Need a peaceful island escape with coastal charm? Head to Friday Harbor! Located in the scenic San Juan Islands, Friday Harbor offers whale watching, kayaking, fresh seafood, and charming waterfront strolls. Whether you're exploring art galleries, spotting orcas, or savoring island-grown cuisine, Friday Harbor delivers Pacific Northwest magic in every season.
Friday Harbor, WA Highlights:
- For Adventurous Travelers: Kayak the Salish Sea – Paddle through calm waters, spot seals, and enjoy views of Mount Baker.
- For History Buffs: Visit the San Juan Historical Museum – Discover island heritage through preserved buildings and exhibits.
- For Shoppers: Explore local art galleries and boutiques – Find island-made crafts, jewelry, and gifts in a walkable downtown.
- For Couples: Go on a whale watching tour – Enjoy a romantic excursion with chances to see orcas and humpbacks.
- For Families: Tour The Whale Museum – Interactive exhibits help kids learn about marine life and conservation.
Best Time to Visit Friday Harbor, WA
The best time to visit Friday Harbor is from May through September. This is peak whale-watching season, with sunny days perfect for boating, hiking, and enjoying waterfront restaurants and outdoor events.
How to Get to Friday Harbor, WA
- If you are traveling by ferry: Washington State Ferries operate from Anacortes to Friday Harbor, with beautiful scenic crossings.
- By Air: Fly into Friday Harbor Airport from Seattle or use Kenmore Air’s seaplane service from Lake Union.
- By Car: Drive to Anacortes and board the car ferry, or park and walk onto the ferry for a more relaxing trip.
Where to Stay in Friday Harbor, WA
- Recommended for Families: Earthbox Inn & Spa – Stylish, centrally located hotel with a pool, bikes, and spa services.
- For Couples: Friday Harbor House – Elegant boutique hotel with soaking tubs and harbor-view balconies.
- For a Boutique Hotel Stay: Tucker House Inn & Harrison House Suites – Cozy, historic B&Bs offering gourmet breakfast and personalized service.
Best Things to Do in Friday Harbor, WA
1. Lime Kiln Point State Park
Rating: ★★★★★
Perched on a rocky bluff at the west end of San Juan Island in the San Juan Archipelago, Washington State, Lime Kiln Point State Park is a small day park considered one of the best places in the world to watch whales- humpback, orcas and minke whales. Large pods migrate through this area between May and September.
Visitors can watch whales from a 1919 historic lighthouse or from a sea cliff. The park’s Lime Kiln Interpretive Center offers a range of exhibits on resident and transient whale pods as well as on the lime kiln industry that once occupied the area. The park is a beautiful spot to explore in its own right – there are hiking trails along the rugged coast, plenty of birds for bird watchers, opportunities for diving and kayaking or a visit to the historic 19th-century lime kiln.
Lime Kiln Point State Park, 1567 West Side Rd, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, Phone: 360-378-2044
2. Pelindaba Lavender Farm
Pelindaba Lavender Farm is a beautiful spot on San Juan Island, overlooking Olympic Mountains and a tranquil lake, where visitors can stroll through 25 acres of fragrant fields growing certified organic lavender plants. The farm also includes a nursery, essential oil distillery, exhibits on the role of lavender and its products and a Gatehouse Farm Store that sells over 200 lavender-based products for botanical, culinary, therapeutic, household, personal care and pet care use. Visitors are welcome to enjoy picnic on the lawns or in the fields in the summer. Every third weekend in July the farm hosts the Annual San Juan Island Lavender Festival.
45 Hawthorne Ln, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, Phone: 360-378-4248, Map
If you are a photographer, don't miss:
3. Cattle Point Lighthouse
Overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca where the Haro Straits join the San Juan Channel, Cattle Point Lighthouse stands on the southeastern tip of San Juan Island, Washington State. Next to the light is the state's Cattle Point Natural Resources Conservation Area.
The lighthouse is part of the San Juan Islands National Monument. The first light on this spot was a post erected in 1888 with a lens lantern. It was replaced in 1921 by a radio compass station. The 34-foot octagonal, concrete tower was erected on Cattle Point in 1935. The tower's lantern was removed in the late 1950s, and replaced with a 250-mm drum lens we can see on a short mast on top of the tower. The lighthouse was used as a backdrop for an Exxon television commercial in 1984.
Cattle Point Lighthouse, San Juan Island, WA
Activities and Attractions for Couples and Singles:
4. Whale Museum
The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, Washington is a natural history museum founded in 1979 with the goal to interpret whales in the wild. Its mission is the protection of wild whales in the Salish Seaecosystem with education and research programs. The Whale Museum has a range of exhibits that include life-sized models of whale, full articulated skeletons, detailed information on the pods or family groups of the endangered Southern Resident killer whales, as well as current scientific research on local whale species. The museum includes also exhibits on porpoises, pinnipeds and other marine mammals that live in the Salish Sea. There are also wildlife videos, and exhibits on Northwest Native American culture.
Whale Museum, 62 First St N, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, Phone: 360-378-4710
5. American Camp
The south end of the San Juan island is covered with the prairie and forest. That is where American Camp was located during the peaceful 12-year joint U.S./British occupation from July 1859 through November 1874. There is a visitor center with a selection of books on history and wildlife of the island.
The rangers offer nature and history walks on weekends from June to August. Visitors can see the only remains of the former camp – two officers’ quarters, the parade ground, laundress quarters, an earthen lookout known as the Redoubt and a small museum. Several miles of trails through prairies mixed with rocky outcrops lead to South Beach, the longest public beach in the islands, overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca with the Olympic Mountains in the background.
American Camp, 4668 Cattle Point Rd, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, Phone: 360-378-2240
6. English Camp
English Camp on San Juan Island was home to a group of the British Royal Marines during what was known as "The Pig War," which resulted in 1859 in a 12-year long joint British/U.S. occupation of the island.
British Camp was located at the north end of the island, on the shores of Garrison Bay and visitors can still see a formal garden, a few buildings and a cemetery that remain from that time. The camp is today a charming day-use park , which includes a visitors’ center and a network of trails that range from a strenuous hike up Young Hill that ends at the cemetery and beyond, to an easy 45-minute loop trail through lush woodland and along the bay. Every Saturday, from June to August, park rangers and volunteers recreate military and civilian life during the early pioneer period on the island.
English Camp, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, Phone: 360-378-2240
7. Westcott Bay Shellfish Co.
Westcott Bay Shellfish Co. is located directly above cultivated tidelands on Westcott Bay. A visit to the farm offers a unique island experience, where visitors can actively participate in selecting freshly harvested shellfish from the farm tanks to take home, or shucking and eating raw oysters on the spot, on-site, at one of several picnic tables.
On a low tide, it is fascinating to observe aquaculture farming on their beaches. At high tide, they can watch resident herons, seals and eagles cruising above water. Westcott offers all the necessities for the perfect summer picnic, including locally baked bread, a range of salads, cheeses and charcuterie, everything that goes perfectly with their hand-shucked oysters. They also offer beer, wine, water and sodas.
Westcott Bay Shellfish Co., 904 Westcott Dr, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, Phone: 360-378-2489
What to do if you are traveling with kids:
8. Krystal Acres Alpaca Farm and Country Store
Krystal Acres is an 80-acre alpaca farm on San Juan Island in Washington State, owned by Kris and Albert Olson. The constantly growing herd of about 50 alpacas lives on the gentle slopes of sunny pastures, cooled by the shade of massive 100-year old oaks. It is the largest herd of alpacas on the San Juan Island. The farm is open to the visitors and they are invited to stroll around, see the animals and stop by their Country Store and browse an extraordinary selection of alpaca-wool sweaters, coats, and cuddly toys. They also offer all sorts of accessories such as hats, scarves, socks and slippers and, of course, alpaca yarns.
Krystal Acres Alpaca Farm and Country Store, 3501 West Valley Road, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, Phone: 360-378-6125, Facebook
9. IMA - San Juan Islands Museum
The IMA - San Juan Islands Museum is dedicated to promoting the visual arts of the Pacific Northwest and Southwest British Columbia. The museum has three galleries and offers 8 to10 rotating exhibitions every year, as well as a series of lectures named Art as a Voice. The exhibitions feature fine visual art, including paintings, sculpture, drawings, photography and more, from all over the world, but especially from artists of the Salish Sea.
The museum also works with the San Juan Island School District by providing on-going financial support for art education. Without their help, there would be no any arts program in the elementary schools on the island.
IMA - San Juan Islands Museum, 540 Spring St, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, Phone: 360-370-5050
10. Arctic Raven Gallery
Arctic Raven Gallery is an art gallery in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in Puget Sound featuring Native art of Arctic and American Northwest Coast. The gallery features a collection of Northwest Coast Indian masks, prints and wood carvings that represents local peoples including the Kwaguilth, Coast Salish and Makah nations as well as the Haida, Tlingit and Tsimshian from further north.
The Arctic Raven Gallery is proud to represent some of the most recognized names such as Susan Point, Robert Davidson and the Hunt family. The gallery also features prints from the Arctic and stone, bone and ivory sculptures. Through the art of the Inuit, Inupiat and Yup’ik natives visitors can visualize a unique lifestyle of peoples adapted to the harsh northern environment.
130 First St S, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, Phone: 360-378-3433
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