Whidbey Island, WA

Just a short drive and ferry ride away from Seattle, sits Whidbey Island—a beautiful Pacific Northwest island with so much to offer. While some communities on the island are smaller and more remote than others, necessities are never far out of reach while still feeling far, far away from city life in the best way possible.

Along with expansive nature, a wonderful drive-in movie theater, a decommissioned-military-base-turned-state-park and plenty of shops and restaurants, the island is also home to Captain Whidbey—a well-designed rustic hotel that perfectly blends the rugged and the comfortable.

In the overnight trip we found spring sunshine one day and plenty of matte clouds the next, but to truly grasp any spot in Western Washington you really need to experience it in both settings.

Overlooking Penn Cove, Captain Whidbey is technically over 120-years-old. While plenty of updates have been made to bring it into this century, it has pleasantly (and successfully) walked that tightrope between maintaining the authentic charm of its past and implementing beautiful modern design touches. Plus, we all need a good excuse to stay in a beautiful cabin without a TV in sight.

Further along the island sits Fort Casey State Park, a decommissioned military base whose original structures are contrasted with the greenery of the island. Established in the late 1900s, the fort transitioned into a state park in the 1950s. Most of us that grew up in the Seattle Area have been quite familiar with the park since childhood as some elementary schools would host annual overnight stays at Camp Casey.

Below is what we saw in 24 hours on Whidbey Island before heading onto Port Townsend and Marrowstone the next day.

-Zack