Anacortes the gateway to the San Juan Islands

If you are reading this article chances are you might be planning your next vacation. Why not Anacortes, Washington? It has been named "the gateway to the San Juan Islands" plus so many other beautiful areas in the Pacific Northwest. Hopefully in this article I can steer you in the direction of the best path to take for fun and adventure in Anacortes on your next trip. I will even throw in a few amazing scenes for your added pleasure, because Anacortes has it all. Besides the people here are friendly and the Anacortes archway will welcome you with open arms as you first drive up to downtown.

So let's begin shall we. Anacortes is located in Washington state on Fidalgo Island in Skagit County. It connects to beautiful Whidbey Island, which is where I live in Oak Harbor, via the famous Deception Pass bridge. The bridge is a must see while visiting the area. Seattle is just a short 2 hour drive south on I-5 which is another article all to itself, so much to see and do there as well. Coupeville is located on Whidbey Island and from there you can take another ferry to the Olympic Peninsula for more awesome adventures.

As I mentioned earlier Anacortes is the gateway to the San Juan Islands which by the way consists of 172 Islands big and small. One of which is Orcas Island which is the hilliest and features Mt. Constitution, if you are into hiking and outdoor adventures this one is for you. Lopez is the flattest so cycling is a big hit there. Then the largest Island which is San Juan Island has a little bit of both of the other two. Boaters love to dock at Roche Harbor and Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. The ferry system will drop you off at any of these three destinations just be sure to get a ferry schedule or check out the web. Lots to see and do including the lighthouses on the Island.

There are resident pods of Orca whales which are often seen in the bays, as well as sea lions, otters, porpose and mink whales. So keep that camera close by because you never know when one of these will poke his head out of the water.......so let's get started and begin our tour of beautiful Anacortes! You ready?

When driving through this quaint historical town be sure to keep watch for the murals on some of the buildings. So goes the story of Bill Mitchell, a local artist who one day decided that painting some projects on wood and then placing them as murals on buildings might be a great attraction for the city. So lo and behold you have many of his paintings which are lifesize, on some of the downtown buildings. They include the local fishermen, beautiful dancers, small children, musicians, boaters, and many other professionals and local scenes. You will often see individuals visiting this town stop, go and stand by one of his paintings and take home a memory of Anacortes. So his idea certainly was a good one and has been a great story for Anacortes to tell and keep alive.

If RVing is your thing, then you have to check out Fidalgo Bay Resort located right on the water and only a few minutes to downtown Anacortes. It is a short 20 minute drive to Whidbey Island or about 25 minutes to Mt. Vernon for shopping malls and more fun activities. If traveling by car Anacortes has some great lodging for every budget, I have placed some of those on the map for your convenience and also as links for more info on their website.

If you like the rugged type of RVing then perhaps the Pioneer Trails is more your style. It features covered wagons that you can actually rent for the night and a large RV park along with a huge community "hot tub" if you are there in the cooler time of year. It's a fun place in summer with real cowboy sing-a-longs by the fire on weekends. It's a great family park to stay in.

The city park also has some rustic rv camping with less amenities but features a boat ramp for boaters to enjoy the water activities.

Food, entertainment and beer, sounds great doesn't it, well Anacortes has it all. Ideal places for families or couples and singles to enjoy a nice romantic dinner. I have included links to some restaurants and pubs in Anacortes. Each one is either plotted on the map for your convenience to locate and get directions, or I have included a link for more information on their website. If you are like me, that sure comes handy when you are in unfamiliar territory.

While in Anacortes you have to experience Fidalgo Drive In. It takes you back in time when the car hops used to come out and serve you. Here you can drive up to each of the stalls and order your food and someone will bring it out to you so it's a fun place for families and besides, they have great fish and chips.

Let's see, Anacortes is like a hub, literally in the middle of so many nearby places to visit. I will give you a quick run down of some of these that you may want to check out - deal!

• Whale watching at Deception Pass Tours or Island Adventures
• Visit La Conner for antique shopping and ice cream or just watch the boats go by in the channel
• Visit Mt. Vernon - Cascade mall shopping, theater and Outback for dinner
• Visit Whidbey Island and believe me that is a whole hub all to itself - so much to do there including boating, fishing at the lakes, shopping and just awesome sceneries
• Visit Coupeville on Whidbey and take a ferry to Port Townsend, Port Angeles and Sequim
• Visit Langley on Whidbey and do antique and window shopping with great views
• Take the ferry from Anacortes to any of the San Juan Islands
• Take the ferry to Victoria and visit Buschart Gardens
• Take the ferry to Seattle
• Launch your boat at one of the two Marinas in Anacortes
• Walk downtown and enjoy all the cute and fun shops and crafts outlets as well as restaurants and pubs
• Visit Washington Park and have a picnic for the day
• Have lunch at Anthony's Home Port right on the water at the Cape Sante Marina awesome views of Mt. Baker and the bay
• Visit Mt. Baker located a few hours drive from Anacortes
• Visit the Swinomish Casino and try your luck and have enjoy their two restaurants plus RV parking and beautiful lodging with water views!

These are all close by activities that you can drive to while visiting Anacortes - so be sure to plan well and most of all have tons of fun - ya hear!!!