There’s something extra special about Nelson Farm in the fall. When the leaves start to turn and the air gets a little crisper, it feels like it fits the old farm perfectly.

You and your family are invited to come experience the autumnal ambiance for yourselves at Suncadia’s celebration of fall, which takes place during the first two weekends in October. 

The Harvest Festival, now in its 11th year, is a free, family-friendly event featuring live entertainment, a merchant market, a pumpkin patch, a 1,000-bale straw maze, pony rides, wagon rides, arts and crafts, carnival games and more. For adults, we’ll also be hosting our 5th annual Big Dirty Run, food trucks, a beer garden and our hearty Brewmaster Dinner. 

This year we’re thrilled to have a new event facility in which to celebrate. If you haven’t visited the Nelson Barnyard yet, this is your perfect opportunity to check out Suncadia’s newest gathering place. 

The festival will run from 10 AM to 5 PM on October 1, 2, 8 and 9 at the old Nelson Dairy Farm. The Brewmaster Dinners will take place on Saturday, October 1 and Saturday, October 8 from 6:30 – 9:00 PM. 

Summer is always a frenetically fun time at Suncadia. The whole resort is abuzz with activity, and the pleasantly familiar Suncadia soundtrack plays on loop: water splashing, bike spokes spinning, children squealing with glee. Golf balls being driven, tennis balls being served. At night, the peaceful rhythm of crickets and cicadas chirping. This summer, the sound of the rushing Cle Elum River has been especially noticeable after last winter’s heavy snowfall.

And this year, there was a bit of extra noise that accompanied the familiar summer soundtrack – that of construction and development. Not that we minded one bit. It’s the sound of progress – of a Suncadia that’s booming; a community that continues to grow and welcome new families into the fold.

Indeed, it was Suncadia’s busiest summer ever. New homes are being built in each of our major neighborhoods; ground has been broken on 26 homes so far this year, with 34 more homes in the final design review stage or awaiting a County building permit.

Other development projects include the 1.4-mile expansion of the bike path along Steam Gin Loop and the $2.3M expansion of the Cle Elum water treatment plant. Construction of the 1.75 mile extension of Swiftwater Drive is well under way along the entire length of Nelson Farm. For the next several years there will be limited development and vehicular traffic beyond the Farm area so Swiftwater Drive will provide a beautiful bicycle ride for owners and guests.

And there’s lots more to come.

First up, our beautiful new pool at Nelson Farm. We’ve recently broken ground on this project, plans for which include lap lanes, a small “rapid-river”, a vortex, sun shelves, and an interactive splash pad. Part of the Suncadia Club, the Nelson Pool will have beach-style entry, a fire pit, a sunbathing lawn, and a casual walk-up restaurant and bar. With a little cooperation from Mother Nature we hope to open the Nelson Farm Pool next June.

Also coming down the pike: Suncadia Village, which is currently in the design layout phase. It is tentatively conceived as a collection of 10-12 businesses in small buildings. Early phases of the project will likely include a family-friendly casual restaurant and a general store – plus an Owner’s Cabin. A collaboration between New Suncadia and the Suncadia Homeowner Advisory Committee, the Owner’s Cabin will be a community space available as a meeting site for Suncadia’s various community clubs, like our Wine and Dinner, Reading, Hiking, and Funcadia clubs.

Listen closely. That’s the sound of thriving.

Chances are you’ve heard the term ‘glamping’ (glamour + camping) by now. It means different things to different people, depending on your threshold for ‘roughing it’. For some, glam camping means sleeping in a regular tent, only on an air mattress thicker than three inches. For others, it means a full-on resort – all the high-thread-count luxuries of a hotel, but with campfires and canvas walls.

We recently wrote a story about glamping for the Seattle Times, in which we got to the bottom of glamping – where it came from, why you should do it, and where you can do it in the Pacific Northwest.

Of course, our favorite glamping spot is and will always be Sasse Mt Outpost, Tumble Creek’s private glamping facility. If you’re a member of the Tumble Creek Club, Sasse is available for you to use from Memorial Day until end of September. Book your stay today, and enjoy s’mores, games, and the outdoor shower – Tumble Creek resident Jason Garms’ favorite Sasse Mt feature.

If you want to learn more about camping in high style, you can find our Seattle Times feature here.