Beautiful Weekend Getaway to Lopez Island

If you live in Washington, chances are you’ve heard of the San Juan Islands. The islands are between Washington State and Vancouver Island, Canada. Surrounded by scenic shorelines, mountain vistas, endless Evergreen Trees and beautiful views. This is definitely a place to visit for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts.

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The three most popular islands are Orcas, (where my husband and I went for our mini honeymoon – read about that trip here), San Juan and Lopez Island. About a 2 hour drive north from Seattle, you’ll head to Anacortes to catch a ferry and will then experience one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the state (seriously, the views are incredible!). I highly recommend making a ferry reservation so you are guaranteed a spot to board. Depending on which island you choose to visit, the ferry lasts about 45 minutes to an hour and a half.

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My husband and I initially planned our trip to Lopez Island for our friends wedding. Being the planner that I am, I booked us a place to stay last year when we received the save the date in the mail. Unfortunately due to COVID-19, the wedding was rescheduled. We still had our reservation booked. So we decided…why not? Let’s keep our reservation and go there anyway since we’d never been. We also decided to bring our pup Edgar to make this trip a little family weekend getaway.

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We stayed at a quaint Garden Cottage next to Lopez Center. If we ever go back to Lopez Island, I will definitely be booking this spot again! The charming cottage was within walking distance to the beach, the farmers market (which we quickly realized is the place to be Saturday morning) and close to the main restaurants. We spent our time at the cottage sunbathing in the garden and listening to the sounds of nature while drinking mimosas.

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When we got off the ferry, the first thing we noticed about Lopez Island is how flat it is. This makes it a great place for bike riders who want to explore the island without a car. You could even do this as a day trip – bring your bike on the ferry no reservation needed, bike around and then catch the ferry back that night. We brought our bikes on this trip but didn’t bike around as much as we wanted since we had Edgar. The one time we brought him with us on a short bike ride, he saw a bunny and zoomed away racing as fast as he could trying to catch it (luckily he didn’t but I did end up chasing after him in a panic).

Lopez Island aka Bunny Island is full of so many bunnies! Tommy and I saw over 100 hopping in the fields, crossing the roads and burring themselves in burrows. Edgar especially enjoyed watching (and chasing) them.

Not only are the roads perfect for bikers and the endless bunnies surrounding the fields great for nature lovers, but Lopez Island also offers many trails with family friendly hikes. Tommy and I went to IceBerg Point in the morning which is a short trail that takes you out to a gorgeous cliff surrounded by water. We even saw a couple of sea lions. In the evening we went to Shark Reef to catch the colorful sunset that lite up the evening sky.

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Overall if I had to pick between Orcas and Lopez, I prefer Orcas Island. It felt like there was more energy compared to the Lopez Island vibe, which is definitely more laid back and slow paced. The restaurants and stores close very early. The main grocery store closed at 7:30pm and the ice cream shop closed at 5pm. I don’t know if this is their COVID-19 hours or if this is the norm. There isn’t as much to do on Lopez Island but that is typically the reason people travel there in the first place. To relax and unwind, which we definitely did.

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Sunshine, the smell of salt water, sand in our toes, garden flowers, beautiful views and our pup running around in absolute heaven made Lopez Island a great little weekend getaway.

Lavender Festival

Is there a certain smell or scent that you just can’t get enough of? Maybe a favorite perfume or the smell of a home cooked meal that reminds you of special memories? Or maybe you just think of the name of a scent and can instantly imagine the smell. Maybe you can instantly imagine the feeling it gives you. That’s how I feel about the smell of lavender, I absolutely love the smell. I can honestly smell this scent right now just typing about it. Lavender reminds me of Calm. Beauty. Sunshine. Happiness and Home.

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I remember looking out the kitchen window when I was younger to our little backyard, and seeing this giant tree with purple flowers that would blossom every Spring. Growing up, I always thought these beautiful purple flowers were lavender. My mom used to cut them and bring them inside, filling our little home with the sweet smell of happiness and tranquility. We used to cut the branches together and would make bouquets to give to my elementary school teachers. Well it turns out, the beautiful purple flowers were not lavender branches at all but instead was a lilac tree (Unfortunately, I still have yet to develop my green thumb). I finally discovered this when my best friend’s mom gave me a small bunch of lavender tied together with a pink ribbon to put in my room. Even though the two smells are different, I grew up loving both. That’s why anytime I think of the smell of lavender (and lilac too) I am instantly reminded of the sweet smelling memories with my mom at our home. Of calmness, beauty, sunshine and happiness.

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Since I cannot get enough of this scent, my best friend Amber and I (the girl whose mom helped me realize the difference between lavender and lilac oh so long ago) decided to go to the Lavender Festival in Sequim, WA. We went last summer on a beautiful sunny Sunday in July and wow…what a day it was!

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We took the Kingston Ferry from Edmonds Ferry Terminal and drove about an hour to Sequim (actually I think it took us a little longer since we got lost and missed the exit on the way there due to traffic). We started at the main event, The Sequim Lavender Festival Street Fair. Here you can find a variety of food, drinks (lavender infused cocktails), music and shopping booths to please all types of people. Many booths are run by local business owners around the community. (The lavender infused ice cream was amazing, highly recommend. Also, the lavender chapstick – my fav).

From there you can pick which lavender fields you want to visit. There are TONS. I recommend printing or saving the Driving Guide, which lists all the fields around the area. Oh yeah, this event is dog friendly, so bring your pup(s)!

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Amber and I went to B + B Family Lavender Farm and cut lavender to take home. You can cut as much or as little as you like, and can choose from a variety of lavender bushes (some 20+ years old) which are all a bit different. It smelled AMAZING. We stocked up.

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The festival is always held the 3rd weekend in July. This year it will take place from July 17 – July 19, 2020 (fingers crossed that things with coronavirus settle down by then).

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This is a wonderful day trip but be prepared to wait in lines of traffic on your way back home (especially on a Sunday evening, I recommend having some different podcasts queued up and ready to play for the drive back). You also need to plan to catch the ferry at least an hour ahead of time unless you want to drive around through Seattle. And be prepared to have your house smell INCREDIBLE if you decide to take a bunch of fresh picked lavender home (I dried up the bouquet I brought home and left it out as a centerpiece in my kitchen for a couple of months).

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Maybe you will discover your favorite smell, a memorable scent from your childhood, even a cherishable memory. What’s your favorite scent? What does it remind you of? Either way, you can’t beat the smell of lavender (and lilac too!) at this festival.