Seattleites who love gorgeous natural scenery, delicious food, and unique products can basically find everything they need right here in our fair city. But sometimes the open road calls, and it’s time to go exploring. The Bow-Edison area is an excellent destination for a delicious and beautiful day trip. Under 90 minutes from Seattle, it’s a small area that packs a lot of potential. Consider bringing a cooler full of ice for some of the haul, as it’s not humanly possible to eat everything tasty on offer in the area in just one day.
Before we get to the Bow-Edison area proper, there are a few strategic destinations in the surrounding areas. On the way up, consider stopping at Rexville Grocery in Mt. Vernon for their delicious sandwiches. They offer a “picnic to-go” option that can be ordered in advance.
For a pretty picnic destination – and a quick hike to work up an appetite for future eating – head north from Mt. Vernon to Squires Lake Park (pictured above). The trail from the parking lot features a brief, easy hike up to the lake area, where benches and clearings offer ideal spots for that Rexville picnic. To work up more of an appetite, one can continue on the South Ridge Trail/Pacific Northwest Trail for a longer but still manageable hike to the top of Alger Alp and its rewarding view.
After the exercise, take a jaunt on the winding and scenic Chuckanut Drive to Taylor Shellfish for live oysters, smoked and pickled seafood, crab, geoduck and more. Already hungry again? They offer a picnic area that overlooks the water.
From there, head to Cains Court in Edison, where several stores, cafes, and galleries are centrally located, so one can park and stroll.
Stop at Slough Foods for wine, cheese, cured meats and other specialties. They offer both popular Puget Sound producers like Salumi Artisan Cured Meats and Mount Townsend Creamery and selected products from beyond the region like Spanish chorizo and Vermont cheddar. Stock up for home, or enjoy a snack and drink on their back patio overlooking the slough. The baked goods at Breadfarm are foodie favorites, made with care in small batches, often with local ingredients. (Take note Breadfarm is a cash/check only operation.)
For a break from the food, stop in Shop Curator for unusual collectibles, often including bones and art. Across the street is the Lucky Dumpster, which also offers gifts and collectibles, often made with reclaimed and upcycled materials.
Head north around the corner from the Lucky Dumpster (there’s a photo opportunity with the giant “Anyone who isn't confused doesn't understand the situation” Edward R. Murrow quote on the side of the Lucky Dumpster building) up the dead end street to the Smith and Vallee Gallery. Located in a restored schoolhouse, the gallery focuses on Northwest artists.
Heading back to the main drag, those who skipped the trip to Taylor Shellfish can still grab some local oysters and a beer at Longhorn Saloon near the gallery. There is often a phalanx of Harleys in front of the Longhorn - it’s popular with bikers taking a breather after the twists and turns of Chuckanut Drive - but like most places in the Bow-Edison area, it’s a welcoming spot. The historic Edison Inn, at the opposite end of Cains Court, is another spot for beer and local oysters. Or, if a little caffeine is more in order after all the walking and eating, Tweets Cafe in between the two can meet your coffee needs.
After checking out Edison on foot, head back to the car – or bring a bike – to visit the surrounding area and producers like Samish Bay Cheese, Bow Hill Blueberries, Golden Distillery, or the periodically open farm stand at Gothberg Farms. The local food community has even put together a “food trail” map with more destination possibilities to consider before heading back – full and happy – to Seattle.
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Things To Do In Arlington
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Gleneagle Golf Course
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18-hole, 5,851-yard course winds through towering cedars and firs and scenic waters
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Cleaved through rows of muscular cedar and fir trees and mature arbors, Gleneagle Golf Course's 18-hole course stretches across 5,851 yards of meandering fairways and treacherous hazards. Though the relatively short course does not demand gargantuan drives to contend for par, it counters with an ensemble of strategically placed bunkers, ball-hungry water hazards, and shape-shifting greens to affect a moderately challenging course. Patrons can prepare for the picturesque par 70 with a stint at the driving range, where an irons-only restriction keeps unruly drivers at bay and fosters the type of short-yardage precision that will prove advantageous on the course. After looping the emerald links, players can recess to the Gleneagle Family Restaurant Bar & Grill, where three large flat-screen TVs fill the room with sports-world happenings.
Course at a Glance: * 18-hole, par-70 course * Length of 5,851 yards from the farthest tees * Course rating of 69.1 from the farthest tees * Slope rating of 138 from the farthest tees * Four tee options available * See the scorecard
7619 E Country Club Dr
Arlington,
WA
US
It sounds just like a movie: a former Disney employee and a former mayor team up to run their own theater. That's exactly what Jeff Brein and Sam Granato did in 1988 with Bainbridge Cinemas, where they still spend Friday and Saturday nights tearing tickets and scooping popcorn. Besides Bainbridge Cinemas, their theater collection—Far Away Entertainment —oversees seven other local theaters, including the historic single-screen Lynwood Theatre. Opened in 1936, Bainbridge Island's first talking picture house now specializes in independent features and foreign films in which actors rearrange the English alphabet to make strange new sounds.
Over at the two-screen Admiral Theater, projectionists give newer Hollywood releases a second run, plus host screenings every year for the Seattle International Film Festival. Far Away's five remaining theaters, each with three to five screens, show digital versions of Hollywood's freshest celluloid. Lean back in the Anacortes' reclining seats, or scarf down an all-beef frank at Oak Harbor while taking in a flick or live screening of the Metropolitan Opera.
6996 265th st NW
Stanwood,
WA
US
A father-son team, Dickson Flyfishing guides and teaches fly-fishing to all levels of anglers on Olympic Peninsula waters, Puget Sound rivers, and many eastern Washington rivers. Conscious of their environmental impact, they lead eco-rafting trips throughout the year on the Skagit, Sauk, and Queets Rivers, as well as fishing trips for steelhead, cutthroat trout, and salmon with scales made of gold. More adventurous clients can embark on winter fly-fishing trips for tarpon on the flats of the Caribbean or three-day campouts on the Grande Ronde River. Additionally, scenic rafting tours bring visitors up close to wildlife such as eagles. Dickson Flyfishing also runs a virtual fly shop, where they sell their own line of equipment.
12021 Route 530
Arlington,
WA
US
The magic bean that sprouted into Whiskey Ridge Brewing was a Christmas gift that Francine Hatley gave to her husband, Jack. That gift: a homebrewing kit that Jack set up in his garage. Nearly a decade later, that garage operation has expanded into Darrington's old City Hall, has come to involve Jack's entire family, and has churned out delicious microbrews such as the Henrietta Chocolate Porter and the Tarheel Stomp.
650 Emens Ave.
Darrington,
WA
US
Glider-Rides.com’s FAA-certified pilots propel Grob Motorglider planes skyward, treating passengers to astounding aerial views of Washington's verdant landscape. One passenger weighing up to 200 pounds rides along in a streamlined, self-launching motorglider, which can comfortably fit people up to 6'2" tall. When the plane reaches a suitable altitude, the pilot shuts off the engine, leaving the aircraft completely silent except for the occasional scream of clouds. Passengers may specify sights and landmarks to view along the way, snapping panoramic photos of regal Mount Rainier, the inspiring Seattle skyline, and the Puget Sound. Each side of the plane sports a window, facilitating clear, crisp photography and gesticulations for truck drivers to honk their horns.
18204 59th Drive Northeast
Arlington,
WA
US
