Oak Harbor is a small city on a rural island—the best of all worlds! It’s a getaway from the super-sized metropolis, but with a wide variety of outdoors and cultural happenings that create a perfect vacation weekend!
Day 1 – Getting to Know
Oak Harbor
Take Interstate 5 from Seattle or Vancouver B.C. to the SR. 20 Interchange and head west. Follow SR 20 around Sharpe’s Corner to Whidbey Island. When you’ve crossed the Deception Pass Bridge, you’ve got it made! While Deception Pass State Park is a great place to stop, resist the temptation, because we have you coming back at a better time.
Historic Downtown Oak Harbor
After the drive, it’s time to stretch your legs with a stroll along Pioneer Way. Public art entertains the senses from one end of downtown to the other. The Garry Oak Gallery inside the Harborside Village is an artist’s collective where you’ll see new and beautiful things each time you visit. Inside the shops, you’ll find more arts and crafts, decorative items, clothing, and books. Be sure the check the special section of regional books.
Lunch – Orlando’s
There are lots of great places for lunch in downtown Oak Harbor. Riverside Cafe, Noe Jose, Sweet Rice Thai Cuisine, just to name a few. But, if you’re looking for a BBQ experience to remember, head to Orlando’s Southern Barbecue. Their food has been an Oak Harbor favorite for years. This is a great place for dinner, too!
What Next – Pacific Northwest Naval Air Museum
When the Navy built bases near Oak Harbor, the town grew quickly from a tiny town to a real city. The first reason the Navy came was they needed a place to supply their Catalina PBY aircraft – essentially flying boats that could land and take off on water. The PNWNAM explores, not only those early PBY years but Naval life on the island in general. There’s even a PBY aircraft to explore along with trainers where you can try your hand at flying any of several aircraft.
READ: The Story of Gigi (the PBY Catalina)
State Parks to the South
You’re on an island and it’s time to find some beaches and other cool things! If it’s still around lunchtime and you don’t want to sit inside, grab your BBQ to go, or hit one of the drive-thru restaurants in Oak Harbor and bring your lunch to a scenic park south of the city! Fort Casey State Park features a military fort built before World War I! Find out why it was part of the vaunted “triangle of fire” defense. Right next to the fort is Admiralty Head Lighthouse, with sweeping views of the water. There are plenty of spaces for a picnic. Working your way back to Oak Harbor is Fort Ebey. Built for World War II, the park is better known for it’s beaches, bike trials, kite-flying, and cliffs for hang-gliding!
Family Friendly Oak Harbor
Oak Harbor has lots of young families with children. So, visiting here with children is really easy and fun. Some of the activities are really old-school, which means Mom and Dad will want in on this as well! There’s a roller rink in a big ole’ barn in the middle of town! There’s a real-life drive-in theatre that’s been upgraded to digital for the latest movies. Before showtime, the Blue Fox Drive-in also has go-karts and an arcade! Speaking of arcades… Toss’n Axes has one of the largest collection of vintage pinball machines around these parts, as well as modern arcade games, and of course, axe throwing. Just as important, there are lots of affordable restaurants in Oak Harbor where you can feed everyone and not spend a lot.
Dinner – Fine Dining or Casual Dining
It’s decision time for dinner with two Oak Harbor signature restaurants. Frasers is just a block off Pioneer. Chef Scott Fraser and his French-trained culinary skills presents enchanting dinners that promote the bounty of the Northwest. At Seabolts, the Northwest is featured through seafood. From home-smoked salmon and chips to salads topped with grilled fish, it’s all about fish here. But, there are also delicious not fish entrees as well. Options – China City, El Cazador Mexican Grill, The Mill at Kasteel. Some local family faves are Jumbo Burrito and Teriyaki Time.
Sunset Drive
You’ve packed so much into just one day that you may be ready for dinner. But if you have time, relax with a drive along the west side of Whidbey Island. West Beach has a spectacular pullout for watching the water while a county park at the end of Libby Road has great beach access for watching the sunset.
Oak Harbor – A Base for All of Puget Sound
There’s so much to do around here that you could base a whole week’s visit from Oak Harbor. Take a ferry trip to Port Townsend for the day. Explore Coupeville and South Whidbey. Take a day trip to Camano Island and La Conner. Spend a day in Anacortes. Think of Oak Harbor as the center of spokes on a wheel, and you have a reason to spend an entire week!
Day 2 – Play Outside
A Morning Walk
Morning Walk #1 – Windjammer Park has a shoreline walkway that extends for about a mile. Get up early to have it to yourself or sleep in a bit and enjoy it with your fellow walkers and joggers. Morning Walk #2 – The Oaks of Oak Harbor. This is part walk, part drive. Find the brochure for the Garry Oaks of Oak Harbor and follow it to find the magnificent trees that gave the city its name.
Breakfast – Treat Yourself
Chris’ Bakery is an Oak Harbor legend that has returned from a several-year hiatus. Doughnuts, croissants, breakfast sandwiches, and more are a great way to start the day. Riverside Cafe downtown is a local favorite with a variety of breakfast options that will please everyone.
What Next – Fishing – Clamming – Play Outside!
If you fish, then today is your day. You’re on an island in the middle of Puget Sound and there are plenty of great spots. You’ll need a fishing license and check to see about seasons of course, but after that you can head to any of the state parks for a day of salt-water fishing along the shore. When the salmon are running there are plenty of great spots all along the north and west side of Whidbey Island. Deception Pass has two fresh water lakes for trout, bass, and perch. You should plan ahead to find the best fishing. At low tide, you can also go clamming at any of several beaches on the island. You’ll need a license and need to plan ahead for the tides and places open for clamming. More info here…
Lunch
Head to one of the places we’ve listed here that you missed, or try something else that you saw. If you walked before breakfast (or slept in) then breakfast might have really been brunch and you’re ready to go-see-do!
Necessary Shopping
If your Oak Harbor adventure is on a weekend you should have been running errands, you can sneak some of that in, too. Oak Harbor has major chain stores, hardware stores, supermarkets, and more.
Deception Pass State Park – Deception Pass Jet Boat Tours
You could spend days at Deception Pass State Park. There are hiking trails, fresh water lakes, beaches, and that amazing bridge about 18 stores above the waters of Deception Pass. A favorite way to see the park is to get there early. The park opens at 6:30 a.m. (summer) and 8 a.m. (winter). Another plan would be to visit in the off-season. This rugged country is a fun visit for people looking to get the full feel of the Northwest in winter. But, whatever you do, make sure you take the Deception Pass Jet Boat tour. The wide-open boat offers great opportunities for viewing the wildlife and sea life, and the trip through Deception Pass is amazing!
See What We Did Here?
We gave you a two-day itinerary, but it would take you maybe five days or more to do it all! Oops, our bad. We hope you’ll come back soon and enjoy what you missed!
