What to do on San Juan Island for a long weekend with two little kids in the Fall!
You may remember about two years ago (when I was pregnant with our littlest guy!), my husband and I took off alone to Lopez Island for a long weekend. It was our first time visiting the San Juan Islands and once we got there, we knew it was not going to be our last.
Every fall, the San Juan Visitors Bureau hosts “Savor The San Juans“. It is a multi-month festival focusing on Food, Film and Farms across all three of the major islands (San Juan, Orcas and Lopez).
This year, the Bureau graciously asked me if I wanted to come back again as their guest and explore a different island. Since my husband and I went alone last time, I thought it would be fun to make a family trip out of and bring everyone – including Fergie!
We settled on San Juan Island and stayed at Lakedale Resort, which is nestled about halfway between Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor making it a great location to explore both sides of the island. It is a resort with multiple types of accommodations ranging from a romantic and luxurious lodge to real log cabins, glamping and even regular camping. While the resort is large, it feels very small and is unbelievably quiet and relaxing.
We stayed in a real Log Cabin which my kids were SO excited about! Fergie must have lived in the woods in another life because girlfriend was in heaven lounging by the fire and looking out the windows to the lake. We made jokes about it but she seriously did not want to leave!
One of the events that we planned our trip around were the Farm Tours to celebrate Savor the San Juans. Since we had visited farms on Lopez and learned so much, we thought it would be great to compare and also for the kids to get out and see real working farms for the day.
We had to head downtown to the local weekend Farmers Market to pick up our Farm Tour tickets. Whoever thought of that is a genius. Perfect excuse to check out the market.
Washington State is loaded with sustainable, organic farms and San Juan Island is right there with the rest of state. The culture really values farming and food cultivation. It’s so refreshing to see fresh, local and mostly organic ingredients being grown and used all over the island.
Plus, my kids got to hang out with some farm chickens, goats and baby goats. Enough said.
When it comes to food, it’s easy to eat well. Many restaurants on the Island are using local ingredients and cooking with the seasons. Some of the places we ate at that I would recommend are Duck Soup Inn, The Market Chef, Bakery San Juan and Golden Triangle Thai. There is also a local food coop to stock up on essentials (right next to Bakery San Juan)!
One of the things that is so great about signing up to do the farm tour is being forced to travel and explore parts of the Island you might not otherwise pass by as you visit farm after farm. We had heard that Roche Harbor was quaint and not to be missed but it wasn’t until we actually ventured down there between farms that I really understood.
This little town stole my heart. It’s majestic and picturesque with outdoor eating everywhere. I would love a little vacation house here!
When we were researching San Juan Island, I discovered that Lime Kiln Point State Park is considered one of the best places in the world to view wild orcas from land and I knew that no matter what, we were going there.
I have long been obsessed with seeing Orcas in their natural habitat since we moved to the PNW so this was such a BIG deal for me. Now, we had the kids, my Mom and Fergie in-tow but once we realized that we had even a minuscule chance of seeing Orcas, my husband and I were on a mission.
Can you believe our luck that we got to the park and pulled over at the look-out point with 20 minutes to spare before having to get our little guy back for his nap and there they were – a pod of Orcas swimming and playing right near the shore. It was AMAZING to see and as we were standing there, a Bald Eagle flew right over us.
We stayed as long as could. Read: As long as the kids patience could take. Standing in one spot and staring into the sea isn’t exactly a fun kid activity but they were good sports. I tried to stay present instead of taking pictures and video the entire time but here is a picture of my husband with on our boys pointing to one of the Orcas breaching.
So, not only did we have a great family weekend exploring San Juan Island, but we got to see Orcas!
If you live in or around Seattle and haven’t explored the San Juan Islands yet, I implore you to book a trip. It’s magical and such a special place, like so much of the Pacific Northwest. I hope this was helpful for you if you are considering a trip and as always, feel free to email me or leave a comment asking about anything else that I didn’t cover!
Disclosure: The San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau paid for our lodging, travel and most meals but did not compensate me for my time to write this post. I hope you find it useful!
Erin says
What an awesome weekend with your kids! I love little weekend getaways with my gang. AND BABY GOATS!! Love it.
Nicole Hood says
Wow! What a great trip! The cabin looks absolutely amazing!