Puget Sound’s picturesque small towns are perfect places to jump-start your romantic day-dreams. Loaf around down at the docks, study yachts and tugs going by, sample local seafood, browse through shops proffering local arts and crafts. Enjoy historic architecture, stay at Victorian inns and B&Bs, find a guide to take you cruising or kayaking, biking or fishing, or for a walk along the bay.
LaConner (an hour’s drive north of Seattle in the Skagit Valley) looks out to fishing boats across Swinomish Channel next to farm fields and forests. Mountains loom in the distance. The new Valley Museum presents the country’s top collection of “Northwest School” art.
Historic Port Townsend (on the Olympic Peninsula northeast of Seattle) features a bustling waterfront of Victorian brick-front shops, and a hillside dotted with Victorian homes (best collection in the state).
Gig Harbor just west of Tacoma overlooks a jolly boat basin with towering Mt. Rainier rising beyond. Poulsbo on the Kitsap Peninsula is a showcase of Scandinavian heritage (architecture, fishing boats, eateries, import stores). Steilacoom south of Tacoma is rich in history, including an antique soda fountain in the drug store.
Friday Harbor (on San Juan Island) claims the liveliest boat harbor in the islands (lots of rental craft and whale watching cruises). Eastsound (on Orcas Island) may remind you of a village from England’s Devon or Cornwall.
Coupeville (mid-way up Whidbey Island) is one of the oldest small towns on the Sound, and anchors Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve (first such in the nation). Langley (farther south on Whidbey) features an artists’ cooperative with demonstrations, vine-draped cottages and lush gardens; glass-blowers, art galleries, a micro-brewery, a family winery and boat excursions.