anacortes

From shopping and music to beaches and forests, Fidalgo Island has all you need

AANACORTES IS A SMALL TOWN FULL OF ART AND VITALITY. Breathe in the salty air on the busy waterfront and enjoy the rocky beaches, a bustling downtown shopping district, lively annual festivals and 50 miles of multi-use trails.

Surrounded by water, this Waterside town – which asserts a population of less than 17,000 – has been historically a maritime city. Located on Fidalgo Island, Anacortes is connected to the mainland by a bridge over the Swinomish Channel. It is also the gateway to the San Juan Islands and Vancouver Island via Washington state ferries. With opportunities for boating, camping and hiking, visitors seeking to connect with nature will have no shortage of activities. Seafarers’ Memorial Park is a favorite launch spot with locals. The peninsula on the western edge of the island is home to Washington Park, a 220-acre city park with beaches, a boat launch and camping.

There is no shortage of whale watching tour companies,

fishing charters, and boat rentals. The Cap Sante Marina has 100 berths for guest moorage along with repair facilities, fuel docks and complimentary bicycles, just blocks from downtown.

While the town’s water access is breathtaking, the forests surrounding Anacortes are just as special. Anacortes Community Forest Lands is comprised of 2,950 acres of woods, wetlands, lakes and meadows, all within city limits. The rocky dome of Mt. Erie and idyllic Heart Lake are some extraordinary woodland gems. Mt. Erie’s summit offers a spectacular view of the San Juan Islands and you can even drive to the top if you’d rather not hike the trail to the 1,273-foot peak. For hikers, a map is a must, as the trails tend to intertwine. Maps are available online and at nearby businesses.

Downtown, you’ll find murals from the Anacortes Mural Project lining the red brick buildings, antique shops, restaurants, marine supply stores and bookshops up and down Commercial Street. Life-sized murals of characters from Anacortes’ past add splashes of color to the city center. Stroll past paintings of turn-of-the-century luminaries such as Anne and Tommy Thompson, who founded the Anacortes Railway. The muralist himself, Bill Mitchell, who passed away in 2019, is depicted on O Avenue. Mitchell gave back to the city in many ways, from his ambitious

PHOTO BY LOUISE MUGAR

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Mt. Erie, Anacortes

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mural project to collecting town history and working to save historic buildings.

Local music and nightlife energizes the downtown as the sun goes down. Dining options range from delis and pizzerias to upscale seafood restaurants.

Anacortes hosts a varied menu of festivals throughout the year. The Anacortes Arts Festival, held in downtown Anacortes from August 5-7, 2022, has celebrated art in Anacortes since 1962. The festival features an organized run, nearly nonstop music performances, as well as artists and craftspeople displaying sculptures, textile art, jewelry, photography, paintings and more. Other annual events happening in 2022 include Shipwreck Days and Bier on the Pier, a lively event with more than 40 breweries, cideries and food trucks.

Whether Anacortes is the destination, or visitors find themselves with a few hours to kill before catching a ferry into the great beyond, the fresh air, bold murals, charming shops, and natural beauty promise to relax and refresh visitors.

For more information, visit anacortes.org.

ANACORTES

Elevation: 23’ Water access: Sunset Beach History and Art: Bill Mitchell Mural Project

The Anacortes Mural Project

BILL MITCHELL SPENT 30 YEARS CREATING MURALS TO REVITALIZE DOWNTOWN ANACORTES WITH COLORFUL NODS TO THE TOWN’S HISTORY.

Over 150 murals comprise the mural project, most of which adorn Commercial Avenue. In Mitchell’s own words, the murals are “Something to keep the downtown alive.” Even driving by in a car, it is hard to miss the bold, lifesized figures riveted to the downtown buildings.

Mitchell was paralyzed by an auto accident in his youth but discovered in the rehabilitation facility that he could still draw. His life’s work was filling Anacortes with figures from 1983’s Fred White and his safety bike to pop culture phenomenons such as Marilyn Monroe and a pair of very popular sci-fi droids. For years, residents of Anacortes were able to sponsor murals, and have family members memorialized as a part of this small town’s history. Many of the murals include transportation, anchoring the figures to their place in the timeline through vintage cars, canoes and bikes.

Though Mitchell passed away in 2019, he left behind a town that he had transformed with art over a 30-year period.

In the documentary Bill Mitchell &The Anacortes Mural Project, Mitchell said, “It’s been a real honor to be able to do these murals and honor these people.”

In turn, Anacortes is honoring Bill Mitchell by preserving these murals and prolonging his influence on the vivacity of the downtown.

For more information on the mural project or to donate to the Mural Preservation Fund, visit anacortesmuseumfoundation.org/billmitchell.

2022 MARKET SCHEDULE

SUMMER MARKET

2nd Saturdays Every Saturday 9am-2pm9am-2pm January - April May 1- October 30

PIE FESTIVAL

Every Saturday September 17 9am-2pm (During the Market) May - October Pie Contest & More

HOLIDAY MARKET

September 21 November 19-20 (During the Market) 10am-4pm at The Port Pie Contest & More 100 Commercial Ave.

WINTER MARKET

November 23-242nd Saturdays 10am-4pm at The Port 9am-2pm 100 Commercial Ave. January - April

At The Historic Depot • 7th St. & “R” Avenue Anacortes, Washington Serving lunch & dinner in old town Anacortes.

swell food

ADRIFT is a reflection of all that is important to our community: farm fresh food, reviving drinks, and the camaraderie of friends. 510 Commercial Ave. • Anacortes • 360.588.0653

Open 11am - 9pm • Tuesday thru Saturday

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