road trip
Dine, Sleep and Relax in Luxury at The Inn at Langley
Langley’s inn continues to deliver
Matt Costello, the longtime genius chef behind the food at The Inn at Langley (Langley, 400 First St.; 360.221.3033; innatlangley.com) is known for his disarming combinations made with ingredients primarily from Whidbey Island. As an experience, the single-seating, multicourse meal ($155 per person) is as much entertainment as dinner. A dish called “rhubarb” might come…
Why It’s Time to Make a Trip to Willows Inn
A pilgrimage to Lummi Island reawakens a passion for local foods
When you feel compelled to leave the city and immerse yourself in nature, when you seek to sit in quiet amazement at the wondrous foraged and farm-raised foods our Pacific Coast region provides, and to be waited on with warmth by a knowing staff but without the formality of a fussy setting, it’s time to…
Take a Tasty Road Trip to Portland’s Four-Day Food Festival
Gather with other food lovers in Portland for the Feast Portland Festival
Where: Portland, Oregon, about a three-hour drive south of downtown Seattle. Why: The fifth annual Feast Portland festival (9/15–9/18; prices vary; feastportland.com), where chef-obsessed food lovers gather for more than 40 events in a city known for its explosive food scene. Happenings include hands-on classes in cooking, making cocktails, and even how to style and…
Throwback Eats: 6 Nostalgic Tacoma Joints
Go old school in Tacoma
You may have visited Tacoma to take in the acclaimed Museum of Glass, or to spend a sunny afternoon at Point Defiance Park. But there are other reasons to make the trek south. Discover the historic heart and soul of this working-class city through its old-school restaurants, bars, shops and venues that have entertained locals…
Road Trip: Kite Festival at Long Beach
Get ready for a colorful, small-town getaway
WHERE: Long Beach, a small town in the southern coastal corner of Washington, a three-and-a-half-hour drive from downtown Seattle. WHY: The Long Beach–based World Kite Museum’s annual Washington State International Kite Festival (8/15–8/21, kitefestival.com). The seaside skies will be ablaze with colorful kites during this weeklong celebration and competition, which attracts professional kite flyers from…
What Seattle’s Density Problem is Doing to Your Summer Plans
Our state’s population is growing, but not the number of our state campsites
On a sunny summer weekend last year, I loaded my car with a tent, camping stove and border collie and hit the road, in hopes of finding a spot in a state campground near Deception Pass. As I drove, I was reminded of the trips with my family in our VW camper van in the…
Two Reasons to Go to Puyallup
Fun ideas for taking a road trip down south.
WHERE: Western Washington Fairgrounds in Puyallup, Washington. WHY: For the 31st annual Northwest Wood Carvers Association show and sale (11/12–11/13; $7, kids younger than 12 free), where carvers display some 300 original woodcarvings, many in the Northwest Native American tradition. Visitors can take part in woodcarving demos, and, of course, in buying original works of…
Road Trip to Port Townsend
These Northwest artists and Kinetic Sculpture Races are worth the trip.
WHERE: Northwind Arts Center in Port Townsend WHY: To see the “(so) Much (too) Little” group exhibition (through 10/31; 2409 Jefferson St.; 360.379.1086; northwindarts.org), featuring the gorgeous work of three emerging (and hot-hot-hot) Northwest visual artists: Counsel Langley, Gala Bent and Sharon Arnold. SIDE TRIP: Time it right and indulge your quirky side with Washington’s…
Road Trip: British Columbia’s Bard on the Beach
Go thither to Vancouver for a memorable marathon of plays by Shakespeare and contemporary playwright
WHERE: Vancouver, British Columbia, for the 22nd annual Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival (through 9/24; 1695 Whyte Ave., in Vanier Park; bardonthebeach.org). Why: To experience As You Like It and The Merchant of Venice performed in the newly renovated main-stage tent against a stunning natural background of mountain peaks, ocean and sky. Beyond the…
The North Cascades Institute’s Learning Center Is for the Birds
Head to the woods and bring your binocs for a weekend of migration and song.
WHERE: The North Cascades Institute’s Learning Center, which offers a plethora of educational and inspiring nature programs amid the mountains, glaciers and rivers of the North Cascades. WHY: To partake in the migration and song: spring birding weekend (6/3–6/5; $215–$455, lodging included; ncascades.org), featuring local avian experts who teach visiting bird enthusiasts about Clark’s nutcrackers,…
Get Scenic at the Columbia River Gorge
Take an artsy road trip to the first annual Columbia Gorge Arts & Culture Discovery Month.
WHERE: The Columbia River Gorge Scenic Area. WHY: For the first annual Columbia Gorge Arts & Culture Discovery Month (columbiagorgeartsandculture.com), wherein 19 arts organizations spanning the Gorge celebrate local art, music and culture. Events include the Columbia Gorge Fiddle Contest (May 6-8 in Hood River, OR; columbiagorgefiddlecontest.com), featuring the best fiddlers in the west, plus…
Road Trip to Enumclaw Chocolate Festival
Savor locally crafted chocolates and wines at the third annual Wine and Chocolate Festival.
Where Enumclaw for the third annual Wine and Chocolate Festival (2/4–2/5; Enumclaw Expo Center, 45224 284th Ave. SE; enumclawchocolatefestival.com). Why: This year’s event features an indulgent lineup of locally made truffles and flavored chocolates, plus pours from 22 Washington wineries. Pair for the course: Savor salted caramels from Newcastle-based Sweet Decadence and sip a Merlot…
Road Trip: Portland, Oregon
Portland says come on down and have a beer
Where: Portland, Oregon, for the 2010 Holiday Ale Festival (12/1–12/5; $20-$25; holidayale.com) in Pioneer Courthouse Square. Why: To clink beer mugs in a microbrew mecca, where 45 breweries from the Northwest and beyond—including Widmer Bros. Brewing Co., Cascade Brewing and Alaskan Brewing Co.—offer tastes of holiday hops accented with wintry whiffs of cranberries, raspberries and…