A WEEKEND ON ORCAS ISLAND
Hi there and thanks for stopping in today. In this previous post I took you to the beautiful Butchart Gardens which was the final port of call on our recent cruise to Alaska. Not wanting our trip to come to an end just yet, we decided to spend a weekend on Orcas Island, one of the most beautiful and most visited of the 172 San Juan Islands located just off the coast of Washington State. Our cruise actually ended where it had begun, in Seattle, Washington. So, upon debarkation we took a taxi to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport where we picked up a rental car. From there we made the nearly 2 hour drive north to the Anacortes Ferry Terminal where we would board our ferry to Orcas Island.
I had booked the ferry passage online through the Washington State Ferries website. During the summer months passage on these ferries can be difficult to come by, so it’s important to reserve in advance. This is done by way of a rather tricky reservation system where 30% of the space for standard vehicles is released 2 months prior to travel. An additional 30% of vessel space is released at 7:00 am, exactly 2 weeks before each specific sailing date, and the final 30% of space is released at 7:00 am, 2 days before each specific sailing date. 10% of vessel space is always held open for emergency and standby vehicles. And believe me, you need to be online ready to press go at precisely 7:00 am to get your reservation.
When making the booking you are only asked to pay a $10.00 no-show fee and can cancel your reservation up to 1 day before your scheduled trip without penalty. Payment is taken when you arrive at the ferry terminal, at which time you are asked to get in the queue at least 1 hour prior to departure.
So all told, it’s quite a bit of effort to get to the San Juan Islands, but in the end, it’s well worth it. And for this California girl who doesn’t have the occasion to travel by car ferry very often, it was quite fun and a bit exciting actually.
Our ferry made one quick stop at scenic Lopez Island…
then continued on to the Orcas Village ferry landing, a quaint little town that dates back to 1889. Lodging, shops, dining, groceries and restrooms can be found here.
And it’s here that you will find the 112-year-old Orcas Hotel, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Outbound passengers who are waiting for the next ferry off the island like to make their way to the Orcas Hotel dining room where I’m told they make a mighty good breakfast of fresh croissants, sweet cinnamon rolls and perfectly delicious scrambled eggs.
We were anxious to make our way to the quaint hamlet of Deer Harbor, the location of Rutabaga Farm where we would check into the exquisitely charming vacation rental cottage we had reserved for a 3 night stay. Following along the Scenic Byway toward Deer Harbor we encountered sight after picturesque sight.
This 52 square mile horseshoe-shaped island is, like Ireland, often called the “Emerald Island” owing to its green, pastoral beauty and lush forests.
It’s a peaceful place, free of traffic jams and traffic lights for that matter. So peaceful in fact that you may find yourself, as we did, sharing the road with steam-powered buggies.
It’s a place where deer are found around every corner, and llamas can be seen lounging in the fields.
Quiet harbors, sweeping sea views and wildflowers abound on the road to Deer Harbor.
After a 15 minute drive we arrive at what would be our home-away-from-home for 3 days, the perfectly-perfect Rutabaga Farm.
I know that for many the destination is what’s important, not the accommodations. But for me, it’s the accommodations that mean the most. In fact, one of my mottos in life is, never leave home unless you are going somewhere equally as nice or better. So, when I plan our trips I do oodles & oodles of research into where to stay, exhausting every possible resource to find the perfect place. I then go with great hope that I’ll love the place I picked, as who wants to waste precious vacation time and money on a less than stellar accommodations? So, when we arrived at Rutabaga Farm and stepped through the gate I almost instantly knew that this place, oozing with rustic charm, was the little paradise I had hoped it would be.
Rutabaga Farm, with its 3 individual cottages, is so super charming it deserves a blog post all to itself. In the meantime this is a little sneak peek. Stay tuned for lots more of Rutabaga Farm coming soon.
After dropping off our luggage we ventured out, this time in pursuit of a grocery store in which to stock up on provisions for the long weekend. Since our cottage had a full kitchen we planned to make breakfast each morning and prepare some afternoon appetizers to accompany an evening glass of wine before dinner out. So off we went to Eastsound Village. Located on the shores of East Sound Bay is the charming and flower-filled village which is the main commercial hub of the island.
Here you will find 2 grocery stores, lodging and restaurants…
art galleries, and a main street full of cute boutiques selling everything from souvenirs & clothing to kitchen & housewares.
Flowers of every color and description abounded, adding to the delightful atmosphere of the town.
They even decorate their fire hydrants and signs with flowering foliage.
We stopped into the Clever Cow Creamery, the cutest ice cream shop I’ve ever seen!
Many of the shops & restaurants are located in converted vintage homes, providing a most welcoming atmosphere.
Something else not to be missed while spending a weekend on Orcas Island is the Historical Museum, located in the center of Eastsound Village.
Housed in 6 original homestead cabins dating back to the 1870’s, the museum is dedicated to exhibits that interpret the island’s history and cultures of the first native inhabitants and earliest European settlers.
Even the grounds of the museum were stunningly landscaped.
Just past the Historical Museum we discovered the Orcas Island Farmers Market, open from 10am to 3pm every Saturday from the first weekend in May to the last weekend of September.
You’ll find this colorful market on the Village Green in the heart of Eastsound, a town with a growing food scene. All items sold in the market are grown or crafted by Orcas Island farmers and artisans. It was easily the prettiest and most colorful Farmers Market I’ve ever been to.
There is much more I wish to share from my wonderful weekend on Orcas Island.
You might also like:
A Visit To Beautiful Orcas Island Part 2
Dining At Red Rabbit Farm on Orcas Island
The Prettiest Vacation Rental I’ve Ever Seen!
Dining At The Acclaimed Hogstone’s Wood Oven
So there you have it: A WEEKEND ON ORCAS ISLAND
Thanks so much for dropping in!
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All opinions expressed in this post are my own. All photos are the original property of Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com and may not be reproduced without specific permission.
