Oak Harbor: A Pacific Northwest Treasure
I
have lived in Oak Harbor, Washington for eight years. Oak Harbor is on Whidbey
Island. To get onto Whidbey Island, you can either take a ferry from Mukilteo,
Washington (north of Seattle) or you can drive up and drive across the Deception
Pass Bridge.
The bridge is breathtaking and has amazing views. See photos here of the bridge
and sunset (from the bridge). There are some amazing hiking trails all around
the bridge and the most wonderful beaches covered with rainbow stones. We
like to collect the stones and put them into glass jars—they range in color
from pink to teal to bright white.
In Oak
Harbor, you can go to the marina and rent a kayak or go whale watching. 
There
are several pods of orca that live in the waters around these islands and
it's really something special to have them swimming all around you in a kayak!
As far as places to eat, the best Mexican is Mi Pueblo (360-240-0813). It
is right on the water and has beautiful views. Another favorite for locals
is Flyers (360-675-5858), where you can get the best sweet potato fries you've
ever tasted.
This is a Navy town, so you might hear a Prowler overhead or
see Navy jets landing through the trees. There is also an old-fashioned drive-in
that we locals frequent, called the Blue
Fox Drive-In (360-675-5667). They have go-carts for the kids to ride while
wating for the movie to start. Get there early to get a spot. Movies start
at dusk, which is 9:30 or 10 in the summer here, so they end pretty late.
They always play two or three features for the price of one, so bring the
kids in PJs!
In the summer, City Park is right next to the Oak Harbor marina and has a
kids pool, a large pool, bike trails and great play grounds and picnic spots
(www.oakharbor.org).
From Oak Harbor, you can drive South about 30 minutes to the little town of
Coopeville. There are quaint little shops and you must eat at the Kneed and
Feed (360-678-5431). 
Everything
is homemade and delicious -- we always have the lunch special which consists
of homemade soup, a half of a sandwich on homemade bread, and a piece of homemade
pie. Yum!
Interested in hiking? Popular destinations are Ebey's
Landing and Fort
Casey and Goss
Lake. There are also excellent hikes in 
Deception
Pass park—stop at the ranger's station for maps and advice for the right hike
for your family.
This is really a beautiful place where the sea meets the forest. It's always
green and, contrary to popular belief, it doesn't rain every day.
Best weather is August—so wait until the end of the summer for your trip to
Oak Harbor, Washington.