By Boat & Ferry

Victoria/San Juan Cruises sends Island Commuter ferries from the Bellingham Cruise Terminal to Friday Harbor and Victoria from May through September. There's a whale-watching-only option ($39), or you can continue on to Victoria, where you'll spend five hours and enjoy a buffet on the way back ($79).

Washington State Ferries connect Mukilteo (20 mi north of Seattle off I-5 at Exit 189) with Clinton, at the south end of Whidbey Island. Walk-on passengers pay only for the westward leg of the trip. Ferries leave roughly every half hour, more erratically off-season. Ferries also run from Port Townsend, at the tip of the Olympic Peninsula, to Keystone, at Whidbey's midpoint. The ride is 20 minutes one-way.

Contacts

Washington State Ferries. 206/464-6400. www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.