Things to Do in Oak Harbor

Film enthusiast Roland Fernando entered the movie-rental industry more than 30 years ago, building Video Express into a movie emporium that carries hard-to-find and vintage films, independent releases, and blockbuster hits. Walls lined with blue neon tubes evoke a retro movie theatre, leading customers along shelves stocked with children's movies, dramas, horrors, comedies, documentaries, and Woody Allen's napping nook. The store also stocks video games for Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360, and offers one or two-day console rentals.

Towering trees surround Puget Sound's shores, where mountains wrapped in hazy gauze loom in the background as wild animals serenely drink from the open waters and winding Hood Canal waterways. It's here that Olympic Outdoor Center decided to stake its headquarters more than 25 years ago, and where their instructors now lead paddlers onto the water for kayak and standup paddleboard lessons. The coaches also guide salmon-fishing tours and other extended trips, as well as youth adventure camps in which kids learn to maneuver kayaks and paddleboats and master fending off sea monsters with a swift paddle-bop to the noggin.

On land, staff members guide adventurers through mountain-biking camps and competitive races on the surrounding 4,000 acres of forested trails. The staffers help organize outdoor recreation events such as annual adventure sports festivals, paddling and biking triathlons, and overnight paddling trips.

The nature enthusiasts at West Coast Outdoor Adventure Rentals supply sportsmen with Hobie kayaks and stand-up paddleboards to explore the protected waters of the Jordan River, Sombrio Beach, and Strait of Juan de Fuca. Needing no prior experience, single explorers or duos propel their vessels with paddles or fully adjustable kayak pedal systems, which leave hands free for photographing scenery, fishing, or manning the onboard crepe stations. Highlights include wildlife encounters with seals, otters, and eagles.

Prose in both Lushootseed and English caption the displays inside the 23,000-square-foot Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve, chronicling the journey of the Tulalip people in honor of those who have passed. The Tulalip represent the successors to the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, and Skykomish tribes, as well as other signatories to the 1855 Point Elliott Treaty. Exhibits on their traditional territories, the importance of the cedar trees, and their seven value stories extend viewers' eyes to the distant past to learn their culture.

Historic canoes and archaeological remains provide tangible proof of the lives of the people remembered, and 50 acres of forests and wetlands preserve the natural landscape they called home. Back inside the museum, a life-size Tulalip longhouse expounds upon these artifacts and tales with recordings by Tulalip storytellers. Progressing to the present day, the exhibit Warriors: We Remember details more than a hundred years of veteran service, from the warrior spirit in ancient military traditions to recent sacrifices by men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces.