Whidbey Island – Day 3 – Planes, Trains & Autos

Hey Guys!

We spent our 3rd day in Washington on Whidbey Island.

Read Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 4 here, Day 5 here, Day 6 here & Day 7 here

Click here for the 27 best places to visit in Washington

Whidbey Island is approximately 55 miles long and 1.5 to 10 miles wide, with a total land area of 168 square miles making it the 40th largest island in the United States.

It is ranked as the fourth longest and fourth largest island in the contiguous United States. In the state of Washington, it is the largest island, followed by Orcas Island.

The island’s rugged terrain spans beaches, hills and farmland. On its northwest tip, Deception Pass State Park offers clifftop views, forest trails and freshwater lakes. To the south, Fort Casey Historical State Park is home to a lighthouse and gun battery.

The coastal towns of Oak Harbor, Coupeville and Langley have boutiques, cafes and galleries.

There are lots of little towns to explore on Whidbey Island & we had all of them on our itinerary. Each offering it’s own unique charm.

The drive time from our hotel in Anacortes to the end of Whidbey Island (Clinton) was only going to take 1 hr 20 mins…so, that tells you how small the island is.

View a map of the island here

After checking out of the Ship Harbor Inn, we headed to our first stop, which was only a 15 min drive from our hotel, the Deception Pass State Park.

Deception Pass is a small strait separating Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island which is where the town of Anacortes is located.

The park was established in 1923 and consists of 3854 acres. It is one of the most visited state parks in Washington.

To enter the park, you have to cross the Deception Pass Bridge. The bridge is the only thing that connects the two islands. It was built in 1934 for a cost of $482,000.

It was added to the National Register of Historic places in 1982.

The bridge is the most photographed bridge in Washington state … and I can see why!

The surrounding scenery is even more beautiful!

The bridge had sidewalks on both sides of the road. So, we decided to pull over and walk across.

Let me just say, I didn’t make it very far! IT was terrifying!

There is only a rope-like barrier between the sidewalk and the car lane & there is a lot of traffic over the bridge. On the other side of the railing is a sheer 180-foot drop down to the turbulent rapids!

Sadly, over 400 people have jumped to their death from this bridge.

Since walking over the bridge didn’t go as planned, we headed back to our car to drive over.

There was another parking area after you crossed the bridge so we stopped again. On this side, there were steps that led down under the bridge so we walked down to get a better view.

The views from here were awesome!

We spotted this boat heading towards the bridge…there are only certain times during the day that boats can navigate through these turbulent waters.

There were flowers blooming all over

More views of the bridge

After leaving the bridge, we headed into the park.

We stopped at a couple of the beaches and got out for a while to walk around. The place was deserted!

The beaches were scattered with driftwood

The “beaches” in Washington are photogenic but definitely not swimmable!

After leaving the beach, we headed to our next stop, Oak Harbor.

Oak Harbor is Whidbey Island’s largest incorporated city; it is named for the Garry Oak trees which grace its skyline.

It is also home to one of the largest Naval Air Stations in the US.

We loved their colorful fire hydrants!

The historic town ….very cute and quaint.

Our first stop was to get our caffeine fix at Whidbey Coffee. Their coffee was amazing!

After ordering our coffee, we walked around the small town…a few pics we snapped while walking around

We then headed to our next stop, Ft Ebey State Park. The park covers 651 acres overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca and lies within the Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve.

We didn’t see much here that interested us but we did stop off at a beach and spent a few minutes walking around.

All of the beaches in Washington are scattered with driftwood and rocks

We continued our drive and came across another beach area….we just snapped a few pics from the car.

As we were driving, we spotted a road sign that my hubby just had to have his picture taken beside 😉

As we continued our drive, we came across this old ferry house.

The house was built in 1860 to provide shelter and support for travelers making their way up and down Admiralty Inlet and to families who settled on the island.

You can tour the house for free by reservation only during the mons of June, July & Aug.

We then drove past the Ebey’s Landing State Park. I spotted these yellow flowers blooming on the side of the road so had my hubby pull over so I could snap a few pics. 😉

We then passed the Fort Casey Inn. The cottages were built in 1909 as housing for non-commissioned officers of the military.

The vintage 2-bedroom cottages are decorated with antiques and period-style furnishings. All have kitchens, porches, and living rooms with wood-burning stoves; some have water views.

You can rent these during the summer months….read reviews here.

We then passed the old Ft Casey military base

Shortly after passing the military base, we came to the old fort that was built back in the late 1800’s. The fort was built to protect against an invasion attempt by sea.

Fort Casey was the fourth largest military post in Washington, housing 10 officers and 428 enlisted men.

The fort is free to visitors…It was really cool to be able walk around the fort. It took you back in time.

These guns are among the last of their kind in the world. They were state of the art during their time but by the 1920’s, they were considered obsolete due to the advent of more powerful airplanes & warships.

The 2 guns survived in the Philippine Islands at Ft Wint, a base that was abandoned during WW II. In 1968, the guns were relocated to Ft Casey which became a state park in 1956.

We spent a good hour just walking the grounds of the fort…so interesting.

We then drove a short distance to the Ft Casey Admiralty Head Lighthouse.

The lighthouse is 30 ft tall, constructed of brick and stucco, and was built in 1903.

It looked like most lighthouses…the typical white with a red roof.

You were allowed inside to climb to the top at no charge but they also gave tours for a small fee.

My hubby climbed to the top but I was too chicken…I hate heights! I have fallen down stairs too many times!

After leaving the lighthouse, we headed to our next stop, Coupeville.

Coupeville is the second oldest town in Washington State with more than a 100 of its buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places.

Once arriving to Coupeville, we found a nearby parking area and got out and walked around.

This place was full of old, colorful buildings!

We then walked to the historic Coupeville Wharf. The wharf was built in 1905. It is currently home to a Gift Shop, Coffee Shop, Café and several marine exhibits.

Shots from the wharf

Look at all of those mussels! This area is known for it’s famous Penn Cove mussels & oysters.

Shots from inside the wharf

Seeing all of those mussels made us hungry! So, we headed to a place I had read about online, Front Street Grill.

After being seated, I ordered the saffron mussels ($13) and the hubby ordered a bacon cheeseburger ($14)..the food was delicious!!

The views were nice too 😉

After lunch, we headed to find a few souvenirs….mainly a coffee cup. 😉

After our purchases, we continued our walk around the town….

There were so many beautiful & colorful homes & buildings!

As we were walking beside this gorgeous, old church, the bells began to ring….so cool!

We then headed to our next stop, Greenbank.

The only thing I had on the list do in Greenbank was the Whidbey Pies Cafe at the Greenbank Farm.

The farm was once the largest loganberry farm in the country. It now houses shops.

Its historic 1904 barn is a much sought after venue for weddings & other social gatherings.

I had read about their homemade pies during my research and a co worker had told me about it as well….his son lives in Seattle so they visit Washington often.

We arrived and it was almost a ghost town….you could definitely tell it was off season.

My hubby ordered the “famous” loganberry pie…a loganberry is a raspberry-blackberry hybrid. ($5.50)

I ordered the salted caramel apple topped with ice cream ($6.50)

They were delicious!! Now, I know why the cafe’s pie crew turns out over 1,500 handmade pies a week!

The farm has beautiful gardens and a pond you can walk around

We then headed to another lighthouse that I had on the list. If you keep up with my blog, you know I love photographing lighthouses.

This lighthouse, Bush Point, was actually located in a residential area and there is no public access. I had to photograph it from my car.

It was built in 1933 and stands 20 ft tall.

After leaving the lighthouse, we came across this old building that we both thought was cool looking.

My hubby spotted this old phone booth and the phone actually worked!

We then headed to our next stop, Freeland.

However, there wasn’t much to see or do here besides some shops and Double Bluff beach and at this point, I was tired of beaches….they all looked the same.

So, we continued to our next stop, Langley.

Click here for a map of Langley and a walking tour of the shops you can visit.

Langley was another historic town full of colorful buildings….

This coffee shop, the Useless Bay Coffee Co, had really good reviews but we decided to skip.

If you love coffee, Washington is the place to be…we’ve never seen so many coffee shops in our life!

We passed this phone booth sitting in someone’s front yard

They actually had working phone booths all over Whidbey Island….so odd!

We decided to park and get out and walk for a while.

We spotted these totem poles on the short waterfront walking path, called Seawall Park.

There were stairs nearby that led down to the beach so we walked down to check it out

Shortly after, we climbed back up the steps and continued our walk to the end…Once we got to the end of the trail, there was another set of stairs that led back up to the sidewalk.

At the top of the stairs, was a statue of a boy and his dog by a local Whidbey Island sculptor.

As we continued our walk, we passed the Chocolate Flower Farm….they’ve been featured on HGTV, Martha Stewart and more….sadly, they were closed.

As we were heading back to our car, we came across these rainbow colored wings mural….so, yes, we had to have our picture taken! 😉

After getting back to our car, we headed to our next stop, Clinton…but as we were driving, we started seeing rabbits everywhere!

Unbeknownst to us, this town was actually known for their bunnies...they run wild all over the town wreaking havoc.

My hubby decided he would try and pet one…..didn’t happen…Me: “honey, they are wild remember?! They aren’t pets!” Men!

Bunnies & more bunnies!

After taking 194 pics of the bunnies, we headed to the end of the island, Clinton…

Clinton is where you catch the ferry over to Mukilteo….the road literally ends at the ferry landing.

So, we turned around and headed back to Oak Harbor to check into our hotel.

We stayed at the Coachman Inn. It was an older hotel but clean…for one night, it would do. I don’t like spending a lot on hotels since we are only there to sleep and shower…as long as they are clean & safe, that’s all that matters. 😉

A few shots of our room….