such as area lodging, restaurants, shopping and wineries.  

Using the Google map technology, the map also offers users the same highly reliable driving directions you’d expect from any Google map.  It is also searchable so users can find restaurants by specific name or type of cuisine for example. Click Here to check out the map!

Fairgate Inn Completes New Meeting Space - The Fairgate Inn in Camas, WA recently added 2,500 square feet of meeting space in the newly added Conservatory Ballroom which adapts perfectly for a variety of business needs from mid-week staff training meetings and board meetings to elegant holiday parties.  The space can accommodate 200 theater style and 170 sit down.  Additional outdoor space is also available in the manicured gardens with seasonal canopies.

Quality Inn & Suites Sets Sights on Quality Renovations - Quality Inn and Suites recently completed renovations that included a full exterior paint job and new Quality Inn & Suites bedding systems.  They also have plans to completely remodel several Studio Suites to Mini Suites in the next year offering king beds and sofa sleepers.  Future plans also call for remodeling the lobby and guest area and completing full renovations on all guest rooms.

A-Maizingly Good! - There’s a sweet new addition to downtown Vancouver called Daisy Maiz.  You may have experienced their super popular Kettle Korn if you’ve visited Vancouver Farmers Market on the weekends, but now you don’t have to wait to grab this delicious treat.  Owners Allen & Georgann Anderson have opened a new retail store at 607 Washington Street and expanded their offerings to include caramel corn and a variety of delicious homemade fudge.

Daisy Maiz has been making their famous Kettle Korn for over five years and have built a reputation that reaches much farther than Vancouver.  They currently wholesale their product to 40 or so grocery stores in the Portland metro area including Whole Foods and New Seasons.  You’ll also find it in several airports across the country including Portland, Spokane, Sacramento, Phoenix, St. Louis, and San Francisco.

When you walk through the double screen doors at Daisy Maiz, you step back in time to an old-fashioned candy store.  The walls are painted a crisp white, the front case contains ever changing flavors of freshly made fudge, and the sweet smells evoke childhood memories.  A spot in the stores front window will soon house a copper kettle so passers-by can watch the famous Kettle Korn being made.  They will also be adding other treats such as caramel apples, ice cream, salt water taffy, and dipped confectionaries and fruits. 

Georgann says she and her husband Allen are really excited about the opening of their new store and their goal is to make people feel happier going out than when they came in.

Water Sport Adventures Come to Vancouver - While the Columbia River Gorge is known for its tremendous windsurfing and kite boarding conditions, there is another sport which lures water sport enthusiasts to the Columbia River.  It’s called Wakeboarding.  This sport has been around since the 1980’s, and is a cross between waterskiing and surfing where a “wakeboarder” is pulled behind a boat much like water skier except that you are on a “wakeboard.”  If you’ve never tried this sport, now you can. 

A new company, Western Wakes, is offering wakeboard adventures on the Columbia River and you don’t have to be experienced at any sort of water activity to try it out.  This company will pick you up in Vancouver and show you everything the area has to offer in boating fun.  They charge by the hour with discounts for a full day, half day, or multi-day trips.  Their charters are all inclusive, said Jeff Harcq, co-owner, “just bring yourself and your swimsuit, we take care of everything else!”  To learn more, visit WesternWakes.com.

Hilton Vancouver Turns a Brighter Shade of Green - Hilton Vancouver Washington, a LEED® certified hotel located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, has recently achieved the coveted Green Seal certification.  The newest certification, which comes three years after the hotel became the first major U.S. hotel, and the first Hilton Hotel, to earn LEED certification, underscores the hotel’s commitment to environmental leadership and sustainable practices.  To attain the new certification, the hotel implemented a comprehensive environmental management program for property operations based on Green Seal criteria which includes energy efficiency and conservation, waste minimization, reuse and recycling, an environmentally and socially sensitive purchasing policy among other eco-friendly practices. 

Homewood Suites: Top Quality with a New Look - Homewood Suites by Hilton, the 104 room all-suite hotel on the banks of the Columbia River, has recently achieved yet another score of “Outstanding” in its latest Hilton Quality Assurance Inspection, the highest possible rating attainable.  The inspection looks at guest scores, cleanliness & maintenance, training, and adherence to Hilton brand standards.

Homewood Suites has also just completed its $1.8 million renovation to the interior and exterior of the property.  The guest rooms received new granite countertops, carpet, paint and wallpaper, furniture and flat-screen HD-TVs, while the lobby and meeting rooms received new carpeting.  The fitness room received all new Precor fitness equipment.  On the exterior, the hotel received new paint, landscaping, and a beautiful new rock front complete with a waterfall.