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Crossing the border I could be mistaken that I’m still in Canada. There are the same kinds of trees, hills and farmland. But somehow Washington state also feels different. It could be all the American flags including some of the biggest road-side flags you’ve ever seen. But strangely that’s not it. The I-5 highway to Anacortes Washington is lined with RV dealerships, casinos and more fast food places than you can count (calories).
Low lying cloud rolls over the tops of trees like a scene right out of a Stephen King novel. Washington is mysterious and rugged and everything opposite to how I see the rest of the US. Maybe that’s it. The US that I know is the big cities, or desert or Rocky mountains. But this is all trees and fog while almost always being on the precipice of rain even if it never does pour. The bright winter sun hits the tops of the mountains around fields of red, farmhouses in the near distance and a mix of factories, rural farming and vast open space litter Washington state. I love making this drive.
Where is Anacortes Washington?
This small town is about an hour and 45 minute drive from Vancouver BC, halfway down to Seattle. Just off the coast is a small cluster of islands. The San Juan and Orcas Islands. At the tip of the peninsula leading to these islands is the charming town of Anacortes Washington. It’s not a big town. In fact visiting Anacortes is like going back in time. The downtown area is basically one main street with a Fifties vibe. Family friendly stores and wholesome American diners, antique stores and bookshops on every corner. And residential housing either side of that main street. I can tell why it’s so popular here. Looking to keep heading South? Here’s how to spend the perfect weekend in Seattle.
Where to stay in Anacortes Washington
There are not too many places to stay in Anacortes once you get past the Swinomish Casino resort. It’s mostly motels, small inns and a couple of B&Bs. Which is why we went with a little bit of a different approach. I was originally looking for a cozy cabin to rent for a weekend, and instead happened upon an Airbnb listing for a yacht. See Anacortes has quite a large marina area. Makes sense considering all the neighboring islands. But we found a cool looking Airbnb yacht rental that was too unique not to try. Sign up for Airbnb here and get a credit towards your first stay.
The boat had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, sitting area and dining area. There was an outside deck to sit on if you want to enjoy the fresh air. Although not really for us since we visited in February and it was still a bit cold. The bathrooms didn’t have warm water or a shower but the marina had a great bathroom with shower facilities for an additional cost ($1.25/5 minutes). It was everything we needed for a quick weekend getaway.
What is there to do in Anacortes
The honest truth is not too much. Anacortes Washington is a sleepy little town that is just perfect for a quiet getaway just relaxing. I took it as a great opportunity to read a book, stay inside on a cold winter day and get competitive over some board games with Jeff. But there are fun things to do if you want to get out and about, you just have to do your research.
Wander the Historic Downtown
We took a walk from the marina to the downtown area of Anacortes and wandered in and out of the little shops up and down the main street. The historic buildings of this town are really pretty and all over the downtown area are storyboards and decorative pictures depicting the bygone days of Anacortes Washington.
Grab a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants
So many great restaurants from local breweries and pubs, Italian restaurants, cheap and cheerful diners to fancy bistros. For a town as small as Anacortes there’s no shortage of places to eat. With only a couple of nights there we really didn’t have time to try all of them unfortunately. Oh well, all the more reason to go back.
Go for a walk around the marina and parks
Despite the cold February weather when we were there, and the rain overnight, the days were lovely and sunny. The marina where our boat was docked had a nice little path around to Cap Sante park, a beautiful area on the edge of the town. There are a number of other smaller parks around the town, all boasting equally stunning views.
Look out for some whales
The island nearby is not calls Orcas Island for nothing. This is whale country and between Spring and early Fall you’ll often be able to see whales around the coast of Washington state. Orca whale spotting is a great way to spend a day. Sure you could hope for the best by walking some of the trails that lead around the harbors, or you could book your own whale watching tour from Anacortes. I’ve done this before and it really is spectacular to see the whales along the West coast swimming and playing in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. If you’re visiting nearby San Juan Island here’s a great tour you can book.
Visit a local brewery or two
We hadn’t even gotten to our accommodation for the night before stopping off at a local brewery. I love trying different craft beers, so this is always something I look up. While the town of Anacortes Washington has a couple of nice pubs and a local brewery (at the Rockfish Grill), make sure you stop at Bastion Brewing Company just before you cross the bridge that leads into the town. They had so many great beers on tap, huge portions of food served at the counter next door, and room for 85 people in the taproom. They’re also dog friendly!
Play a few hands at the casino
Just before you get to Bastion Brewery and the bridge into Anacortes, you’ll pass Swinomish Casino & Lodge. Stop for a bite to eat, to watch some sports in their sports bar, or try your luck at the tables. Jeff played a few hands of blackjack, and I spent a little time on the slots. Both of us won a little bit of money even after buying a beer and hanging out in the bar for an hour. It’s no Vegas but the tables are cheaper and you can easily spend an hour or two.
Hike around some of the many trails
Back to Cap Sante Park there are a number of trails and some wildlife spotting potential. Plus some spectacular views on a nice day. Enjoy some fresh air and get some exercise as Anacortes Washington has a number of parks and woodland areas to walk around.
Remember to take a reusable water bottle with you on your travels, like this one from FastTech
Plan a day trip
Anacortes has easy access to some of the coastal islands including Orcas and San Juan. Take a ferry and get out on the ocean for the day, or plan a longer journey over to historic Port Townsend. Nearby La Conner is a shorter distance than Port Townsend, and was the place we chose to visit on our trip.
La Conner Washington
La Conner is only about 20-25 minutes drive from Anacortes. Head over the bridge past the brewery and the Swinomish casino and head South a little further. This waterfront town has an amazing historic main street filled with fantastic food places, craft shops, a brewery and some fine antiques stores. Visit the Museum of Northwest Art, or grab an ice cream and amble along the waterfront area on a nice day. La Conner is also famous for its Tulip festival if you’re around in Spring.
Insider tip: check out Pelindaba Lavender store for some yummy smelling lotions, soaps and other lavender scented products. They have lavender jams, honeys and mustards too.
Where to eat in Anacortes Washington
Where isn’t there to eat? For a small place, they sure have a lot of choice for dining. Leave plenty of space for food on your trip to Anacortes. You’ll need some of those beautiful trails to walk off all this grub!
Union Tavern
I couldn’t find a good menu online for this place before we visited, but they had a wonderful little bar with some delicious food options. They have a wide selection of local and national craft beers, five (yes 5) types of grilled cheese including a jalapeno popper version, and a build your own hotdog menu option. There are a few TVs for those who want to catch a sports game, and the staff are really nice.
Village Pizza
This local pizza place didn’t seem like it was going to be as good as it was. I don’t know why, but the lackluster sign outside and dark interior made me think this was a bit of a gamble. But boy did that gamble pay off. They have a big menu with a lot of compelling food choices. We got a pizza, wings and the spaghetti with meatballs. All were delicious, all were huge! The pizza was absolutely fantastic. Eat here! There were also some great beers on tap.
Rockfish Grill & Anacortes Brewery
Family friendly place with lots of local beers on tap, and a pretty decent sized menu. Lots of great appetizers for an evening of craft beer and snacks. The hefeweizen cheese dip with tortilla chips is worth a shot, and there are a number of vegetarian items on this extensive menu.
Calico Cupboard
Looking for breakfast? Look no further. This place has all you will need. Freshly made scones, bread and pastries are just the tip of the iceberg. The breakfast burrito is where it’s at. This huge monstrosity is the most flavorful breakfast burrito I might have ever had. So much so that I had to almost hold Jeff back from giving it a standing ovation after it took both of us to devour every morsel. There’s also a location in La Conner although the Anacortes place is much larger. Insider tip: take some dessert for the road – a slice of salted caramel brownie won’t go amiss.
Brown Lantern
The Brown Lantern is also on the main street of Anacortes Washington, just a little before the Rockfish Grill. We went looking for somewhere to watch sports. This really hit the spot. They have a good TV situation, and a varied menu. The beers are great, and the food was nice, although some items were a bit of a miss.
They are all about their Habi-tots at The Brown Lantern. “What are they?” you ask. Well they are tater tots seasoned well and coated with melted cheese and habanero ranch sauce. They got kind of messy but were flavorful enough. The biggest miss for me was the jalapeno cheese sauce that came with the pretzel. It was more like melted Kraft cheese singles in a dish. Still, the pub has plenty other food to satisfy and is a lively, cheery place.
How long should you spend in Anacortes Washington?
We went for a weekend from Vancouver, arriving Friday afternoon and leaving Sunday. I think if you’re looking for a quick weekend getaway that’s perfect, but if you start adding in day trips then you might need longer. We spent most of the Saturday in La Conner so didn’t get as much time relaxing and walking outdoors as we would have liked. The Summer (or even Spring) would have been a good time to go and I’m told Anacortes Washington gets rather busy then. That makes sense since February was still busy enough. Don’t rush your time in this quaint little town, spend time kicking back on the West coast. Sign up here for Airbnb and save, then check out other properties in Anacortes.
If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Have you been to Anacortes Washington? What are some other Pacific Northwest towns you like?
I love the idea of day trips that are close to home! So often we want to fly places but forget what is often to close to us! Even though you mentioned there isn’t much to do, sometimes that is the best part of a vacation… to actually rest and rejuvenate rather than constantly doing stuff! I think I would spend a lot of time at the brewery 😂 and maybe some of the hikes as well! Looks like you had a lovely weekend. Thanks for sharing!
Oooh nice! We live in Vancouver too so I am always looking for fun mini adventures for the weekend. I love the look of this (especially if we add in some hikes!) So far I have only really explored near the Mount Baker area, but I would like to explore more of washington.
p.s. I know what you mean. It is hard to put your finger on the differences but things really do seem different south of the border.
It looks like such a peaceful place and I love the idea of staying on a yacht. It makes the experience even more unique!
The idea of staying on a yacht is amazing! I love those special accommodations, they are so much easier to remember.
I loved this idea! I have stayed on a yacht a few times and there’s something really special about it. Thank you for sharing!
It looks like a lovely place to spend a weekend. There seem to be an endless number of gems in Washington, I’ll definitely add this to my list for next time I visit!