The New Duvall: Nature, Food, and Art

If you haven’t been to Duvall lately, well then you haven’t been to Duvall. The new improved, vibrant, hip Duvall has character, gourmet restaurants, shops, antique malls, all nestled along the Snoqualmie River.

I will not use “quaint” to describe Duvall; its offerings are too sophisticated for clichés that summon visions of lace doilies. A walk in Duvall is more like a visit to Ballard, without the miserable traffic or nightmarish parking.

Last summer, downtown Duvall got a facelift. Main Street needed maintenance work, and the city took the opportunity to spruce up the place. New sidewalks, street lighting, and benches were placed. And lots of public art was added. Instead of cloth flags hanging from lampposts, carved wooden pillars depicting Northwest life adorn the neighborhood. A striking mural right at the city’s busiest intersection, NE Woodinville-Duvall and Main Street (State Route 203), was painted by local teen artist Sam Matson.

Here’s an itinerary for a day in Duvall:

Start with a river walk

The Snoqualmie Valley River Trail is 31.5 miles from Duvall to Snoqualmie, but you can hop on and off the trail all along the way. Park at Duvall’s Community Car Park (free); the trail entrance is adjacent to the parking lot. Walk along the river trail to McCormick Park and down to view the Snoqualmie River. Exit the trail after about a mile, at the Duvall Police department, and head up a short hill to Main Street.

Stroll Main Street

Turn left onto Main Street and poke along into antique shops, the public library, and the Northwest Art Center. The art center, 15515 Main St., has a small gallery featuring local artist and offers a large selection of art classes, both for children and adults.

Take a coffee break

Match Coffee & Wine, 15705 Main Street, opened about a month ago and has already become a staple with many locals. A full espresso bar during the day (try the blueberry scones), Match has a cozy, Northwest living room décor, complete with fireplace and leather couches. The baristas make a point of greeting every customer, not in the automaton manner found at so many national coffee places. At night, Match is a wine bar with a large selection of global wines.

Shop for both vintage clothing and the latest styles

Looking for an Aloha shirt or mid-century modern dinnerware? How about a kilt? Valley Vintage, 15904 Main Street, has an eclectic mix of all things old and trendy. It’s one of those shops that you can spend an hour in just ogling the presentation of the merchandise.

If it’s the latest trends in threads you’re after, walk a couple of doors down from Valley Vintage — making sure to stop into Tuxedo Antiques Mall along the way — to Chic Essentials, a clothing boutique that could be equally at home in any neighborhood in Seattle as it is in the Snoqualmie Valley.