By: Allie Raye

The aroma of lavender and sandalwood permeate the atmosphere before walking through the doors of Green Bluff’s High Country Orchard.

Handmade candles line the shelves at first glance.  Decorated sections full of handmade scarves, teas, lotions and an assortment of other wares are displayed around the country store.

A person who wants to get out of the city for the day, approximately 20 miles from downtown Spokane, is a little town called Green Bluff.   High Country Orchard is a place that caters to people of all ages and from all walks of life.

Kathy Fischer has been bringing her daughter to High Country Orchard and Green bluff since she was tiny girl.  She now continues the tradition by bringing her granddaughter.

“I never in a million years imagined I’d be able to live here,” Fischer said.

Amanda Opsal, Fischer’s daughter, comes to Green bluff to visit her mother.

“I love to get away from the hustle and bustle of Spokane,” Opsal said.

High Country Orchard offers customers a country setting to enjoy a meal or listen to live music.  They have a playground for the children and a petting zoo of baby goats, donkeys, chickens and other animals.

The café offers an assortment of made-to-order sandwiches and drinks as well as pies and other treats.

“The environment is so beautiful,” Piper Hutchinson, a cafe employee said. “Customers are always in a good mood.”

Karen Weiss and her 18-year-old daughter, Bailey Rollman, are visiting from Olympia.

“We’re here for parent weekend at Gonzaga,” Weiss said. “Bailey is enrolled in the fall and I wanted her to see what’s on the outside of Spokane.”

Rollman has been to High Country Orchard once before to visit the owner’s daughter.

“They had a swing dance in the barn and all the kids from high school were here,” Rollman said. “It was a lot of fun.”

Angie McDermott is the wedding coordinator and runs the register in the middle of the store.  She speaks to each customer as if they were her old friends.

“It’s comforting being around all the families,” McDermott said. “Coming up to Green Bluff is just something people do yearly.”

By June, the apples and pears will be overflowing onto the well-decorated front patio.. Growers from surrounding orchards and farms will bring their fruits and vegetables to be laid out in an array of colors.

“People are pretty particular about their fruit and vegetables,” McDermott said. “They want it from Green Bluff’s local growers.”

High Country Orchard is located at 8518 E. Green Bluff Rd. Colbert, WA 99005.

Their big, red barn can be seen from far down the road and their rows of blossoming trees line the easily accessible parking lot.