I've gone lavender picking before at some other places, but I wanted to try somewhere new and a…read morelittle bit closer to home. To get here from Seattle you have to take the Fauntleroy ferry to Vashon Island but we headed there pretty early in the morning and we had no problems getting onto the ferry with our car (On the way back from Vashon however, we saw a bunch of people heading to Vashon in the afternoon. The ferry line for vehicles was crazy backed up, so I would not recommend going too late!) After arriving at Vashon, it's about 20 or so minutes to the Lavender Hill Farm. This place is super cute! From what I could observe, it looks like a beautiful private residence with its own little giant farm attached. What made this place stand out from the rest is that there were so many varieties of lavender that I had never heard of before. They had some interns there, helping to pick lavender and make bouquets/wreaths who did a great job of educating us on the different types of smelling lavender and cooking lavender. They also had a bunch of premade lavender products. Personally, I always go for the little lavender bags and use them in my laundry -- they last forever, and they smelled great. They had these scented roller balls each with a different type of lavender, it smelled absolutely amazing. If I am remembering correctly, there were also lotions, balms, incense, even pre-cut cooking lavender, and I believe there was even lavender soda for sale. I was able to purchase everything easily using contactless pay. I believe I had a conversation with the owner of the farm (not 100% on that though) and she was quite lovely. This place is dog friendly as you can see from my pictures, however, they also have a farm dog of their own so just be mindful of that. If you love to Instagram, or taking pictures, this place is definitely for you -- and if you like lavender, of course, you should definitely come here! It seems like their season has already ended so I'm guessing it's open for a very short window in the early summer, but if you have the opportunity to go next summer, I would recommend it!

Just as you enter the border of town you might see a sign at the crossroads pointing to how to get…read moreto the lavender farm. On a whim we followed the signs so mom could pick a a couple of bunches. You are greeted as you enter by a lady who hands you some shears and then pick to your hearts desire. You check out in a little shack that sells lavender oils and other accoutrements. The staff members are so gentle and chill so please be kind to them. Don't forget taking selfies in front of the house with all the lavender bushes in front and with the farm and marina behind you. This was the most magical part of our trip. Mom was so happy!

Located in Point Robinson park on Vashon Island. Didn't have to walk far to get to the structure…read more Beautifully design and log benches in front you can sit and relax and stare at Oscar. A short walk down to the lighthouse and beach

We have been trying to track down Thomas Dambo's trolls around Seattle last year we found 3 and we…read moreset out to find the last 2 this year. Oscar is easy to find, but I didn't know we were near a lighthouse so now he gave us another reason to come back and visit next year!

Forgot this was on Vashon Island, so we decided to stop by and check it out while in the area…read more It's located on Vashon Hwy SW behind a bus stop in the trees, there's not much of any other markers to indicate where to look. It would be best if you did a little research on reading a bit about the history and finding the exact location. We saw the bus stop, pulled over the side of the road, parked, ran full speed across the street and saw the little bridge entry and it was pretty much right there in front of you. I thought the bicycle would be bigger as I didn't see it right away. The front wheel is gone so all there is left is the rusted head tube and the front fork barely hanging on, rear fender and wheel is almost swallowed up by the tree. We were there for about 10 mins max, took some photos, looked around and done. There's an antique shop like a 50 yds away up at the corner, we went in there to check it out afterwards.

This landmark is close to the road but was a little hard to find because my friend and I were…read moreexpecting to find an obvious bike stuck in a tree, but so much time has passed that we spent several minutes wandering around before she noticed it. It's a great story of how a young boy tied his bike to a tree when he was drafted into serving in a World War and it was left there forever. There isn't a historical landmark or sign post like I would think. There are hardly any bike parts left and it's hard to tell there was a bike there to begin with now. It's about 7' in the air.

Don't let the name trip you up. This distillery is on Vashon Island and is near the town of Vashon…read moreand is not in Seattle proper. With that said Steve and I just kind of stumbled across this place and noticed that they were doing a tasting to the public so we went in to get a taste. All of the different kinds of gins we tasted were amazing! Some of the varieties that we tried were quite unique and equally delicious! We sipped a gin that had strawberries made with it which was fantastic and a simply delightful coffee flavored liqueur to finish the tasting with. The folks here are super knowledgeable, friendly and you can tell that they love what they do! Really a great place and when my gin supply runs low I will definitely keep this place in mind when restocking!

These are some seriously nice people and they make some outstanding booze. The Gin is aromatic but…read morenot perfumey or medicinal like some gins. They also have some nice flavored Vodka; I like the coffee which is made with real local coffee. Every month or so they offer a chance to volunteer in the bottling process in exchange for a free bottle of something. I haven't done that yet but I can't wait to give it a try. Come in when they're doing tastings and have yourself a treat.

When it comes to view, no doubt it's one of the best especially seeing the horizon as the sun…read moreslowly goes down. But the queue of the cars waiting to hop on the ferry - weariness! I mean, with the traffic coming in, and you are in line it's a bit crazy and my anxiety kinda trigger. Then include those staffs working there, most of them ain't no Aloha, tetchy aunties and uncles! But since this is the main hub going to Fort Defiance you gotta deal with it and hope for the best.

Super efficient on the Vashon side of the ferry. Boat team seemed to be happy doing their tasks.read more

This was a beautiful spot for sunset, we were the only peeps on the beach. Even though it was…read morecloudy it was beautiful.

This is a small 5.5 acre beach park with an estuary on site. It's located on the SW shore of Vashon…read moreIsland to Colvos Passage. The East side of the park has a wooded ravine along a hillside. The beach is a mix of sand and pebbles. There's a grassy area for picnics. A boat launch is available. Hubby and I thought it would be fun to take kayaks or our paddleboards down here. When we came by here, it was early January and a bit chilly. We took a short walk around and enjoyed the view. There are porta potties available in the parking lot area.

I spent a weekend here and I'll not come back again. There are several cabins owned by the same…read moreperson and it looks like he doesn't care too much about the business. His ad says that you can pay with credit card but he doesnt say that you would be overcharged a 5% if you do so. Also if you pay with cash you dont get a receipt though he charges you all the legal taxes (but still youre asked to provide a credit card just in case...). The reception is his own house which is not new in this kind of lodging business but in this case his house hasnt a proper reception place, instead you are helped in the middle of a hoarding-like dining room where it looks like nobody cleaned in years. Norman Batess mother should have done this better. The cottage I stayed was completely outdated and lack of privacy basically because there wasn't any blind or something to avoid someone to have a look at you while you are trying to get sleep. And I said "trying" because the main road to Dockton is right by the cottage. Somebody broke one of the double-glass slide-door where you get into the house so its not well isolated and some rest of glass were found on the grass. Mold in the bathroom, rusty faucets, suspicious smells are definitely a NO for further booking here. Pros: deers around and a couple of apple trees where you can have a fresh piece for breakfast.

The cottages here at Swallow's Nest are very peaceful and quiet. This makes a wonderful place for a…read moreweekend retreat when you just want to get out of Seattle and get some R&R. My wife and I recently stayed in one of the cottages for the weekend. The cottage was pretty simple: one bedroom, a bathroom, and a basic kitchen with a small table for two. The building itself was pretty old, but was warm and comfortable. Everything was clean, but some things were run down a bit (the floor was worn out and the appliances were out of date). For $100/night, it was reasonably priced. The cottage was private, though close to the main house that Bob lives in. Bob was really friendly and was willing to share tips about Vashon Island. One nice thing about these cottages is that they're dog friendly, so we brought our pup along for the weekend. He loved it because there is a mostly-fenced big empty field to run around in and it's pretty close to Point Robinson Park and lighthouse. Overall, the cottages are a good value. I would definitely go back to stay there again and the only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because it's old and out-dated. It's a cozy 4 stars, but not a luxurious 5 stars. It's definitely one of the best cabins out there for the price.

I wanted to go to see/visit Troll at Point Robinson Park, this troll photo popped up on Seattle's…read moreYelp activity page and it was giving me hints that I must visit before I leave, hehe. 3.21.2026- On the day of our visit, I asked my wonderful hubby to add Point Robinson Park to our schedule, on the drive there it states one hour, funny, not knowing we have to take a ferry to get there. As we got closer the map had all water, hehe. What a nice spontaneous surprise, we decided to do take the Fauntleroy Ferry to Vashon Island. ( will do a review the Ferry after). Who doesn't love the Ferry?! After we got to Vashon Island, it was about a 20 min scenic drive to Point Robinson Park, So happy we are here! Keep in mind the park gates closes at dawn, I was worried about being stuck there and we arrive close to dawn. Plenty parking, very nice park with lighthouse, beach, trails and picnic area. First things first, lets look for the troll, which his name is Oscar the bird king, made by Thomas Dambo. Thomas Dambo is an artist based in Denmark, Thomas makes sculptures out of recycled materials. This sculpture is part of series of six site specific installations called Northwest trolls. I need to find the other 4 during my future visits to PNW. Wow, super cool to see and visit Oscar the troll in real life, a little scary but so interesting. Thomas is super creative and got skills. Oscar is huge in real life, hehe. We took our photos, observed the artistic skills, greeted him with Shaka, then after that we went to explore the rest of Robinson Park. Trail, beach and we finally got to the lighthouse, another reason to visit. There's a lighthouse tour during mid May-September, which I would love to learn more about. All in all, What a great day to make it a great day here, trolling Point Robinson Park, LOVED every moment!

Cute park with great trails and picnic areas. Rules are clearly posted, mainly keep your dogs on a…read moreleash and don't climb on Oscar the Bird King. The trails were muddy this time of year so wear better footwear than I did. The beach by the lighthouse was lovely. There are lighthouse tours Sundays from 12pm to 4pm. Lots of benches surround the lighthouse to take in the ocean. It's crazy to think a huge city is just across the water from this beautiful small island.

Great for a little getaway trail running. Mixed gravel, old growth, and sand throughout. Beautiful…read morechange of landscape in such a short amount of mileage. If parked at Dockton park, small kick in elevation at the beginning but levels out with rolling ish hills if you stay up on the hill. Great view on a beautiful day at the top viewpoint with park bench. If tide is right, you can run along beach.

This review is in regard to the wooded area across the road from Dockton Park, the area with access…read morefrom the gravel car park. It's a vast area and it is quite the hike up the path from the gravel car park to the main trails but, wow, it's amazing once you reach the "summit". If you are a dog, this wooded area is basically dog heaven. Four paws up from my German Shorthaired Pointer! The end. P.S. If you've read this, which you have, please don't tell your friends. Let's keep this little secret between you, me and my German Shorthaired Pointer.

Nice park, however it's a long way down a steep hill, last time I went it had 2 inch gravel that…read morewas uncomfortable to walk on. The smash and grab meth heads break into many cars at the trail head.

Beautiful park, clean and well-kept! I do wish that there were bathrooms but other than that it is…read morebeautiful!