You might not know this, but Spokane has an epic pizza scene. If you’re a fan of a beautiful crust, savory sauces and toppings that seem to have been placed by God almighty himself then a trip to Spokane is absolutely the destination for you.
Browsing Tag
Travel
Runners can find just about any type of race to participate in these days. Whether you’re a princess on the go, a spartan looking for a conquest or you want to run 5 kilometers naked through the woods. Yup, I said it. How did this happen?
Spokane has some amazing ice cream spots. If you want some epic homemade ice cream and a trip through a nostalgic toy museum, then look no further than Doyle’s Ice Cream. It’s kind of like a twofer for the price of a single scoop. Get the waffle cone…seriously it’s worth it.
If you’re more of a soft serve fan, then it’s honestly hard to beat Dairy Queen. Sure it’s a chain but seeing that there’s a constant line around the building, I don’t think Spokanites mind so much.
However, if you’re looking for a unique experience AND the best dang frozen treat this side of the Magic Kingdom… yeah that one. Seriously… then look no Further than Dick’s! Again, seriously. I know it sounds weird, Dick’s is the place for a great burger and the best people watching in Spokane. Never would I have considered getting an ice cream cone there. These days, I make special trips just for the golden frozen delicacy that is Pineapple Dole Whip.
I’m not alone. Upon my last visit, I extolled the virtues of this pineapple flavored soft serve with another customer, and he said that he had made a special trip just for the treat. So did I. Dole Whip even has a massive cult-like following. So much so that you can literally express your love of the whip in an official shirt sleeve. I wear an XL by the way. For a true fan, a special trip isn’t really that big of a chore.
Pineapple Dole Whip gained its fame on the Disney properties. Of course, in the Polynesian resort as well as inside the parks. A pineapple Dole Whip was always a highlight of the trip. I’d wait 45 minutes in line just to get a taste. I was never alone; many-a-fan of the “whip” would make a pilgrimage to the Enchanted Tiki Room just to get soft served. While there are several flavors of Dole Whip, pineapple is the only one that matters.
Imagine my surprise when I went to get my Whammy, no onions, fries and soda only to see the Dole Whip sign. I was shocked. Never before have I gotten away with buying the whip without paying an admission fee and seeing families in matching t-shirts. At Dick’s it just cost me $2.15 for a large cone and instead of people wearing matching shirts, apparently they never bothered to put up the no shirts no service sign at the home of the Whammy.
Are you vegan? Lactose intolerant? No worries. Pineapple dole whip is vegan and Dairy free. Despite that, it’s also amazing.
Now here comes the bad news. Even with the large volume of cones flowing through the order window, the end is nigh. Unfortunately, Dick’s only carries the whip seasonally. With the summer coming to an end, you only have a few weeks left. The manager told me that they would most likely quit selling Dole Whip at the end of August. Until next year that is. I guess that’s the silver lining of this golden treat.
So quick, get to Dick’s and get that soft serve. It’ll melt in the heat so EAT! EAT! EAT!
Washington state can offer plenty of opportunities for romance. From visiting Tacoma to visiting Seattle, there is always something new and exciting to discover for everyone. You can explore beautiful mountains, enjoy the coolness of a rainforest, take a walk on the coastline, or visit an island. You may also partake in outdoor activities to round off your perfect romantic holiday.
If you’re looking for a stretch of beautiful beach on the Washington coast, find your way to Ocean Shores. With 8 miles of sandy beach to roam, wildlife viewing areas, clamming and fishing beaches, and plenty of family friendly activities, Ocean Shores offers something for everyone.
Portland is the most vibrant city in the state of Oregon. It is known as being one of the most eco-friendly cities. Moreover, the city is home to some of the finest breweries in the state that you can find all around the city! Portland is great for nature lovers due to the high number of parks.
Moving to a new state, especially if you have a family, can be pretty challenging. Even when you narrow down your choices and get to the final two, things don’t tend to get any easier. But you don’t have to go through this alone!
Going away for a weekend can often be even more exciting than a long trip to a faraway destination. Weekend getaways are popular among couples who want some excitement after a long work week, families ready for some weekend fun, and groups of friends getting together for an unforgettable time.
When Spring comes to the Skagit Valley, so do the Tulips! Washington State is the second-largest producer of commercial Tulips after Holland. Skagit Valley is home to most of the Washington State Fields. Tulip Festival takes over most of the fields in Mt. Vernon and La Conner and creates a colorful carpet that hundreds of thousands of people come to see every year.
The Flowers
Daffodils
Before the Tulips arrive in late March or early April, the Daffodils bloom! Daffodils are bright yellow flowers that can withstand cooler temperatures so they are able to bloom earlier in the Spring. These yellow flowers cover huge fields and, during their peak season, look almost neon.
Daffodils are grown in Skagit County for the bulbs. Unlike Tulips, Daffodils do not need to be cut during the peak season to preserve their energy in the bulbs. This means that you can watch the entire life span of a Daffodil year-round. While the fields rotate every year, there are always several Daffodils fields in the Skagit Flats area.
You can see flowers all over the valley. Check out the beautiful flowers down highway 20 from Burlington to LaConner or Anacortes, and you will see just how resilient these flowers are. If you do not pull daffodils bulbs out of the ground, they will rebloom year after year. You can find daffodils growing along the highway, in medians, and in many open areas throughout the county.
The Daffodils are often used as a measure of when the Tulips will come. If the Daffodils bloom early, the Tulips will likely bloom in late March instead of early April. If the ground is frozen for longer, the daffodils will bloom mid-March instead of Early in the month, which means the Tulips may be several weeks late.
Tulips
While some may be partial to the beautiful yellow and white hues of the daffodil fields, the main attraction in the Springtime in Skagit Valley is the Tulips. The Tulip Festival officially begins April 1st and ends April 30th, but the tulips are known to bloom late some years and early others.
Tulips need precise growing requirements, so they are predominately only grown in Washington, small parts of Oregon, and Holland. The ideal time to see the tulips is often very short. Often the window is only two weeks or less, because before the tulips begin to wilt, their flowers are cut off in a process called topping. Tulips are topped because farmers need their energy to go back into the bulbs rather than keeping the flower alive. If this process is not done, the bulbs will be less valuable.
While Tulips are beautiful to look at and an essential part of the tourism economy in the area, their primary purpose is to harvest bulbs that can be sold worldwide. Every year, disappointed tourists book their trips too late in the season and arrive in the Skagit Valley to find fields of tulips heads already topped and on the ground.
Planning your trip
Planning your spring trip to Skagit County for Tulip Festival can be tricky because it is hard to know precisely when the tulips will be in full bloom. Usually, the best weeks are the last two weeks of April, but the exact times change year to year. Several commercial tulip attractions usually have tulips longer than the bulb fields if you come early or late.
Tulip town and Rosengardens both have their tulip displays and fields where you can walk through the fields. This can be an excellent option for many as it is illegal to walk through many of the large bulb fields as they are private farm property, and they are often next to busy roads with limited parking. During the 2021 season, both of these locations required reservations to come into the venue.
While mid-April may be the best time for Tulips, many locals enjoy March for a few reasons. While the Tulips are not yet bloomed, the Daffodil fields will be in full swing.
There are usually at least 2-3 large fields of Daffodils. The tourists have not yet arrived for the Tulips, so you often get to stop next to the fields all by yourself.
The other fantastic thing about this time is that the snow geese are still in Skagit County. Snow geese winter in Skagit County and leave in the Spring for a different climate.
There are often fields full of hundreds of snow geese together. A stunning display is to be had when they all fly together to move to another field or resettle. During snow geese and Daffodil season, you can often find painters and photographers standing on the side of the road trying to capture the magic.
Best Fields
As mentioned above, the farmers change fields every year to make sure the flowers have fertile grounds to grow, so each year, the fields are different. Every year, Skagit Valley puts out an excellent map of the fields that shows where the best Tulips and Daffodil fields are. These maps are usually in every business in the town of LaConner. The map is also available online most years.
During the Tulip Festival, there are lots of other events to enjoy in Skagit Valley. There are often old car parades, live music, and other festivities in the Town of LaConner. If you are looking for an exclusive look at the Tulips from the sky, there is an airport nearby in Bayview where you can rent small 2-4 person airplanes to take you over the Valley.
Skagit Valley in the springtime is an exhilarating time. During the Spring, the sleepy Valley wakes up, and the fields, animals, and farmers come alive. Flowers and farms make for an excellent trip for families! Make sure to pack your rain gear for your trip! The Valley can be very wet during the spring months, and fields are often muddy from the rain! Whether you come for the tulips, snow geese, or daffodils, you are sure to have a great time exploring.
Make sure to check back into the Clever Neighbor for more of the best tips on how to experience Skagit Valley. With so many beautiful seasons of farming and outdoor activities, there is always more to see and do.
Although we are in the middle of a wet, Washington winter, summer will be here before you know it! Skagit county has so much to offer, and there are many great summer tours and activities that you should start planning now before the summer crowds book them out. From the Cascades to the sound and everything in between, there are activities in nearly every corner of Skagit County.
Whether you love the outdoors and feel at home in the mountains or enjoy guided tours overlooking beautiful views, this guide helps you decide what tours are right for you and your family this summer.
Whale Watching
In April, the whales enter the Puget sound for safe fishing grounds before they continue to Alaska for the summer. The month of April is when a group of grey whales ventures hundreds of miles off course to spend a few weeks in the Puget Sound eating ghost shrimp.
There are Orca whales, Mink Whales, humpback whales, and all kinds of porpoises, seals, and more from May to October. The resident Orca whales are also a regular sighting in most areas of the Salish Sea.
There are several different whale watching companies that operate out of Edmonds, Anacortes, and Port Townsend. The Puget Sound Express offers both full and half-day tours from multiple locations. Their tours are guaranteed, meaning that if you do not see whales, they will help you to book another tour on an upcoming day. Puget sounds Express tours last between 4 and 8 hours.
Their guides will help point our wildlife, and you will be able to spend a day cruising through the San Juan Islands. The boats work together to locate wildlife which helps to have regular whale sightings on most tours. The Orca Whales as well as all the other regular visitors of the area, are spectacular and worth scheduling a time for.
Bird Watching
Another popular activity in Skagit County is bird watching. There is plenty to spend an entire day searching for with snow Geese, Swans, raptors, tundra, and more. Skagit Guided Tours offers day trips to visit the Snow Geese come fall and many other bird species in their bird watching eco-tour.
Kayaking
With the Puget Sound at the edge of Skagit County, most visitors flock to the water for their stay in Skagit County. One of the best ways to enjoy the water is by kayaking through it! With seals, eagles, and so much wildlife to enjoy, kayaking through the sound is one of the best ways to spend the day.
With stunning views of the San Juan Islands and views of the Olympics, the Cascades and Mt. Baker, and the Canadian Mountain Range to the north, you are in for a real treat. No matter if you have kayak experience or are a newbie, there is a perfect kayaking trip for you.
Anacortes Kayaking Tours offers 1.5, 3, and 5 hours day tours as well as multi-day island hopping tours. Your trip will begin with a brief tutorial in a protected area to get your comfortable in your kayak before the group heads out for the day. If you are on a longer trip, there will be plenty of time to stop on beaches and stretch your legs while you explore the coastline. Anacortes Kayaking offers both tandem kayaks and single kayaks. Book your tour earlier to ensure there is space on the day you prefer.
Small Airplane Tours
One of the more luxury tours that are available out of Skagit County is a private plane tour. You can soar over the San Juan Islands, the tulip fields, and more, all while enjoying views of the ocean, the Cascades, and the Olympics. San Juan Airlines offer flights departing from Bellingham, Anacortes, Friday Harbor, Roche Harbor, Orcas/Eastsound, Blakely Island, or Lopez Island.
Deception pass jet boat tours
Deception pass is a popular sightseeing location in Skagit county. One of the best Tours of Skagit county to book for Summer is a Deception Pass jet boat tour. This is a cheap and family-friendly option that allows you to enjoy the beautiful waters around deception pass. The jet boat is an open-air deck boat with seats outside.
The boat named the Whaler will take you through Deception Pass and the surrounding area while a knowledgeable crew gives a history of the area and what transportation was like before the bridge was built.
Skagit River tour
With so many beautiful bodies of water to explore, it can be hard to pick just one. If you are interested in seeing more of the wildlife along the Skagit River, Skagit River tours offers 2-hour tours of Skagit River. These are small tours with only 5-6 people per boat and allow you to explore 7 miles of river on either the south/ west end of the river, starting in La Conner or a more northern section of the River. You’ll be able to learn about the history of the Skagit River as well as the fish and other wildlife that move through it.
Rafting tour
The Skagit River is one of the most unique places to Raft in the Northwest. Alpine Adventures is one of the only outfitters that takes rafters through a northern area of the Skagit River. The rafting trip is rated for class 2 and 3 rapids and is suitable for those six years old and up. You will raft through the Ross Lake National Recreation Area of North Cascades National Park. You can expect stunning mountain views, waterfowl, and more.
Skagit Farm to Pint Passport
While not a traditional tour, the Skagit Farm to Pint Passport is a self-guided brewery tour of the county. Trek the Skagit Farm to Pint Ale Trail and collect stamps and win prizes along your way. If you get all your stamps, you can claim a souvenir pint glass at the Burlington visitor center.
Fishing tours
Whether you are an avid fisherman or someone looking for a bit of guidance, fishing the Skagit River is so much fun. There are Chinook salmon, also known as king salmon, Coho, which are also known as Silvers, chum, Pink, also known as Humpies, Sockeye, steelhead, and cutthroat trout. Fishing seasons and days vary by year, but in a normal year, the river is always open for King, Silvers, Steelhead, and more. A fishing tour is helpful because they supply the gear and the best spots to fish. 365 charters and Skagit Eagles both offer Skagit River Fishing Tours throughout the year.
Hot Air Balloon Tours
During the Spring, during the tulip festival, you can arrange for tours of the best fields via a Tulip Festival Tour. Skagit Guided Adventures offers a tulip tour that takes you through the tulip fields and introduces you to some of the farmers. You will also learn about agriculture and horticulture in the valley and the history of the Tulip Festival. You will stroll through fields and gardens and take in the views of the Skagit Valley farm flats.
One of the most exciting tours offered in the Skagit Valley is a Tulip Festival Hot air balloon tour. During the Tulip Festival, the Balloon Depot brings in hot air balloons to the Skagit Valley so that you can fly over the best Tulip fields. This is truly a unique experience that very few people get to enjoy. To fly over tulip fields with views of the ocean in the distance and Mt. Peaks to the east is spectacular. This experience happens in the mornings when the weather is good. Check-in with Balloon Depot as Tulip Festival Draws closer to book your spot.
There are so many tours of Skagit county to book for Spring, Summer, and Fall. The views, recreation, and wildlife create a magical oasis for outdoor adventures and sightseers. Look into the tours that interest you most today and make sure to book early, as some spots do fill up quickly. The Clever Neighbor is happy to bring you the latest on the best activities for your vacations!