Deception Pass State Park is the most-visited state park in Washington, and for good reason! Our welcome party will take place in the park, but there's lots of excellent hiking and kayaking in the area too!

20-25 min from the venue.

Anacortes is a jumping off point for the San Juan Islands, which have some of the best whale watching in the lower 48. August is the middle of peak whale watching season!

https://island-adventures.com/rates-and-schedule ($119 adults, $79 kids, discounts for booking 30+ days in advance)

https://pugetsoundwhalewatchingsightseeingtours.com/ ($200 per person)

25min from venue

If you want to see the North Cascades but don't want to do a serious hike, Artist Point is for you! The road is only open July-September, so you'll be here at the perfect time for it.

Definitely recommend doing the short (<1 mi) Picture Lake loop walk for the views.

Just under 2H from the venue - it's a beautiful drive.

If you want to get out into the North Cascades while you're here, this is one of the closest big mountain hikes to the venue, and it's gorgeous.

7.6mi, 2100 ft elevation - not extremely strenuous, but only recommended for people who are accustomed to hiking.

1.5H drive from venue

The San Juan Islands are a group of islands in the Northwest corner of Washington state known for fantastic whale-watching, lighthouses, the arts, and "island pace" - there are no stoplights on any of the islands!

The photo is from San Juan County Park on San Juan Island, still AB's favorite place she's ever hung a hammock :)

Anacortes (20min from the venue) is the starting point for ferries to the islands. Summer weekend ferry reservations release in blocks 2 months, 2 weeks, and 2 days in advance and fill up quickly, so plan ahead if you want to visit! https://www.visitsanjuans.com/washington-state-ferries

La Conner is a super cute waterfront town with fun art galleries and antique shops. Erik says it has "the vibes" :)

8min from venue

Northern State Ghost Town - We had a fun time walking through the grounds of an old abandoned hospital. Also has a disc golf course! Erik was very patient with AB's complete lack of disc golf skills XD

25min from venue

Snow Goose Produce is an adorable farm stand with really great ice cream that's right down the road from the venue