The Real Twin Peaks of Washington State is one of 250 Places to Celebrate America

The United States of America will celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. The editors of Smithsonian Magazine recently published their list of 250 places to celebrate America and the Real Twin Peaks of Washington state made the cut.

250 PLACES TO CELEBRATE AMERICA | THE PACIFIC COAST

In February 2024, the Smithsonian Magazine editorial staff began brainstorming 250 sites across the United States that captured something about the country or its people worth celebrating. They built a map to “ensure that the ‘wonders’ [they] identified were as geographically diverse as possible.” This milestone anniversary offered an opportunity for all Americans something to commemorate together.

The editors divided the list into ten categories, 25 sites in each, and “hope that all Americans see themselves, their interests and their perspectives represented on the map.”

For the Pacific Coast region, filming locations from The Goonies in Astoria, Oregon or The Timberline Lodge from The Shining joined iconic locals like Pike Place Market or the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington.

The real Twin Peaks of North Bend and Snoqualmie Valley, Washington were also included in this illustrious list. Map text written by magazine editors Megan Gambino, Ellen Wexler and Brian Wolly. For the Twin Peaks entry, the editors wrote:

“When the David Lynch series premiered to an audience of 36 million Americans in 1990, it became perhaps the strangest mainstream hit to ever air on television. It also put a small part of central Washington on the map. Today you can visit a number of sites from the show, including the Double R Diner, which was filmed at Twede’s Cafe.

The photo of Twede’s Cafe included was taken by David Buzzard on on June 3, 2010. I wish they would have contacted me for an updated image as the exterior looks completely different today.

I would have selected something like this exterior shot of the small town cafe from a visit on August 18, 2025.

Or maybe this shot with a snow-covered Mount Si in the distance. Either way, I’m thrilled Twede’s Cafe made the list.

There are plenty of Twin Peaks locations to explore throughout Snoqualmie Valley, Washington, which you can find on the Twin Peaks Film Locations page.