Whidbey Island : Hidden Gem of Washington State

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Whitney Island -
Hidden gem of Washington State.
Seattle, the commercial hub of Washington State is one of the most green area in the USA , within a span of few miles you can see lush green hilly terrains, snow cap peaks, falls, lakes and ofcourse mighty Pacific Ocean. Not very far from the downtown Seattle there are 10 islands which are hidden from most of the tourists . And Whidbey Island is one of them.
We recently visited Whidbey Island and realised that it is not fully explored as a tourist destination.
We reached  Mukilteo north of Seattle, where we took a ferry for the Island. The service is good and can get a ferry upto 1 am in the night , the ferry can take 150 vehicles and 200-250 passengers in a single go. The ferry takes to you to the south of the island within a little over half an hour. If you plan  from the peninsula side , you can also take the ferry from Port Townsend to Coupeville.
“Tscha-kole-chy” was the native name for Whidbey, but “Whidbey Island” was named in 1792 after Joseph Whidbey, the first documented non-native explorer on the island. Before that, the land was owned by the native Coast Salish Communities for thousands of years. However, as history often goes, we took the land for its fertile land and prime defensive position.
Well if you do not want to take  the ferry and drive through Fidalgo Island over the Deception Pass Bridge at the the north end of Whidbey , in fact Fidalgo isn’t an island, but an area. Many people who want to enjoy tulip blooming the route takes you via Skagit valley.
Whidbey is quite a big Island. It takes more than an hour to drive from north to south, making it ideal for weekend getaways and taking multiple day trips to visit different areas of the island. If you stay north of the town of Coupeville, Whidbey is also a great jumping off point for exploring Anacortes and getting to the San Juan Islands. 
There is much more to explore to foodies and wine connoisseurs, there are 12 wineries in the Whidbey Island , making it perfect for a wining and dining weekend.
Whidbey has awesome beaches and viewpoints. One that we explored  is Fort Casey State Park. It’s an old military battery right on the beach which has super creepy ghost hunter vibes! It’s an old military base from the early 1900s that was part of the “Triangle of Fire”, a series of forts along the water including Fort Flagler .  There are 100 acres to explore at Fort Casey State Park. There is an Admiralty Head Lighthouse, a beach bluff, and a rather large arms battery fort (cannon and all!). The park is an awesome place to enjoy breathtaking moments of summer sun set . 
We were absolutely obsessed with the arms battery. The barracks are beautifully preserved , it is a real  fun climbing the structure and going into hidey holes that felt like they should be on that show Ghost Hunters.There is also access to a rather large beach from the battery. There are plenty of AirBNB options to stay. 
Coupeville is the heart of Whidbey Island, this small village town Center has old world charm and has a nice pizza place apart from fully functional market place. The historic buildings dotted with placards.












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