A cool boat full of historical facts, photographs, stories and places to explore…read more It's wonderful to be able to see the living quarters, galley - and it's working dumb waiter - as well as learning about the workings of such a ship while touring the Anacortes waterfront. The ship is not too far from the boardwalk and farmers market, which makes for a lovely stroll to gain a little knowledge and appease curiosity while visiting the town.

A must-visit while you're in Anacortes during the summer season. The cornerstone of the museum is…read morethe W T Preston steam-powered sternwheel snag barge. This Preston operated in the Puget Sound for decades removing snags, logs and hazards from the navigable waterways. The boat is well-preserved, with all of the gauges, controls, boilers and other equipment in place. The curators have binders full of pictures of the crew and operations over the years. You enter the boat in the engine room, are greeted by a curator, then turned loose to explore the rest of the vessel on your own. The first deck is machinery space, the second deck is crew accommodations and the third deck is the galley, wheelhouse and officer's quarters. $5 entry fee. I recommend setting aside about an hour to explore the boat and take it all in.

Nobody's reviewed this place yet? It's amazing if you appreciate birds. Good for kids, science,…read moretaxidermists & people interested in the native animals of Whatcom county. They have very limited hours, so check the museum website before going.

Pioneer Park is the perfect combination of a beautiful outdoor park plus the chance to take in some…read morelocal history. When you first enter the park you're greeted by a row of hand-built, historical buildings made by Whatcom County's earliest settlers and relocated to (what would eventually become) Pioneer Park. If you go on a day that some of the houses are open, for a small donation you can take a tour hosted by volunteers who know pretty much everything about the history of Ferndale and the county! The tour houses are set up with relics from the past - it's so interesting to see how the early settlers lived. Past the houses are open spaces where concerts are held, and the iconic barn which is the home of weddings, dances, and beer gardens throughout the summer. It's always fun to attend one of Pioneer Park's signature events, the Old Settlers Festival, where you are greeted with a ribbon denoting how long you've lived in these here parts, and then you get to enjoy the various vendors (and of course food!) before embarking to the barn where you will pretty much run into everyone you've ever known! Pioneer Park is also home to the beautiful and amazing Star Park, a children's playground build entirely by community volunteers. So now there are fun things for the little ones to do here, too!

It's the only movie theater on Orcas island and one of the only 2 in rural San Juan County. Good…read morevalue, very friendly service and good prices on popcorn, candy etc. Movies are only screened on Friday and Saturday night due to the small population. The theater is small but the screen appears very large and the sound quality is good. This is a great resource for the community and for the tourists that visit. So have fun, pig on popcorn and support this community asset. The theater has some interesting village features. For instance there are no tickets. The lady at the booth, takes your cash and says "Thanks, come on in."

The Sea View theater is a favorite of mine. They put real butter on your popcorn which amazes me…read moreand their small is actually small and not like $15. It's very much a small town movie theater that only shows Fridays and Saturdays and carries only one movie. In the summer they usually show two (early one for kids, late one for adults), but I'm not sure if that continues. The people who run the theater are very nice and there is plenty of room in the theater (which usually isn't crowded).

This festival, hosted on Memorial Day Weekend in historic Fairhaven, is lovely to walk through and…read moredrink in. It's a beautiful part of Bellingham, and there are lots of vendors with food and interesting wares, crafts and art. The festival featured bands and plenty to places to enjoy the music. This festival was a happy coincidence for me--I came for the Ski to Sea event, and the festival was a beautiful bonus.

This fantastic festival happens on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend each year (same day as the…read moreSki to Sea race) and is produced by the Historic Fairhaven Association. All of the core streets of Fairhaven are closed and lots of street and craft vendors line the streets. Yummy food options to suit every taste - many fair favorites. Love the main stage showcasing popular local bands and adjacent to a huge beer garden. This is a great family friendly event not to be missed.

I love museums and checking out things of history. I was curious about Lopez Island, but I didn't…read morelearn very much. When I entered, no one was at the front. There was a cash bowl to put your admission price in. I put my $5 in, and wandered around looking at the exhibits. I could hear a voice on the phone. No one greeted me. When I was getting to the end, a small group entered. The woman got off the phone and greeted them. I spent $5 and was done in less than 15 minutes. Not worth it, in my opinion.

We're so glad we stumbled upon this place while exploring Semiahmoo Park. The gentleman running the…read moreplace was super informative and gave us a fascinating history lesson. Apparently, Semiahmoo Resort used to be a salmon canning plant and a boat dockyard for salmon fishing--who knew? If you've ever stayed at the resort and noticed some random things around the property that made you scratch your head, this stop will clear up the mystery. Everything suddenly makes sense after learning the backstory. It's definitely worth the quick stop, and we even learned some cool facts about how the spit, which the park and resort sit on, came to be. Turns out, if the docks on the Blaine side hadn't been built, the spit might've closed off completely, turning Drayton Harbor into a freshwater lake. It's a small spot, free to visit but it's really well laid out, so you can breeze through it and get a glimpse of what life was like back in the day for those working in the salmon industry. I'd definitely recommend a visit to learn more about the history of the area--it's a hidden gem!