Book Early and SAVE on summer flights to the San Juan Islands from $169 pp/ow! Book your flight!
Breathtaking views, farm-to-table cuisine, and a plethora of low-key activities make Friday Harbor an epic girlfriends’ getaway.
Roughly 175 forest-covered rocky inlets make up this archipelago. Here, lush farmland butts up against freshwater lakes and protected coves. Saltwater surrounds the shorelines, where seals can be seen playing and mountain views often flirt with the horizon.
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While Victoria is closer to American soil than its British Columbia mainland, it feels a bit like traveling to Europe. (It’s 75 miles from the Emerald City and just 28 miles from the closest US town, Friday Harbor.) Sure, the watery border can make you think twice about the best way to get to Victoria BC.
But if you know your options, getting there can be just as much fun as being there. The following outlines the six top ways to travel between this Vancouver Island metropolis and Washington’s high-tech hub — including a scenic seaplane flight!
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Originally Published March 28, 2019 | Updated January 10, 2023
Victoria may be best known for its afternoon tea and historical charm, but it’s also ground central for British Columbia’s craft beer revolution.
Beer has been brewed in Victoria longer than anywhere else in BC. This is thanks to William Steinberger, a German gent who moved to the city from San Francisco in 1859. Despite coming during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, Steinberger focused his sights on liquid gold — brewing beer to satiate the thirsty prospectors.
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Even those of us who scoff at selfie sticks have snapped an arm-extended personal pic from time to time. Because when you’re in a breathtakingly beautiful setting – like San Juan Island – capturing the moment is natural.
So if you’re San Juan bound, don’t miss your chance to snap a selfie by these epic lookouts, historic sites, and cute creatures!
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With seawater and sunshine, Brady Ryan produces roughly 20,000 pounds of salt a year on San Juan Island.
“There’s a manufacturing component to every business and there is to ours. But there’s also this magical side. Seeing the crystals first appear when nothing was there just a few hours earlier, it’s incredible,” explains Brady Ryan, founder of San Juan Island Sea Salt.
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Published Nov. 7, 2019 | Updated October 31, 2022
Sure, Seattle gets the ‘occasional’ rainy day during the winter. But natives have long since learned that the grey skies aren’t a reason to write off the Emerald City. In fact, with its plethora of cozy refuges, lively winter events, and inspiring museums, you’ll never be short of unique things to do this winter in Seattle.
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Twenty-four-year-old Maddie Kutzera is a certified A&P mechanic at Kenmore Air, specializing in customer maintenance. She has a quick (yet quiet) wit, stunning smile, and an eye for detail. She’s also an advocate of achieving goals and dreams, through relentless hard work and tenacity. Which is a good — because women make up just 2.62 percent of the nation’s aircraft mechanics. And Maddie has big dreams.
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The largest town in the San Juan Islands, Friday Harbor is far from a bustling metropolis. Here, traffic lights are nonexistent. Horses, bicycles, and tractors share the road with scoot coupes and cars. Sunshine reigns supreme. And rolling farmland sprawls into rocky shores and expansive ocean views.
The list of what the island has can go on and on. However, it’s more about what the island doesn’t have. It’s devoid of the city hustle and bustle. Here, restaurants focus on locally sourced ingredients and slowly developed flavors. Shop owners linger with visitors, especially during the shoulder season.
With a plethora of fun things to do in Friday Harbor (and plenty of opportunities to do nothing at all), this is one of the best weekend getaway destinations in the Pacific Northwest! Because while there are plenty of fun things to do in Friday Harbor (many of which are detailed below), sometimes the best way to experience island life is to do nothing and love it!
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Warm days and crisp nights, gravelly soil rich with minerals, and lush aquifers imbue Cowichan Valley wines with fruit-forward flavors that deliver a crisp, dry finish. The conditions are similar to what’s found in the northern regions of Germany and France. The main difference is: Cowichan vines are relative babies.
The oldest operating winery can trace its lineage back more than 1,150 years. By comparison, the first commercial wineries on Vancouver Island appeared just 100 years ago, making wine from local loganberries. It wasn’t until the 1980s that grapes were planted in Cowichan Valley, located on the southern end of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island.
But make no mistake — this quaint slice of paradise produces exceptional grapes. It’s a fact that was recognized in June of 2020 when Cowichan Valley was formally given a sub-geographical indication (sub-GI). An official and protected term in B.C., it helps people identify local wine origins, signifying that at least 95% of the wine was made with regionally grown grapes.
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While Seattle has long been dubbed one of the rainiest cities in the United States, this enchanting destination is far from boring. The diverse topography is home to more than 20 culturally unique neighborhoods, picturesque hiking trails, outstanding waterfront views, and an eclectic mix of museums. This comprehensive list of what to do in Seattle is just a jumping-off point.
The opportunities here are endless and constantly expanding as more inventive chefs and local purveyors make their mark in this tech-heavy urban hub. From coffee shops to neighborhood trolls, there’s something for everyone.
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