Visiting Puget Island Garden Center is an adventure. Take a full day if you want to fully…read moreappreciate the Center and overall locale. The vision owners Gene and Dawn O'Neil have for Puget Island Garden Center is brilliant, something I haven't seen before:  They have benches, little round wrought iron table-and-chair sets, single and double sets of chairs for resting/sitting/reflecting and communing, even a hammock between two trees set off from the Puget Island Garden Center itself. What used to be a llama barn, Gene remodeled into a store where they sell all kinds of garden supplies and more.  It's an eclectic of their (Gene and Dawn) idiosyncratic creative interests, lovingly displayed. But there are actually 4 buildings, more like a garden complex. Each building has a purpose: in here are the veggie starts, this building has annuals for pots on the porch or deck, etc. The lovely part was how, since unlike urban garden centers with limited space, they have plenty of room, each structure spaced apart with rows of plants, set on table-like settings and, interspersed, are all those lovely little spots to sit and visit and reflect.  Dawn said their vision is to have the Puget Island Garden Center be a destination and indeed that is what it is!  They had healthy plants and trees of every type. So hard to limit what to buy! I bought a beautiful black lace elderberry I'm excited about. Natalie, the plant expert, is so knowledgeable. When my friend or I had questions, we went to Natalie, a brilliant plant goddess who looks herself as if she grew right out of a columbine, a very knowledgeable young horticulturist.  They have plans to use the rest of the 5 acres to actually grow what they sell, but for now, they have to buy the plants. Dawn and Gene, so friendly and generous with their stories, suggested we stop at "Little Island Creamery" where we needed to purchase the brie cheese because it had just won #1 'best brie cheese' at the national cheese organization. After we left, we went to The Spar (does every town and city have a restaurant named the Spar?) where we met the most delightful server, Wren, who served us one of the best sandwiches. What a memorable day.

This new garden center on Puget Island is an absolute GEM! Most (if not all?) of their plants and…read moreproducts are organic but listed at a fair price. The owners are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet and Natalie, the Garden Manager, is incredibly knowledgeable about plants, gardening and landscaping. She helped me identify which herbs/flowers I should plant together and the best placement for them in my backyard. Oh and the garden center is leashed dog friendly, which is a huge plus I'm excited to come back and enjoy their upcoming events!

This is like an old growth blueberry forest gone wild! The bushes are taller than my 6'4" hubby and…read morewider than our SUV is long. There are 7 acres to roam, they say with varieties ripening from early summer until early fall, but from what I could tell, there weren't obvious sections. And barely true paths. In mid July, we set out to get only a large bowlful to have on our Long Beach getaway, not enough for jam or to freeze. In several more weeks. The picking will be easy, but as it was, we walked away from the barn to the end of the bushes looking for bushes full of ripe berries. Not finding them, we turned back settling on bushes with branches that had small clumps of ripe ones. In other words, we were not cleaning a branch or bush, but rather carefully plucking a small handful on a branch and moving to another. Slow but steady going, with lots of not quite fully ripe, but all delicious! And we had a very fun and peaceful time, with the farm to us and the birds and a tree frog that jumped on my arm. ( I'm not going to lie that I'm not sure if he or I was more startled, lol!) You head back to the barn to self-pay on the honor system, which is also pretty cool. Yeah, great place in the summer. Would like to try cranberrying in the fall!

Ok- I went to pick blueberries and wish there had been a sign that said, "turn right on dirt road…read moreto pay for and pick blueberries." Instead, I went straight down the road to the farm (closed on the weekends), and a woman screamed me. "Didn't you see the sign???? The farm is closed. You're only the 17th person to come down here." So here's a suggestion: BETTER SIGNAGE. No most people don't know to go to the little shed to get a bucket and pay on the honor system. Aside from that, the blueberries were fantastic and only 2$ a pound, and yes you can pick when the farm is closed. Bring cash.

Such a unique place. Stopped by to what I thought would be a brief plant store wander. Nah, I was…read morethere for at least 30 minutes! There's so much to look at and do. The vending machine is so unique. I've seen a few in WA and love the idea of mystery stuff from a vending machine, idk it's rad. The repurposed candy machine was so cute as well. So many sticker options, plant types, jewelry, jumping spiders, and a very sweet host. Customer service A+ She said something about a plant bingo they host as well. Neeeeeed to go, will update lol

Thanks to my daughter's Mothers' Day gift I discovered this fun little shop right downtown. I chose…read morea cute pot and a beautiful philodendron--a "Red Moon," the clerk pointed out while showing me the new growth. Super healthy plants throughout and I look forward to going back.

A great little farmer's market focused on food. I went here on a Thursday afternoon and there was a…read moregood amount of people, but not crowded at all. Located in the parking lot of the indoor garden store, parking was easy to find. I would estimate a dozen or so vendors, with many I didn't recognize as repeats from Sunday Market. Live music. Vendors included: -Two food booths (Blue Scorcher with baked goods and Monte Alban with Mexican food), as well as two food trucks, one vegan and the other selling bowls of some sort. -Fresh ice teas -Meats including short ribs and lamb -Cranberry juice -Fresh eggs -Goat cheeses -Lots of veggies, herbs, fruit, and plants -Unique jams (e.g. kiwi) and the best garlic pesto I've ever had - free samples! There is also an info booth, Master Gardener booth, and a booth for kids activities. Apparently there is a pie walk too! Pets not allowed, but I noticed a sign that says the volunteers are available to watch them for you. Love that they have stuff here that isn't easily available at the local grocery stores, including bok choy, golden raspberries, and Thai basil plants.

My family only has one tradition. Every year we go to Noble Ridge and cut down our own tree. Joe,…read morethe owner is an absolute sweetheart and the farm is gorgeous. They have 80 some acres of trees to choose from, a holiday gift shop (locally made ornaments and other bits & pieces), and hot chocolate and cider to keep you warm. I would never buy a tree from a lot again.

Great place to get a tree! The owners are so nice and helpful. They were worried about our safety…read morebecause we arrived late and it gets dark quickly. He actually came out with his atv to make sure we were OK and helped us with the tree! We recently moved here from the east coast and are used to blue spruce and Douglas fir, which are much fuller trees. He took to the time to explain why they had more nobles firs. Another family came after us, and they made sure to follow then around and make sure they had plenty of light.

Lovely homestead providing for local community!! Brian and Lily work hard to create a safe space…read morefor animals, pumpkin patch goers, and provide local dump truck delivery and hauling. Great community folk.

Great farmers market with a lot of variety. Picked up some great snack snacks. They change out…read moresome vendors every other week. Happens on a Wednesday around 12-5 I think with music around 1:30. Look it up.

Stop here for all sorts of local yummy, delicious goodies. You can find organic produce, the best…read morestrawberries ever, the best honey you have ever tasted, nut butter that will make you re think your life and vinegars that are unreal! I love this market and have watched it grow over the years! You have to come eat at Rolls and Bowls! It's soooo delicious!! Can't wait for the market to open again!!

This is a neat little pit stop from Long Beach, WA. There's a small museum that contains…read moreinformation about how harvesting cranberries was a difficult, inefficient process, until various machines and contraptions were made to make the process easier. The main method used today involves flooding the fields of the cranberry vines, so that the ripe cranberries float and can be collected for use in processing and making cranberry products. Each year at this museum they demonstrate this process during the festival. If the cranberries are destined to be sold fresh, then they have to be picked by hand as a "dry harvest". There is also a gift shop where various cranberry items are sold, including cranberry ice cream. The cranberry ice cream was more of a sherbet to me, although I'm used to the super premium ice creams so maybe I'm biased. It tasted exactly like cranberry with a hint of orange. It was good to try, but I'm probably not going to buy it again. Don't miss the self-guided tour of the fields in the back, where you can look at the cranberry vines.

Lots of interesting stuff and information about Cranberries (if they is your kinda thing). Try the…read morecranberry ice cream, you will not be disappointed.