La Conner Loves Boaters
La Conner Marina offers full boater services including fuel, overnight transient moorage and an easy walk into the heart of town.By Glenn Kohaly
Boaters will find everything they need in La Conner, including waterfront restaurants and shops that reside in historic Victorian wooden buildings dating back to the late 1800s. The boardwalk takes you along the galleries, antique stores, and presents superb dining from casual to classy; restaurants housed in old wood-plank buildings edging the narrow Swinomish Channel. Most of the popular restaurants on the waterside of First Street have guest docks for lunch and dinner guests.
La Conner Marina offers full boater services including fuel, overnight transient moorage and an easy walk into the heart of town. Keep in mind that all of this is just an easy two-hour cruise into the heart of the beautiful San Juan Islands! The marina features two separate moorage basins, which cover approximately 24 acres. Offering just shy of 400 covered moorage slips, 130 open moorage slips, plus 2,400 lineal feet of dock space for overnight moorage, La Conner Marina should be on your radar screen!.
With less than 1000 permanent residents, La Conner is listed among Washington’s “very small towns” and is one of the state’s most popular tourist destinations. You can get a great orientation to the community from the iconic Rainbow Bridge. From there, the channel stretches northward into the distance offering a picture-postcard view of La Conner, with Mount Baker in the background.
Located in Skagit Valley, La Conner lies near the San Juan Islands, and is less than a two-hour drive from Seattle or Vancouver, B.C. The annual spring Skagit Valley Tulip Festival transforms the surrounding fields into a brilliant rainbow of colour. With more than 700 acres of tulip fields, every town in Skagit Valley gets involved, holding a festival that lasts throughout the month of April. With a view of the San Juan Islands to the west and tulip fields to the east, there is a natural wealth of spectacular beauty.
Booking a few days at the La Conner Channel Lodge is a great way to discover the area. From your private balcony you can take in a breathtaking view while watching a parade of interesting boats along the waterway. There’s also a dock and pier where guests can moor their boats. Just step out the front door and you are in the heart of the town. The Inn's deluxe rooms, with high wooden beamed ceilings, provide a cozy and inviting atmosphere. In the mornings, the smell of freshly made granola draws you to the delicious complimentary breakfast buffet to get your day off to a great start. A flagstone entry and woodsy garden, cedar-shake siding, and a river-rock fireplace in the lobby set the tone for the rest of the lodge, and the lobby, with its small library alcove, has the sort of nautical feel you’d expect to find in a home built by a ship’s captain 100 years ago. The lobby also boasts a fantastic grand piano, business centre, and each Friday and Saturday evening hosts a complimentary wine and cheese reception with live piano music!
La Conner invites you to remember a slower pace and a gentler time... to discover a perfect getaway. Year-round festivals are not to be missed. These include Arts Alive, Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, Highland Games, Grapes and Plates, the annual Smelt Derby, Arts & Crafts festival, Oyster Run, Berry Dairy Days, Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival, the La Conner Classic Yacht & Car Show, or the Lighted Boat Parade - these are just a few of La Conner’s fantastic events. For a calendar of festivals and events visit www.lasconnerchamber.com