La Conner Washington, One of the Puget Sound’s Best Kept Secrets

La Conner Washington has small town charm in spades.  Whether you visit for a quick day trip from Seattle or make a weekend of it, there’s plenty to enjoy. 

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Looking for more places to visit outside Seattle? Be sure to read 7 Day Trips From Seattle You Won’t Want To Miss

Where is La Conner Washington? 

La Conner is a small town 90 minutes north of Seattle and 45 minutes south of Bellingham.  This little town is part of the Skagit Valley, with Mount Vernon to the east.  The downtown area is situated right on the Swinomish Channel, with blocks of cute local shops and restaurants lining the main street. 

How to get to La Conner

Unfortunately, like a lot of Western Washington’s cute small towns, La Conner is most accessible by car.  It is an easy drive North (or South) on I5 then head west for about 20 minutes via the county roads. 

It is possible to be carless in La Conner WA, but it will take a little extra coordination.  The Amtrak Cascades route stops in Mount Vernon.  From there, you could order an Uber or Lyft to take you to La Conner.  Once you arrive, a car really isn’t needed. 

Things to do in La Conner Washington

This town might be small, but it is not lacking for things to see and do in La Conner.  This is why it is a perfect Washington state weekend getaway destination. 

Museums

Despite only having a population of just under 1000 people, La Conner is home to three museums.  They are small in size but large in impact. 

• Museum of Northwest Art (MoNA): This small but mighty museum has a well sized collection of contemporary art from artists in Alaska, down the coast to California and inland to Idaho and Montana. Best of all, they are open daily with free admission. 
• Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum: This museum is dedicated to preservation and celebration of the traditions and craft of quilting and fiber arts.  It is also located in a historic mansion.  Tickets are $10.  Check for admission information on their website as dates and hours vary per season.  
• Skagit County Historical Museum: This museum highlights the history of both the native tribes of the area, and the settlers that built the towns in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  The museum is open Thursday – Sunday, with a $5 admission.  

Shopping

The number one can’t miss store is Handmade. La Conner.  This is a local company that makes handmade toiletries from soaps and scrubs, to linen sprays and moisturizer.  Their products are incredible, and don’t worry, if you fall in love with something they ship nationwide.  On top of handmade products, the store also has a selection of fun gift items to browse.  You can find more of their goods at Winston’s General, a general store owned by the same folks. 

Latitude-Longitude is your spot for beach themed home goods and gifts.  If you like to shop at local bookstores, Seaport Books is for you.  

La Conner also has some specialty shops like Olive Shoppe, a shop for… you guessed it, olives. There are also at least a dozen art galleries scattered along 1st St to explore as well. 

Festivals

Skagit Valley is famously known for the annual Skagit Valley Tulip Festival that takes place each year for the month of April.  But many do not know that leading up to that is the La Conner Daffodil Festival during the month of March. 

The La Conner Daffodil Festival is similar to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in that you can visit the local farms, walk through the colorful fields of flowers, and have a U-Pick experience at the Tulip Valley Farms. The biggest difference is the La Conner festival has cheerful yellow flowers rather than an array of colors, like with the tulips. 

Read more about the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

The town also has regular activities throughout the year like the 4th of July and harvest events. In the summer you might even be lucky enough to see a tractor parade along the main street. 

Where to eat & drink

The town might be tiny, but they aren’t lacking in quality restaurants or bars.  You can find everything either on the main street (1st Street) or Morris St.  Here are a few highlights. 

My first choice is Pie Dive Bar.  This bar/restaurant is an institution in the Puget Sound.  La Conner is the third and most recent location. Pie Dive Bar is exactly as it sounds, a small dive bar that serves one thing.  Pie.  They do however have a variety of options, both sweet and savory to try.  You really can’t go wrong. 

The La Conner Brewing Co is when you want something that’s simple and family friendly.  They have your basics like burgers and pizza, and of course over a dozen beers brewed in house. 

If you want an elevated dining experience on the water, go to La Conner Seafood & Prime Rib House or Nell Thorn. 

A great lunch option is the Wayfinder Cafe. During the week they’re only open from 11-3, but they have extended morning hours on Saturday & Sunday. 

Visiting in the summer?  Grab an ice cream to eat while walking around from La Conner Ice Cream Tower or O’Neils Confectionery and Soda Fountain. 

For the wine enthusiasts, if you did not know, Washington is the second largest wine producing state in the country after California.  Taste some local Washington wine at Skagit Cellars. 

If these don’t appeal to you, there are plenty of other La Conner Washington restaurants to satisfy different food cravings. 

Where to stay in La Conner

There are a handful of hotels to choose from in La Conner that help make the city special.  All of the hotels are small and locally owned.  You’re not going to find a generic 300 room Marriott here, but you will find a few mom & pop bed and breakfasts.   

• The La Conner Inn: The most central option
• The La Conner Channel Hotel: Located right along the water
• Heron Inn: A bed & breakfast that also has a day spa
• Hotel Planter: Historic hotel right on the main street
• Wild Iris Inn: Perfect for relaxing in the outdoor seating areas or large jacuzzi tubs

Where to explore around Skagit Valley WA

While I love to visit La Conner Washington and could spend the whole weekend here, you might want to explore a little more of the Skagit Valley.  

Mount Vernon

La Conner’s largest, and closest, neighbor is Mount Baker.  With a population of over 35,000, this city feels enormous by comparison.  But their historic downtown is not much bigger than the one in La Conner, at about 5 square blocks.  Mount Vernon is in a bit of a transitional phase getting newer businesses into this area, but you’ll find a number of antique stores, and a lot of restaurants as well.  You can also enjoy a walk along the Skagit River.

Edison, WA

Edison is barely a blip on the map, but don’t count it out.  This is a very small funky artist community 20 minutes north of La Conner. All the activity in town is within 2-3 blocks.  

Places to visit:

• Breadfarm – This is why people come to Edison in the first place, to experience their fresh baked goods 
• Hedgerow – High end boutique with housewares, clothes, and more
• The Old Edison – The spot if you love oysters
• Terramar Brewstillery – Locally crafted beer, cider and hard spirits.  Pair it with their pizza, and hang around for the live music on weekends
• Tweets Cafe – When you need more than just baked goods, stop here for lunch (only open Fri-Sun)

Snow Goose Produce

If you are heading back south towards Seattle, take a detour to Snow Goose Produce. Only 10 minutes southeast of La Conner is a great roadside market.  Here they have tons of fresh local produce, seafood, wine, pantry foods, and housewares. 

If you don’t have time to get up to Edison, you’ll find a selection of bread from Breadfarm here as well. 

Beware, they are only open seasonally from March through September.  But during the season they are open daily.  Expect crowds on the weekends, this place is popular! 

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