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Steve Berentson
Anacortes, WA
Deception Pass
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Steve Berentson
Anacortes, WA
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KP Studios
Anacortes, WA
Courtesy of Experience Anacortes – Your Island Getaway
Slip away to Anacortes, nestled on the eastern point of Fidalgo Island. Surrounded by the waters of Fidalgo Bay and Guemes Channel, Anacortes blends historic charm with modern amenities, spectacular views and warm welcoming smiles.
Anacortes is the ideal launch point for a boating adventure. The inland waterways between the mainland and Vancouver Island are recognized worldwide as a boater’s paradise, with line-of-sight cruising and incomparable sea life. Savour the thrill, intimacy, and contentment of wind on your face and the inspiring beauty of islands and coast in every direction. Your only visitors will be bald eagles, orcas (killer whales), migratory birds, and bow-riding porpoises.
Discover for yourself the city’s great and varied restaurants, tasty microbrews, interesting shops, historic neighborhoods, unique museums, and 2,500 acres of forestlands for hiking and biking. Enjoy the views of Fidalgo Island from the water aboard one of the many vessels available for personal charter.
Or – coast in, and hang out on the island! Point yourself in just about any direction in Anacortes and a water experience is just steps away. Pick up a boxed lunch at any of the local eats downtown and walk on over to Seafarers’ Memorial Park—the perfect place to picnic on the lawn while the kids splash on the gradual beach, hunt for agates, and skip rocks. It’s also an easy place to launch a kayak, and the venue for some incredibly fun summer concerts.
Need a little respite? Read and sip coffee by a crackling fire in a historic hotel or take in the local scene at a quaint upscale coffee shop/ bakery; relax with his and her massages at one of the many beautifully appointed spas. Stroll the open marina arm in arm and experience the fishing trawlers and spy the occasional seal.
Culture mavens should put the always-informative Anacortes Museum, W.T. Preston Snag boat and Heritage Museum, Anacortes Community Theatre (ACT), and First Friday Gallery Walk on their getaway list.
For those in need of retail therapy, we prescribe a generous dose of locally owned boutiques, gourmet kitchen wares, jewelry, art, books, and gift shops. Or step back in history at the city’s many antiques shops, displaying everything from country to European antiques and marine, western, and vintage collectibles.
Or make like a local and pull out of the marina at first light aboard an all-day fishing charter. The waters of the San Juans and Pacific Northwest have supported sport and commercial fishing families since the 1800s. Most local charter skippers grew up baiting hooks and telling lies. Their knowledge of the habits, cycles, and haunts of the area’s salmon, halibut, and lingcod come as naturally as the change of seasons.
Even annual Anacortes events play up the city’s salt-sprayed surroundings. Bring the entire family and enjoy June’s Waterfront Festival at Cap Sante Marina. Visit yearly Boat Shows, or plan a full weekend around Bier on the Pier (October) and Spring Wine Festival (April).
For more info visit anacortes.org or call the visitors’ center at (360) 293-3832.