Landing at Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport in Pullman keeps everything close, with nearby cities and attractions within easy reach. Pullman is a college town in the Palouse, a region of rolling wheat hills in southeastern Washington that look like green and gold ocean swells. Washington State University drives the energy here, with Cougar football Saturdays and a famous campus creamery. Across the state line, Moscow, Idaho, adds a second university and a lively downtown. The pair feel like one easygoing community.

Standout experiences around Pullman: - Taste Cougar Gold cheese and fresh ice cream at Ferdinand's on the WSU campus - Catch a Cougars game at Martin Stadium - Hike Kamiak Butte for a sweeping view of the Palouse hills - Drive the back roads at sunset when the wheat glows - Visit the Saturday farmers market in downtown Moscow - Eat lentil chili at the National Lentil Festival each August - Bike the Bill Chipman Palouse Trail between Pullman and Moscow

Pullman sits in the middle of some of the prettiest farm country in the West. Steptoe Butte State Park, the classic Palouse viewpoint, is 45 minutes north, Palouse Falls plunges into a basalt canyon about 75 minutes west, and Lewiston and the Snake River are 40 minutes south. Spokane is about 90 minutes north. The Palouse grows most of the country's lentils, which explains the festival. Come in June for green hills or August for the harvest gold.