WHIDBEY ISLAND
Oak Harbor
http://www.oakharbor.org/
The picturesque town of Oak Harbor has a modern culture steeped in its rich, local history. Originally settled in 1849 when seafarers staked a claim and established a trade port on Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound, the area has grown to encompass nearly nine miles from limit to limit. The town was given its name by Dr. Richard Lansdale, because of the abundance of Garry Oak trees, a relatively rare strain of tree. Whidbey Island was named for Joseph Whidbey, the first colonist to lay claim to the nearby island. The township had both a financial and population boom in the 1890s, when Dutch settlers colonized the area, coming from Canada and the Midwest, and used the area's rich resources to establish fertile farmland. Today, windmills and Dutch construction bear witness to the area's brilliant history. Many of the town's oldest original structures were built near the harbor, since water trade was the main initial source of income.
One of the city's greatest employers, the Navy, came to Oak Harbor in 1941 to bolster the war effort. The Navy continues to be a major benefactor to the area. Today, the main cog of Oak Harbor, Old Town, is still buzzing with activity. Pioneer Way, Old Town's main thoroughfare offers dining, craft stores, antique dealers and other laid-back shopping experiences, perfect for a weekend stroll.
Other nearby attractions are:
• The Blue Fox Drive-in, is one of only four remaining drive-ins in the state of Washington. The Fox also features an on-site go-kart track, as well as a snack bar for all your refreshment needs. The Blue Fox offers party packages featuring train rides, go-kart specials and arcade fun. The drive-in also shows classic cartoons prior to the main film, in true retro style. (360) 675-5667; http://www.bluefoxdrivein.com.
• Downtown Oak Harbor's Whidbey Saint Patrick's Celebration is an annual festival celebrated on March 17 that begins on Pioneer Way and Jensen Street and ends in Windjammer Park where you can kiss the "Blarney stone" and get a year's worth of good luck.
• Every April, in honor of Oak Harbor's Dutch history, the town is filled with tulips to kick off the annual Holland Happening festival, spanning three days. Events include a family-friendly carnival, a street fair featuring Dutch food, wooden shoe carving, a "Klompen Canal Race," an international dance festival and the festival culminates with a grand parade along the waterfront.
• The Whidbey Playhouse (http://www.whidbeyplayhouse.com) is a community theatre, featuring year-round productions for more than 40 years! The playhouse features "classic" plays as well as original works, and is always sure to delight the whole family.
• Oak Harbor Windjammer Park is a 28-acre city beach, featuring 56 RV and 30 tent campsites, three little league baseball fields, two 'tot lot' play areas, two basketball courts and shoreline picnic tables and grills. During the summer, the beach offers lagoon swimming as well as wading pools for children. In late summer and early fall, the park features kite-flying, picnic areas and an assortment of outdoor activities. Windjammer Park also offers a boat launch, two wading pools and a swimming area complete with dock and waterslide.
• Whidbey Island Race Week draws about 125 sailboats to the Oak Harbor Marina for an annual event in July. There is lots of food and entertainment after racing during the weeklong festivities.
Coupeville
http://www.cometocoupeville.com/
Known to islanders as the center of the Ebey Landing National Historical Reserve, Coupeville is responsible for the majority of the historical preservation on Whidbey Island.
If Whidbey's history piques your interest, pay a visit to the Island County Historical Museum, a chronicle of the island's rich history. Since 1963 the museum has existed in several different locations, beginning with the former General Telephone building. From 1971 to 1991, the museum was located in the former Coupeville Fire Hall. Finally, in 1991 construction on the present site was completed, on the site of the former Blockhouse Inn. The new location offers dazzling views of Penn Cove and the Coupeville waterfront. If history's not your forte, Coupeville also boasts the famous Penn Cove Shellfish Farm, and an ingeniously designed main street, featuring false-front stores that offer antiques, crafts and other specialty items.
For more than 20 years, Coupeville has been home to the annual Penn Cove Mussel Fest, featuring multiple musical performances, children's activities, a chowder tasting area, a chowder-eating contest as well as tours of the historic Shellfish Farm.During the summer, Town Park hosts "Concerts on the Cove" (http://www.concertsonthecove.org) and the park has a short waterfront footpath that leads to shopping areas as well as the town boat launch.
The Coupeville Arts Center offers a wealth of seasonal classes for those with a thirst for knowledge. If adrenaline is your muse, many of Coupeville's parks offer kayaking, mountain biking, and many unique hiking trails, spanning mountains, forests and seaside vistas.
In a perfect blend of history and action, visitors can SCUBA dive at the Fort Casey/Keystone Underwater Park. Divers will find indigenous jellyfish, porpoises, otters, sea lions and maybe even a gray whale or Orca!
Every October, kids and adults gather at Cooks Corner for the Halloween Torchlight Parade. The parade begins at Cooks Corner and continues down Front Street, through the heart of historic downtown Coupeville.
Greenbank
http://www.whidbey.com/greenbankhome/
Located at Whidbey's most narrow point, Greenbank is a respite from the pressures of city life. Comprised of rolling farmland and deep woods, the city is a home to conservationists and agriculturists, alike. The famed "U Growth" Forest has become the most recent addition to the South Whidbey State Park, a 347-acre preserve that features 4,500 feet of sparking saltwater shoreline along the Admiralty Inlet.
Greenbank's most well-known landmark is the Greenbank Farm, featuring wine tastings, beautiful wedding facilities, and shopping areas dedicated to local products and antiques. The real draw, though, is the Whidbey Pies Café and Cheese Shop. People come from all over the country to sample their loganberry, marionberry, strawberry rhubarb and other classic pies. The café also features boutique-style gourmet meals that are easy on the wallet. The Farm is also home to a variety of festivals and shows throughout the year.
The Meerkerk Rhododendron Garden (http://www.meerkerkgardens.org) is the perfect destination for floraphiles and romantics alike. The adjoining Rhododendron Park has more than 140 acres of trails, winding through wild rhododendrons and other local plant life.
In addition to the historic and entertaining locales, visitors to Greenbank will find abundant seascape vistas, perfect for crabbing, clamming and tide pool observations.
Freeland
http://www.freeland-wa.org
After spending the day exploring Greenbank, spend your night at one of the many inns, cottages and bed-and-breakfasts located throughout Freeland. In the morning, take a leisurely stroll down Doublebluff Beach. In addition to offering an amazing panoramic view of Mt. Rainier and Seattle, it is also dotted with picnic areas, leash-free dog areas and several collection sites for driftwood aficionados.
At nearby Freeland Park, you can also host a picnic, dig for clams, or simply watch the windsurfers and boaters from one of the park's many waterfront tables. And what waterfront park would be complete without playground facilities? Freeland Park has a quaint play area adjacent to the picnic areas, making it a perfect location for your next family get-together.
Langley
http://www.langleywa.org
It can truly be said that Langley has the best of both worlds: a sweeping bluff overlooking the channel of the Saratoga Passage, as well as a breathtaking, 180-degree view of the Cascade Mountains.
Langley is also known for having the highest density of cottages, bed-and-breakfasts and inns, totaling more than 60 within the town limits. In addition to its inherent beauty, Langley's Seawall Park is also home to endangered species and local fauna alike. Bald eagles, herons and sea lions call Seawall Park home, and grey whales migrate past the park's shore in the springtime. Langley also started a new tradition: Welcome the Whales Day! A small pod of Gray Whales have been sighted every year around early March and have been staying through May. Visit www.visitlangley.com/activities/celebrations/whales for dates!
If entertainment is your focus, The Whidbey Island Performing Arts Center hosts several concerts, theatre and dance year-round. If your tastes run more modern, Langley has a selection of current movies playing at the Langley Movie House, a structure that has been carefully restored to its original 1930 design. Once you've worked up an appetite, you'll find that there are five-star restaurants, family dining, specialty bakeries, classic sandwich shops and a top shelf winery...the Whidbey Island Winery. As far as shopping, Langley has several specialty shops, and also features craft and clothing shops, and many store items are painstakingly crafted by local artists.
CAMANO ISLAND
http://www.camanoisland.org
Camano Island, like Whidbey and Fidalgo, is one of the three islands connected via multiple bridges. Simply put, Camano is an island of dazzling vistas, all of which can be experienced without having to wait for a ferry.
Prior to its "official" discovery in 1791, Camano was called "Kol-LUT-chen," or "land jutting into the bay," by the islands local tribes. Between 1791 and 1900, the island was known by many names. Area loggers nicknamed the sprawling island "Crow Island," since large murders of crows roosted between the three islands, but predominantly on Camano, hence its unofficial title.
The island eventually came to be known as Camano, named by British Navy Captain Kellett for the Spanish naval explorer Lieutenant Don Jacinto Camano who originally mapped the island's topography in the 1700s.
Today, Camano is a prime getaway location for islanders and mainlanders alike. Unlike the other island locales, the area is sparsely populated and has little panache in the vein of tourist traps. Instead, a wealth of local and state parks dot the landscape, as well as many free boat launch sites. Camano Island State Park is the islands largest camping spot, with more than 134 acres of land and nearly 7,000 feet of rocky shoreline and inlets. The park is the perfect location for a picnic lunch or a long weekend of camping, and features forest trails, boating vistas and breathtaking views of the Olympic Mountains and Mt. Rainier.
FIDALGO ISLAND
Anacortes
http://www.anacortes.org
The city of Anacortes, considered to be the "Crown Jewel" of Fidalgo Island, north of Whidbey, is a fantastic springboard for island hoppers. Locals call Fidalgo the "Drive-To Island," since it's connected in the south to Whidbey and to the mainland from the east. Both Whidbey and Fidalgo are located in a "sun trough"—meaning that the weather is temperate year-round, so visitors and locals alike can take advantage of Anacortes' dazzling attractions.
The temperate water means great fishing, with Blackmouth, Chinook and Coho Salmon; and Dungeness crab are the most prized specimens, but their schooling varies with the seasons. If you're looking for more elusive quarry, the waters are dotted with Rockfish, Lingcod and Pacific Salmon. Good spots, however, may be hard to find. Luckily, Anacortes is home to several fishing charters for both casual and sport fishing. If you're more into observing, but want a different perspective, there are several guided and solo kayak adventures available as well.
The restored downtown district is a historical landmark with classic stores, an "Antique Row" as well as several art galleries that showcase local and national artists. Just off the main drag, bedand- breakfasts, classical inns and restaurants are just waiting to be discovered.
Local as well as national parks are located in or around Anacortes. Waterfront vistas are bordered by recreational docks, as well as world-renowned shipbuilders, cabinet specialists, rope producers and ship repair specialists.
Visiting seafarers will find the port of Anacortes welcoming, with services ranging from simple grocery to specialty hardware. Simply put, Anacortes is a community that prides itself on its artistic roots. From classical writers to sagacious quilters, there's quite literally 'something for everyone.'
THE MAINLAND
La Conner
http://www.laconnerchamber.com/index.cfm
http://www.laconner.net/the-town.cfm
Few today would guess that the picturesque, artsy town of La Conner was purchased for a mere $500 in 1869. For that, John Conner bought the entire town plus another 70 acres of land, and, in honor of his wife, Louisa Ann Conner, changed the name of the town from Swinomish to La Conner a year later, to incorporate her first two initials and her last name.
La Conner's community is diverse and includes farmers, carpenters, artists and other artisans—as well as the Swinomish Tribal Community. Many artists made La Conner their home in the 1940s, inspired by the naturalistic beauty of the farming countryside, and the artistic influence continues to this day. On the third Saturday evening of every month, La Conner hosts an art walk where local art, photography and sculpture are featured, as well as their creators.
At a time when long-distance travel is increasingly expensive, more Washington residents are choosing a local destination for their vacations. Attracted by small shops (everything from boutiques to antiques to arts and craft stores), art galleries, fine restaurants and numerous bed and breakfasts, visitors discover the allure of being treated like a 'local' in a town that values its residents. Those who visit in the summer are presented with a multitude of outdoor options, including boating, fishing, kayaking and biking. Beyond its own enticements, La Conner's location draws many—the town is only one hour from both Vancouver and Seattle.
Proud that their town is on the National Registry of Historic Places, La Conner's residents strongly value their heritage. They work to preserve the history of the town, something reflected in the efforts taken to retain as much architectural history of the waterfront as possible. Perhaps it's this, along with the peace and quiet of a place to escape city life into the charm of an old-fashioned community, which continues to draw visitors to La Conner.
Burlington
http://www.burlington-chamber.com
Known as "The Hub City" for its proximity to the crossing of two prominent rail-lines (and later, Interstate 5 and State Route 20), Burlington's original designation was a logging camp. Since then, it has re-established itself, blossoming into a tourist trade stop, with a multitude of shopping malls and restaurants.
Every summer, Burlington celebrates its "oldest and sweetest festival" Berry Dairy Days, featuring shortcake competitions, concerts and local food and craft vendors.
In the springtime, the hills surrounding Mount Vernon are vibrant, with colorful clusters of tulips and daffodils. For the adventurous, the nearby Cascade Mountains offer hours of gem-hunting excitement and dazzling panoramic views for photographers and outdoor lovers alike.
Bellingham
http://www.bellingham.org
With a population just under 75,000, the waterfront city of Bellingham is anything but dull. This fact, paired with its established nickname—"the city of subdued excitement"—is only one clever example of the city's duality.
Bellingham is located north of Seattle, and is the last major city in Washington before you hit Canada. In fact, Bellingham is the closest major city to the 2010 Winter Olympics, which will be held in Vancouver, B.C.
Speaking of winter events, Bellingham is also home to the famous Mt. Baker Ski Resort, open October through April. In addition, to the obvious, Mt. Baker also hosts many non-skiing community events, from Easter egg hunts to film festivals. Bellingham is also home to Western Washington University and the annual Ski to Sea Race (http://www.skitosea.com), a tradition dating back to 1911.
If indoor activities are more to your liking, Bellingham also features the American Museum of Radio & Electricity, the Bellingham Sportsplex and a cadre of exploratory theatres, ranging from cabarets to comedy.
Bellingham is also home to MindPort (http://www.mindport.org), the museum featuring a revolutionary fusion of creative science and interactive, artistic exhibits, in an attempt to "...facilitate conversations between children and adults." Bellingham is also home to the Whatcom Museum of History & Art, a three-building complex featuring fine art, local history, hands-on children's exhibits and important cultural artifacts. The Lightcatcher Building, currently under construction, will offer an all-ages interactive gallery, housing a variety of the museum's 200,000-plus artifacts when it opens in late 2009.
Mount Vernon
http://www.mountvernonchamber.com/visitors
Located due south of Burlington in Skagit Valley, the quiet town of Mount Vernon (population 31,513) is most well known for its vibrant tulip fields that dazzle the senses. The fields are an integral part of the town's festivities each year: the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, spanning the entire month of April, features nearly 50 family-oriented events, as well as a local street fair with live music, exotic foods and artisan competitions!
If you want to test your physical prowess, you'll find the Eagle Rock Challenge Course a fun and memorable adventure. From groundbased balance activities to zip lines and trapeze jumps, Eagle Rock has opportunities for all ages and abilities.
With its wealth of natural beauty, Mt. Vernon is also a photographer's dream. If you get your fill of tulips, venture east for breathtaking views of the Cascade Mountains or venture out to one of Mt. Vernon's many manicured estates.
Everett
http://www.everettwa.org
In addition to being the "homeport" to the U. S. Navy, Everett is home to almost 50 miles of fresh- and saltwater shorelines, the largest public marina in the west and a wealth of environmental and cultural enrichment opportunities. Everett's park system is comprised of 1,600 acres of hiking trails, bike paths, waterfront vistas and picnic locales. Forest Park is one such location, with an indoor pool, animal learning center as well as several picnic pavilions. When you're ready to do some shopping, steer toward the corner of Hewitt & Colby, where you'll find gourmet chocolatiers, kitchen accessories, floral markets, wine tasting and a multitude of art galleries.
Summer Fridays at dusk (July through August), Everett shows Cinema Under the Stars—free movies for the family shown at Thomas A. Sullivan Park. Don't forget to pack snacks, blankets and pillows!
