I am staying in Freeland on Whidbey Island for a week in August and was looking for suggestions on what to do there (hiking/nature, historic landmarks, cool boutique stores, wineries/breweries, music, fishing etc) where to eat a special meal or two, and where to take a possible day trip not too far away. Any and all suggestions are welcome.
Things to keep in mind:
Going with my girlfriend and her sisters and their husband/boyfriends and a 5 month old baby
Renting a house from Airbnb and looking to do most of our meals at the house (any great grocery stores nearby would be appreciated; especially anything with great seafood)
Flying in to SeaTac and driving straight there and since we are doing most of our meals in house i was wondering which costco between the airport and the island has the best wine and food selection to stock up the fridge for a week. Very important!
My info is horribly out of date, but we spent the month August of on South Whidbey for 15 years when my children were younger, including 10 years on Mutiny Bay, which is in Freeland. On which side of Freeland will you be staying (east facing or west facing?). Freeland is the narrowest part of the island. Payless Grocery store is independent and was the best source for fresh fish, meat, and produce. The Star Store in Langley had great wine selection (I used to buy Quilceda Creek there in the early days, before it became high-octane and allocated). Some of the fondest memories we have as a family were the summers we spent on Whidbey.
Have not spent a lot of time on Whidbey, but Deception Pass is a good area for hiking albeit a bit busy. Ebey’s Landing is also nice for hiking. Food - I’m sure other can offer better options, but I enjoyed Toby’s Tavern in Coupeville (low key, known for Mussels).
No idea on best spots on the island for beer/wine or best Costco spot. If your route to Whidbey is from the north side (i.e., Deception Pass) stop at Compass Wines in Anacortes. Probably best wine selection in that area.
Day trips - visit the San Juan Islands; drive up to Bellingham via Chuckanut Drive (visit Taylor Shellfish Farms on Chuckanut Drive and Chuckanut Brewery and Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham) and then take Hwy 542 from Bellingham up to Artist Point for great views and hiking; drive from Whidbey to Highway 20 to North Cascades National Park.
I recommend going into Langley and tasting wine at Ott & Murphy. Eric Murphy is a mountain guide, and an ex-employee of my company. He makes outstanding wine, and that is not just my biased opinion. You can look it up.
Orchard Kitchen in Langley is excellent, not cheap.
There is a Costco not far off I-5 in Seattle, on 4th Ave. S. Take 518/509 instead of I-5 going into town, then Michigan Ave to 4th Ave S. and after shopping, follow 4th Ave S up to Spokane St to get back on I-5 north bound.
It occurs to me that you could continue one mile up 4th Ave S. after Costco, and visit Esquin at 4th and Lander for an extensive wine selection.
Continuing on 4th Ave S. another half mile takes you right to an on ramp to I-5 northbound.
Just be sure your travel is not right before or after a Mariners’ game.
Highly recommended day trip is the ferry from Coupeville to Port Townsend and back. Port Townsend is a nice tourist oriented town with lots of Victorian architecture. Bookstores, restaurants, etc. There is a decent wine shop in Port Townsend, but I concur with the suggestion to drive to Anacortes and go to Compass Wines.
Go to double bluff beach, it is very close. Village pizzeria in Langley is my favorite pizza in WA. Drive to deception pass and enjoy the park and beach there.
You might ask around when you arrive, as there used to be a good seafood truck parked outside of a local hardware store in the Bayview area - I don’t know where they’d be right now. Penn Cove mussels is also a good source. Agree with Toby’s in Coupeville; classic!
If you are into rare prints and books, make an appointment with Lowry-James Rare Books near Langley. Langley has a number of small shops. Jan McGregor has a very nice shop in Coupeville for furniture and other Japanese items.
On Whidbey, I would plan to stay on the southern part of the island and, in my opinion, near/in Langley. It’s a charming seaside town with some good restaurants and shops. Ott & Hunter Wines has a great tasting room right in Langley and the wines are great. There is often live music and it’s a nice place to have either a nightcap or a pre-dinner glass. If you want to splurge, The Orchard Kitchen does a one-seating per night multi-course dinner with hyper local food, much of it grown right there. It’ll cost you a lot, but it is excellent. If you do, I’d strongly recommend sitting at the counter. The entire restaurant is communal seating, which is nice, but the counter allows you to watch the prep and interact with the chefs. We also like The Oyster Catcher for a nice dinner. It’s a drive, but not too far, into Coupleville. The Greenbank Store has excellent sandwiches (call ahead to order) and it’s fun to buy a sandwich to go, head just down the road to Greenbank Farm, and hit their shops or go for a walk through the trails on their large acreage property. Buy some pie…it’s excellent.
Other places to see: Fort Casey State Park is huge and has a very, very interesting military history with lots of fascinating structures still there to walk through / on. Another great hike/walk is Eby’s Landing which offers incredible views and a great beach below.
Ferry traffic gets busy on/near weekends, so plan ahead, especially leaving the island on a Sunday afternoon. You’ll love it. There is so much more, but I’m forgetting for now…
Good suggestions. I’d add Bayleaf in Coupeville for cheese, meats, sandwiches, and a great wine selection. Never thought I’d see Selosse and Dujac available on the island. Goldie’s, also in Coupeville, is a pizza spot opened by some folks from Little Red Hen and Oystercatcher, among others. Not mind-blowing but a good use of local ingredients and a fun time.
Thank you all for the suggestions, I will add them to the list. We have room reservations at the Inn at Langley, which looks to be right near the downtown area.
Any thoughts on Holmes Harbor Cellars, Comforts of Whidbey Winery or Spoiled Dog Winery on Whidbey?
I created an account with the Washington State Save a Spot system - next July won’t open until mid-April, but I planned to make reservations for our ferry crossings - Anacortes>Friday Harbor, Friday Harbor>Anacortes, Coupeville>Port Townsend (where my wife is attending a writers conference at Fort Worden).
After the conference we head west, to Port Angeles, Kalaoch and Lake Quinault, then back to Sea Tac.
Inn at Langley is a great spot, they have a high end restaurant on site, I believe called Passage. They recently hired a new chef and itis only open a few days a week.
In Langley, I have really enjoyed Prima Bistro for lunch or dinner, on the second floor with a nice view a couple blocks from the Inn. If looking for a casual pizza night, the Village Pizzeria is pretty good.
I’d also check out Dancing Fish Winery: gorgeous grounds and some good wines, one of which is made by Justin Neufeld of JB Neufeld. They’re a négociant style winery, which is neat.
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