Historical Inn and Restaurant in Coastal Washington with Period Antiques
Innkeepers David Campiche and Laurie Anderson have spearheaded quite a few elaborate restoration projects to accentuate the old-fashioned feel of The Shelburne Inn, which dates to 1896. In 1983, they began to transform the Inglenook, a dining room area, into a lounge; they adorned it with art nouveau 19th-century stained-glass windows that were rescued from a church in England before it was razed. Anchoring the Inglenook is a piano they named Gloria, after a longtime guest.
At the acclaimed Shelburne Restaurant, seasoned chefs whip up Northwest-inspired fare made from local seafood such as mussels-and-clams marinière and dungeness crab cakes served alongside artisan breads and desserts made at the inn's bakery. For a more casual meal, head to the adjacent Shelburne Pub for David's mussel chowder, a 30-year staple at the inn. The innkeepers have even posted some of their favorite recipes online.
Each of the Shelburne Inn’s guest rooms and suites is decorated with antiques such as stained glass and claw-foot bathtubs. Don’t sleep in too late, or you’ll miss The Shelburne Inn’s complimentary gourmet breakfast, which so moved a St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter that he proclaimed, "The Shelburne is to breakfast what the Louvre is to art.”
Long Beach Peninsula, Washington: Scenic Beach Getaway on the Pacific Coast
Named one of America's Favorite Beach Towns in 2009 by Forbes Traveler, Long Beach Peninsula is a narrow, 28-mile-long stretch of sand dunes, beaches, and forests on Washington’s west coast. Its setting on the Pacific Ocean makes for spectacular views, albeit poor swimming—with the exception of Cape Disappointment’s Waikiki Beach, riptides and undertows mar the cold water. But that doesn’t stop people from hitting the beaches to take surf lessons from Skookum Surf Company, fly kites and comb the shores for treasures, including smooth driftwood. Walking the dunes is another favorite local pastime.
Long Beach holds the distinction of being the most northwesterly leg of Lewis and Clark’s transcontinental journey, and you can trace the explorers’ footsteps on the nearly 9-mile Discovery Trail. The beachfront path re-creates the scenes Lewis and Clark described in their diaries, replete with an 18-foot gray-whale skeleton and a bronze statue replica of a beached sturgeon.
A handful of small towns make up this popular weekend getaway spot, and each has its own assortment of antique shops, museums, and art galleries. In Seaview, where The Shelburne Inn is located, you can talking a walking tour through town past restored Victorian homes and historic buildings.
Read the Fine Print for important info on travel dates and other restrictions.