Stage at Village Green

Sunday evenings throughout the summer you can hang out and listen to a FREE concert right in the village green in Eastsound.  This year they have had some great concerts.   It is the perfect play to relax in the sunshine, watch your kids run around, and listen to free music.

This Sunday is going to be Carolyn Cruso performing from 6-8 p.m.  She will perform folk, Celtic, and jazz-inspired original acoustic music.  Grab a picnic dinner and stop by!

Mmmmm coffee at The New Leaf Cafe

This weekend my mom came to visit, so we frequented a few of our favorite family-friendly hotspots.  First we went to Rose’s Cafe for lunch.  Rose’s, known for their delicious local cuisine, was a hit as usual.   For breakfast, we went to The New Leaf at The Outlook Inn.  This was my first visit since they hired a new chef this season.  It was fantastic!  They were very accommodating for my high maintenance mother and our 4 year old, who loved the brioche french toast.  From the delicious coffee to the fresh food, we all enjoyed ourselves!  They are also open for dinner and The Outlook Inn is a great place to stay with a variety options for people with different budgets.

Sunday we visited Cafe Olga for delicious snacks, world-famous desserts (Bev is definitely one of the best bakers on the island) and yummy coffee.

Lemon Blackberry Cake from Cafe Olga. Soooo good!!!!

The Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival is almost here!  The Children’s Concert is Wednesday, August 25th at 1:00 p.m.   The concert is FREE!  You are required to have courtesy tickets and they go fast so make sure you plan this one ahead of time.  My four year old goes to The Orcas Montessori School and will be performing with her preschool class, which may just kill us with how cute they are.  Adults must be accompanied by a child.

On the occasional summer evening you can find me serving cold margaritas to locals and tourists alike.  Bilbo’s Festivo nestled in the heart of Eastsound, has been serving Orcas Island since 1974.  This is a great location to take your family for a meal that satisfies both parents and kids.  Simple quesadillas with a fresh fruit face and virgin strawberry margaritas are my 4 year old daughter’s delight.  For the adults, there are delicious margaritas, a wide selection of beers and non-alcoholic beverages and delicious homemade Mexican food.

We take every opportunity we can to soak up the sunshine! Our favorite, kid friendly spot is Cascade Lake in Moran State Park.  There’s always kids to play with, buckets, shovels, and floaties to fight over, and a nice grassy area to sunbathe.  There is also paddle boats, canoes, row boats and lake kayaks to rent hourly, 1/2 day or full day.  Call them at 360-376-3411 to make lake boat reservations.  We also enjoy

This weekend we went to Sucia Island for our first camping trip of the season.  It turned out to be an awesome weekend to sit on the sandy beach by the China Caves bask in the sun, play in the water, and hike around the island.  It was our own little paradise.  There are a ton of wonderful hikes (10 miles of hiking trails) on the island as well as several beaches and great tide pools.  There are 60 different campsites including group sites and picnicking.

However, when we woke up on Sunday, it was quite windy and our little skiff barely made it across to deliver our stuff back home (we have such a small boat and deluxe camping needs we have to take two trips).  Luckily for us, the Sucia Island Ferry was available and we were able to shuttle a ride from it. 

Sparklers!

This year we held with our long standing tradition of attending the 3rd of July Fireworks in Deer Harbor.  For many years we’ve watched the show from the Marina.  My partner and I met while living in sailboats at The Deer Harbor Marina, which has made Deer Harbor a very special spot on the island for us.  The last few years we’ve gone up to the Deer Harbor Inn to watch the Fireworks from the deck of the restaurant.  As I drove up and saw the vast grassy lawn filled with lawn games and kids playing, I realized that The Deer Harbor Inn offers a wonderful experience for families vacationing on Orcas Island and locals looking to enjoy a good meal and good ambiance.

Scarlett gets busy in the Art Yurt!

The Funhouse is the ultimate family activity center all year round for kids of all ages.  Fun summer stuff include:

Summer Adventure Day Camp.  This is an affordable camp run by Funhouse Staff that is offered weekly throughout the summer.  The hours are Tuesday – Friday, 9 am – 12 pm.  Drop-in slots available depending on number of kids already enrolled.  Ages 7 – 11.  Cost is $50.

Rosario Resort is not only a breath taking and extravagant location to stay but it also has plenty to offer those who aren’t staying there as well. Everyday except Sunday, during the summer months, Rosario Resort hosts a free slide show and history talk in their museum complete with organ music played by Christopher Peacock.

We recently took the kids and were stunned that we had never done this before. They sat mesmerized by the photos, stories and room filling music for the duration. Well at the very end the littlest one got a wee bit squirmy.  We all learned a lot about not only Orcas Island, Rosaio and the history of the Moran family but also about Seattle and boat building.

Rosario offers a wide variety of accommodations from the very luxurious to more budget minded.  Their outdoor swimming pool and grounds are very inviting and they have recently renovated and reopened their spa which includes an indoor pool.  When we were there they were in the process of offering swimming membership packages to locals as well.

If you’re visiting the San Juan Islands with your family, don’t miss out on Sucia Island!

Call Captain Robin and book a yacht charter to Sucia with lunch included. He’ll take you to see the amazing sandstone cliffs and you can hike the trails at Sucia Island State Park. If there’s time you can even go check out Matia and Patos Islands… and even go camping there!

Captain Robin’s boat, a 45′ Pilothouse Motor Yacht named “Capricorn”, can easily accommodate a family or group of up to six people and provides dinner and lunch cruises, or just tours of the North Shore of Orcas Island.

This charter service is very casual, personal, and affordable! Which means “FAMILY FRIENDLY” and a MUST SEE during your trip to the San Juan Islands!

www.cruisecontrolweb.com