With our lush valleys and temperate climate, it’s no wonder that agriculture is San Juan Island’s second largest industry. We are so grateful for that. Most restaurants serve some of our healthy, clean island-grown food. The Saturday’s Farmer’s Market in downtown Friday Harbor is a festive, fun affair. You will also pass by countless farm and flower stands on your way to the beaches and sites. The best part: some farms on San Juan Island will pleasantly surprise you with their unique offerings, special tours and ways to spend time there. Here is how you do it:

Lisette and her adorable family (soon to be plus one) visit San Juan Island every year. They created this lovely tradition for their cute son Jasper. On their last visit, Jasper went on his first whale watch tour, got to eat home-made pasta at a Farm-to-Table restaurant and skipped stones at South Beach.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner gratitude is on our minds. Research has shown, that simply thinking about gratitude reduces stress levels and depression and releases the “feel good” hormone DHEA. In addition, practicing positive thinking and gratefulness trains your brain’s neurological pathways to think happy by default as opposed to ruminating on the things which didn’t go your way or are out of your control.

It’s that time of the year, when the veil between the living and the spirits is said to be the thinnest, when we light fires and lanterns, wear masks and costumes to ward of the ghosts, when we remember our dead and our saints and plead with them to let us make it safely through another Winter.

If you have ever lived in a place with seasonal tourism you’ll know: the exhale after the high season is over, the giddiness of the first rain after the Summer, the gratefulness resulting from the earth's changing position in regard to the sun. We San Juan Islanders created a month-long celebration around this feeling and call it Savor the San Juans.

On June 30, 2019, San Juan Island’s most recognizable icon, the Lime Kiln Lighthouse, turns 100 years old. It was one of the last lighthouses being built in Washington State, the last to be connected to electricity in 1951 and it’s still in operation today, sending its light beam 17 miles over the Salish Sea every 10 seconds.

You’ve made it through the first three months and are starting to feeling good again. You’ve decorated the nursery and the baby shower is on the books. Now what? It’s time to plan your Baby Moon. Doctors and experts (as in: millions of women who have done this before you) agree: the best time to enjoy a Baby Moon is in the second trimester, after you conquered the morning sickness and before you are too round to move comfortably. They also agree on road trips being preferable to flying. How about a trip to gorgeous San Juan Island, only 65 miles and a beautiful ferry ride from Seattle? How about staying in the adorable coastal village of Friday Harbor, where you can do everything on foot? Let’s get planning:

San Juan Island, with its breathtaking beaches, parks & activity farms is the perfect place for an outdoor wedding. Imagine yourself tying the knot on the rugged cliffs next to the historic Lime Kiln Lighthouse high above the glistening Salish Sea, in the purple fields of the Pelindaba Lavender Farm or on the shell speckled beach of the serene Westcott Bay Seafood Farm. We took the liberty to compile a list of island specific insider tips, to ensure your outdoor wedding on San Juan Island will be a huge success.

I cherish the fact we have seasons in our gorgeous Washington State. I love the deep blues of the sky and the Salish Sea when the sun shines. I love the rain, washing everything clean and keeping our place green and lush, even in the height and heat of Summer. I love the cold snaps, giving the apple blossoms their signal to emerge and making the wine grapes sweet. And I love the Fall, the abundance of harvest, the clean, crisp air, the colors.