Low-Cost Vacation: Yakima, WA

Yakima had been chosen as one of “America’s Best Small Cities on the Rise” a couple of years ago by SmarterTravel. We’re not surprised!

This low-cost vacation option has everything you could ask for, including downtown craft breweries and over 120 wineries, many of them award-winning, in its surrounding areas.

Retirees will enjoy the small-town prices, farmer’s markets, and “u-pick” farms they’ll find here. The gorgeous mountain passes, which are about 30 minutes away, offer many hiking opportunities along the backside of Mount Rainier.

And there’s even white-water rafting on the Tieton River, tubing and fly fishing on the Yakima River, biking along various paths, and opportunities to spot wildlife in their natural habitats. Accommodations start at roughly $50 per night.