Our favourite destinations in the Northwest corner of Washington State

I grew up in one of the prettiest corners of America—the Pacific Northwest—smack dab between Seattle and Vancouver B.C.. I return every summer with my family to enjoy the long summer days and endless blue skies, but surprisingly, I’ve never thought to publish a guide to the area. Maybe it’s because it feels like home to me, rather than a holiday destination, but every year I’m asked for my recommendations. This year I’ve finally written them down.

I grew up in Skaggit county, surrounded by snow-capped mountains (even volcanoes!) on all sides, lakes, bays, rivers and all manner of waterways weaving through every nook and cranny, and evergreen islands beckoning from blue grey waters of Puget Sound. In recent years, cultural and culinary attractions have flourished too, meaning there’s a lot more than natural beauty to my childhood home.

So I’ve compiled a list of my favourite places in the area, from Seattle to the San Juan Islands. It’s a somewhat scattergun collection and for sure there is more to discover than I’ve recorded here (if you have your own recommendations, please add them to the comments). Otherwise I hope this gets you planning a getaway to the PNW. I may be biased, but you’ll have a hard time finding a more gorgeous destination in America. And while it is wet and rainy much of the year, the summers are reliably sunny and extra beautiful as a result.

EDISON: I grew up just down the street from this charming little town, which, in recent years, has become a real destination with its weekly farmers market, tasty cafes, cute shops and notable galleries. It’s tiny (you can literally walk from one end of town to the other in three minutes!), but every shop in town is worth entering. You might pass through this town on your way out to the San Juan Islands or Deception Pass.

• Mariposa Taqueria — A charming little taco restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. (I believe it’s only opened from Friday to Monday, but best to call before you visit to be sure.)
• The Bread Farm — an artisan bakery with the area’s best breads and a selection of cookies and baked goods.
• Hedgerow Boutique — An absolute gem! This gorgeous little boutique has a selection of beautiful homewares, fashion, jewellery, vintage finds and other lust-worthy knick-nacks. It’s the type of shop you’d find in a trendy Seattle neighbourhood, and yet… it’s in the tiny town of Edison.
• Tweets Cafe
• Smith & Vallee Gallery –Located in a restored 100-year-old school house, this pretty gallery represents artists from across the Northwest and beyond. They host an exhibition the first Saturday of every month, but remain opened throughout the week.
• The Lucky Dumpster — A quirky shop chock full of knick-knacks, pottery, vintage finds and other odds and ends.

DECEPTION PASS and WHIDBEY ISLAND: Deception Pass is a beautiful area to explore with lots of different walking trails and picnic spots. And crossing the famous Deception Pass Bridge takes you to Whidbey Island, which also has some beautiful areas worth seeing.

–Bowman Bay and Rosario Beach walking trail — these family-friendly walks are some of our favourites in the entire area and you’ll get beautiful views of the Deception Pass bridge from the Lottie Bay/Lighthouse Point area.
–Deception Pass Bridge — such amazing views from here!
–Cranberry Lake — another beautiful spot in the Deception Pass park. A wonderful swimming spot just off the beach.
–Ebey’s Landing walking trail and beach, Whidbey Island (see photos above) — a wonderful family-friendly walk with vast stretches of coastline and beach views.
–Fort Casey, Whidbey Island — we visit Fort Casey every summer and our kids never tire of exploring and climbing on the fort’s bunkers. We also love spending time on the beach just below — a great spot for finding agates and driftwood!

THE SKAGIT VALLEY (Mount Vernon & Fir Island): I grew up here in the Skagit Valley, just down the road from Snowgoose Produce. Skagit Valley is known for its farmlands and local produce. Driving around the back roads you’ll discover many fruit stalls selling seasonal fruit and berries. (You would drive through this area on your way out to the San Juan Islands or Deception Pass.)

–Snowgoose Produce — Our favourite fruit and veg stall selling local and organic produce. Also speciality ice cream cones the size of your head!
–Roozengaarde Flower Farm — a shameless plug of my father’s flower farm… but really it’s the most beautiful place to visit when the tulips are in bloom (in late March/early April), and a great place to have a picnic if you’re in the area.
–LaConner Flats — pretty gardens with beautiful flowers, fruit trees and berry bushes. Some goats too.

ANACORTES (en route to the San Juan Islands): To access the San Juan Islands, you’ll take a ferry from Anacortes. We don’t usually spend much time in this little town, so I don’t know it very well. But the Donut House is a must-stop on your way to the ferry terminal!

 The Donut House — serves traditional, old-school donuts that are seriously delicious. I literally dream about these donuts all year long. My mouth waters just thinking about them now. The maple bars!  Best enjoyed on a ferry boat in the middle of the San Juan Islands. : )

SAN JUAN ISLANDS: No trip to Washington State would be complete without a visit to the San Juans. The ferry trip alone is such an iconic experience. There are four major islands in the San Juans with ferry access: San Juan Island, Lopez Island, Shaw Island and Orcas Island. You can read more about the different islands here.

-San Juan is always a tourist destination with its charming seaside town of Friday Harbour.
-My family’s little island is located just off Lopez Island, so we spend most of our time on Lopez and love that friendly little island. Lopez Village has become such a cute little destination in the last few years with wonderful cafes, shops and a great organic food shop, which makes grocery shopping a treat!

LUMMI ISLAND: A small island in the Puget Sound off of Bellingham. I have actually never been, but have heard such wonderful things about The Willows Inn — an award-winning restaurant and charming hotel. Several friends and family members have stayed here and give it two thumbs up.

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND: A 35-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle. My family has a few beach cabins on the beach here, which have been in my family since my great grandparents’ discovered this pretty spot. I grew up spending my summer holidays running up and down that rocky beach and swimming in the freezing waters. (See the Bainbridge Island Visitor’s Guide for more info on things to do on the island.)

–Via Rosa Italian deli — A wonderful must-visit Italian kitchen and restaurant serving proper pizzas and delicious take-away foods.
–Mora ice creamery — Our favourite place to grab ice cream on the island.
-Town & Country Market grocery store —
–Eagle Harbor Book Co. — A charming local bookstore with a wonderful children’s section. On a rainy day, we come here!
–Churchmouse Yarns — A little yarn shop in the centre of town — a perfect place to pick up yarns for beach crafting, weaving or knitting projects.
-Farmers Market every Saturday in the Town Square/City Hall —

SEATTLE: Hopefully some day I can write up a separate guide with our favourite places in Seattle, but for now here is a quick list of places we love in this pretty city…

Restaurants:
–Oddfellows:  Favourite breakfast spot in Capitol Hill. That entire street is so cute with a great bookshop next door and good shops too. One of my favorite shops, Totokaelo, is on this street.
–Walrus and the Carpenter in Ballard — so cute! great place to eat fresh oysters.
–Bar Melusine in Capitol Hill — another great place for oysters.
–Essex and Delancey — Essex is the bar and Delancey is the neighbouring sister pizza restaurant. Grab a drink while you wait for your table!
–Revel –Korean street food
–Le Pichet in the Pike Place Neighbourhood
–Matts in the Market in Pike Place Market
–Volunteer Park Cafe just outside Volunteer Park

Shops:
–Glasswing Shop in Capitol Hill
–Totokaelo — in Capitol Hill (next to Oddfellows Restaurant)
–Elliot Bay Bookstore — (next to Totokaelo above)
–Barneys in downtown Seattle
–Les Amis in Fremont

And some other favourite things to do in Seattle:

-Volunteer Park Conservatory – This is in Volunteer Park and totally worth going to. You can walk up the water tower and see a beautiful view of the city. If you don’t have time to visit Volunteer Park Cafe for a meal you can always go for a pastry and coffee.
-Discovery Park – You can walk around in the woods or down by the beach.
-On a Sunday, the Fremont and Ballard farmer’s markets are awesome.
-Pike Place Market is a classic tourist spot, but a good one.
-On a hot, sunny day, it’s fun to go to the little toddler pool in Green Lake where there will be lots of families and children to play with.