weekend getaways
The Top Haunted Spots Around Town
Outdoor Halloween happenings to add to your calendar stat
Sure, you can do the typical haunted house thing, but why not check out some outdoor Halloween happenings away from town? Nightmare at Beaver Lake, Sammamish Follow a spooky mile-long trail to a haunted house; be prepared to scream along the way. Proceeds from ticket sales and food donations benefit charities here and abroad. $18,…
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…
Learn About the Source of Food at Quillisascut Farm School
At Quillisascut, food lovers learn the A–Z of the domestic arts
Years before the current farm-to-table trend hit Seattle, Rick and Lora Lea Misterly were carting baskets of their small-batch goat cheese from their farm in Rice, Washington, to the kitchen doors of small, chef-owned restaurants around the city. Today, after the farm’s 25 years of slow but steady growth, cheese isn’t the only thing they…
The Best Getaways for Food and Wine Lovers
Seattle has no shortage of great dining options, but sometimes eating out is about the journey
Eating your fill takes on a whole new meaning when you travel to these destinations. It’s all about the food you experience, from highbrow to low and everything in between. PortlandYou say you’re going to Portland for the forested hikes, the riverside views and the tax-free shopping. But let’s face it—you’re really just going 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…
A Vacation Home in Lynden is Filled with Memories
The lush grounds of a northern Washington retreat remind us that to everything there is a season
Rows of raspberry canes, their curling tendrils climbing up posts—the result of countless seasons of planting and picking—line the quarter-mile drive up to Estergreen, the 19th-century cabin owned by Vancouver, British Columbia, architect Robert Lemon. The bittersweet berry is a fitting symbol for Lemon’s current state of mind. This summer, he’s embarking on a poignant…
San Juan Lavender Festival: A Summer Island Adventure
Summer festival showcases the delectable tastes, sites and smells of lavender
WHERE: San Juan Island, Washington’s bucolic getaway, a few hours’ drive and a ferry ride from downtown Seattle. WHY: 15th annual San Juan Island Lavender Festival & Summer Arts Fair at Pelindaba Lavender Farm in Friday Harbor (7/16–7/17; pelindabalavender.com). Hear about how lavender is farmed by going on a tour, or grab some lavender ice…