5 Surprising Hidden Gems and Local Favorites in Anacortes Beyond Hiking

Anacortes, Washington, has more than the typical tourist traps like whale watching, park visits, and boat tours. Try checking out weekend car club hangouts and jamming out to live music at pubs like Bastion Brewery. I've got five more ways you can experience Anacortes--and none include hiking up a bunch of hills and trails!

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5 Local Sightseeing Favorites and Other Things to Do in Anacortes

1. Grabbing a Bite to Eat

There's a place in town that sells fresh Mexican sweet breads, fajitas, tamales, treats, fresh dried shrimp, and street tacos worth raving about. Cabo Market is located at 1717 Commercial Ave.

2. Hiking in Cap Sante

If you're lucky, you'll notice there are "hidden" steps in Cap Sante Park that allegedly were used as stadium seating to watch sailboat competitions back in the olden days of the late 1800s. There's also an excellent lookout point here that you can drive to, especially if you have limited mobility, according to the Washington Trails Association.

3. Sightseeing a Former Celebrity Home

It's not exactly Hollywood, where you can see celebrity homes everywhere beyond the gates, but Christmas crooner Burl Ives (Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) and his wife once lived in Anacortes on Oakes Avenue.

Read More: Celebrities Who Got Married in Washington State

4. Feeling the Groove at a Free Jazz Jam

Every second Sunday of the month at 6 p.m., music lovers head to Buxton's for the free Jazz Jam. Think of it as a sort of "open mic" for jazz musicians of all levels.

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5. Oohing and Ahhing over the Flowers at the Annual Tulip Festival

Every late March and early April, the blooms be blooming, as the kids would probably say. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival is on several different acre farms. Peek at the status of tulip blooms any day of the week through their Bloom Status link.

When in Anacortes: Word to the Wise

• For a leisurely sightseeing trip, take the Anacortes/San Juan Islands Ferry. (Depending on the time of day you plan to visit or return back to the ferry terminal, you might want to make a reservation.)
• Please be kind on the road to people riding bikes and pedestrians!
• Traveling with a dog? Your pup can run along the beach but all dogs must be on a leash within Anacortes city limits unless you're at one of the local dog parks.

For more fun things to see and do in Anacortes, check out VisitSkagitValley.com.