My husband, 13 yr. old daughter and I would like to visit Whidbey Island this August. We've never been to the northwest and heard this would be a good destination for us since our daughter loves the water, wildlife and hiking in the woods. Is there a specific area we should stay on the island? And we'd like to rent a house/cottage. Any help here as well?

Good job!

I posted this to your other thread, but just in case you don't see it, here it is again.

Author: mms
Date: 05/31/2007, 08:34 pm
Good suggestion of posting on the US forum. But I will answer a bit here anyway Whidbey is fantastic and it sounds like it will be a perfect for for your daughter. I can't help with specific homes to rent as we always did either day trips there or stayed with family. A few good websites to check things out include www.southwhidbey.com, www.islandweb.org, and www.whidbeycamanoislands.com. Those should get you started.

For people who have never been to the Northwest to spend their vacation on Whidbey Island strikes me as odd.

Most people who come to this area want to see Seattle, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Saint Helens, the North Cascade Highway, the Olympic National Park, the Columbia River Gorge, Victoria, Vancouver, the San Juan Islands, etc.

But, as they say, "different strokes for different folks."

Coupeville and Langley are nice little old towns on Whidbey Island.

Thanks to all of you. I appreciate your help and suggestions.

Don't know how long you're staying or if you'll have a car, but a drive up to Anacortes and the ferry to San Juan Island makes for a terrific day. A great place for watching Orcas feed is at Lime Kiln State Park near the picturesque lighthouse. Beautiful scenery all around you on the ride over and on the island. Friday Harbor is a neat little town to stroll and have a nice lunch. We were there (day trip) in Sept and the orcas put on a show for us. Many watched from the shore as the whale watching boats trailed the pods. Your daughter would love it!

Check out San Juan or Orcas Island. They are also islands in the San Juan chain of islands, but you will see and feel more of the island life. Whidbey is very close to the coast - it is an island, but is connected to the mainland by a bridge and a short ferry ride from the Seattle area, so it gets a lot of day trip visitors. San Juan and Orcas require a longer ferry ride and are more removed from the Seattle lifestyle. You might see whales from the ferry, you can get around the islands by bike, visit working artist's studios and live the relaxed island life.

You might also check out the Gulf Islands in British Columbia - Gabriola Island was my paradise as a child.

Best Regards,
Julia

Another place is fort Casey
http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp...k=Fort%20Casey
coupeville older towm
greenbank farm farm and loganberry liqour
penn cove for mussels and lodging
can take ferry to Port Townsend for a day,
can also drive to Anacourtes and take ferry to San Juans or to Victoria.