Top Attractions In Anacortes, WA — Day Trip from Seattle
Anacortes is a small seaside town in Washington State that’s the perfect getaway to relax and recharge. Located about an hour and a half drive north of Seattle, it’s an easy day trip.
Known for it’s sunsets, cascade mountain views, and ferry rides to the San Juan Islands during whale watching season — you’re sure to find something you love.
Anacortes may be small but it offers plenty of eateries, shops, a farmer’s market, viewpoints, and hiking for a tranquil weekend getaway.
My best friend spent an easygoing weekend in Anacortes to celebrate her parent's anniversary. So we met up just for the day and we were able to do quite a bit in a short amount of time. My bestie, hubby, and my dog on a sunshine filled day — what could be better than that?
Here are a few things for you to check out in Anacortes.
When to Visit
We went the first weekend in October before it started raining and after peak summer season. Even the farmers’ market wasn’t too crowded for comfort. Anacortes is a hopin’ town during the peak spring and summer months and tends to be more expensive for lodging.
Anacortes is part of the “banana belt” (like a rain shadow) which means that it gets less than 15 inches of precipitation during the year while Seattle gets a little over 35 inches of rain. That means that the temps are usually comfortable all year — perfect for that whale watching cruise.
Go to Anacortes in September or October for a less crowded experience and better rates on places to stay.
Anacortes Farmer’s Market
We love going to the farmer’s market so we had to check things out in Anacortes. (Plus, I can’t pass up samples.) Here are a few of our favorite places that we found.
Funky’s Hot Sauce Factory
Matt (aka Funky) started making hot sauce as gifts for family and friends. They all loved it so much that they kept telling Matt to sell his hot sauce in stores. So in 2018, Matt and his wife actually did it!
One of their core values is to create hot sauces that are hot and flavorful. And they deliver on their promise. Funky’s hot sauce has different levels of heat but it’s infused with so much flavor, you just wana to keep eating it.
Whether you’re a hot sauce fanatic or just starting to experiment with more intense heat levels — Funky has something for you.
Our favorite was the Stellar Fuzz hot sauce for it’s hot, smoky, and gingery taste all in one bite. I’ve become a Funky fan and I’m a newbie to the hot sauce world. So that says a lot. Plus, each hot bottle of yumminess is only $10. You can’t beat that!
Check out Funky’s Hot Sauce Factory to find your new favorite hot sauce flavor. 🌶️
Pisces Pies Baking Company
From marketer to pie baker, Angela knows how to make the best pie that you’ve ever had in your life. Seriously, it’s ahh-mazing. The crust is buttery and flaky, with paper thin layers that look like filo dough in the center. You can actually see each layer after you take your first bite.
Pisces uses berries from local farmers, like raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and rhubarb, for a juicy, sweet, and tangy flavor. The fresh berries pair well with her unbelievably flaky layers of crust. My mouth is watering as I write this. You can’t go wrong with a fresh made berry pie from Pisces Pies.
Guess what? Pisces is opening a new location in Everett, WA in the near future. Get one of her pies today! (You’ll be sooo glad you did.🥧)
Lopez Island Vinyard & Winery (LIV)
Located… you guessed it, on Lopez Island, about a 45-minute ferry ride from Anacortes. As part of the oldest wine country in San Juan County, Lopez Island Vineyard specializes in using organic, estate grown grapes for a unique flavor.
As a family owned winery, they’ve lived and grown grapes on their land for 30 years. It’s no surprise that they’ve won medals for several of their wines. We got to sample four of their wines at the farmer's market. Every single wine we tried was unique in flavor, but we loved the subtle fruitiness of cherry and blackberry in the Sangiovese the most.
Be sure to check them out while you’re in Anacortes. 🍷
Top Attractions
Cap Sante Viewpoint
Cap Sante is french for “Cape Health” which was coined by Anne Curtis Bowman towards the end of the 19 century. Fun fact, Anne is also the inspiration for the name “Anacortes”. Cap Sante Park has a few hiking trails and a hidden viewpoint that overlooks Fidalgo Bay.
Since we were only there for the day, we chose to check out the viewpoint. It’s a little bit rocky so if you have people with you that need help walking, this may be difficult for them. Cap Sante is perfect for amazing sunset views and photo ops. Be sure to make a pit stop so you get to see for yourself.
Deceptions Pass Bridge
When Deceptions Pass was discovered, explorers thought Whidbey Island was a peninsula and Deceptions Pass was a bay. So it was named Deception Pass. Many people drive over the bridge but you can walk across the bridge as well, soak up the sun on the beaches, or explore through the trees on a hike.
The bridge is 180 feet high and with a narrow sidewalk for pedestrians as you feel the bridge slightly sway to the traffic, it could be a little unsettling for some. But the view is spectacular so I recommend it. There are stairs on both sides of the bridge to cross the bridge underneath and safely avoid cars. We took a small hike underneath and watched the boats drift out into the water.
We saw a pretty good amount of families so I would say the hike is easy and kid friendly.
Guemes Island Ferry
It takes about 5 minutes to get to Guemes Island. It’s $4 per person and an additional $8 per car. You pay on the way to Guemes Island so keep your ticket to take the ferry back to Anacortes. If you don’t plan on staying on Guemes Island, drive past the road that leads to the terminal and you’ll see a small parking lot to your right with free parking for up to 1 hour. Perfect for a quick bite on Guemes Island to end the day.
Locals warned us that the ferries aren’t always on time but it’s a short and relaxing ride. Here is the up to date schedule and fees.
Food
Ok, now my favorite part of every trip — the food. These are the places we tried in one day in Anacortes and our honest review of each one.
Mad Hatter’s Ice Cream
When we pulled up, the line was out the door so we knew this place had to be good. For easy reference, it is located across the street from the Anacortes Farmers Market sign, inside a blue building that looks like a tiny house.
Mad Hatter’s has a variety of ice cream flavors at rock bottom prices. We ordered the big kid size and it was double the size that they advertised and only $3.50 each. There was only one girl working that day but she was cranking out cones and was the absolute sweetest person despite the neverending line. Mad Hatter’s scores a 10 from us for customer service, quality, quantity, and price. 🙌
Secret Cove
Secret Cove is located next to the Guemes Ferry Terminal so it’s view of the water is refreshing. They allow dogs on the patio so Bear (our fur baby) got to dine with us. We ordered there types of tacos - grilled salmon, grilled cod, and beer battered. Our favorite was the beer battered because it were balanced with a light, crispy batter and flaky fish. But the tortillas on all of the tacos were very hard to eat - like they had been toasted and then sat out too long and became stail. Because of that we didn’t… love our meals.
We were very impressed with our drinks. But we thought the food was average. It wasn’t bad by any means but even if the tacos weren’t so hard to eat we felt like we could make the tacos at home with guac and pico. For $22 per plate, we were expecting to be wowed by unique flavors. However, I would go back to Secret Cove for the water view and for its extensive happy hour menu that includes cocktails. Then, you would get bang for your buck.
Guemes Island General Store
When you get off of the Guemes Island Ferry, cross the dirt road and you’ll see the general store. They sell food, t-shirts, and best of all - beer, cider, and food. They have a hearty clam chowder that’s perfect for cool fall days. And their pints are only $6!
With plenty of seating outside, witness Ancortes’ well known sunsets as the sun melts into the water and the temps get cooler. When you sit outside at the store, it’s very quiet and peaceful. This would be my go to spot to enjoy the calmness, good food, dark beer, and a good book.
Overall, a relaxing, fun filled day spent away from the hustle and bustle of Seattle.
Have a few suggestions to add to the list?
Let me know about your favorite spots in the comments below!
