Smack dab in the middle of one neighborhood is the historic Carnegie Library building. It served the community from 1908 until 1968 when it became home to the Anacortes History Museum. This is a grand little museum. We especially enjoyed the exhibit memorializing the towns heyday in the early 1900’s when Anacortes was home to seven canneries and proclaimed itself "Salmon Canning Capital of the World"… the cannery labels were quite colorful.

Outside the museum is a unique nine foot tall water fountain that was designed for man, horse and dog … note the bowls located at three heights and of three sizes. The fountain was donated to the city by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union in 1906 (providing water as an alternative to liquor was in keeping with the W.C.T.U.’s mission).

Across from the History Museum is the unique Causland Memorial Park. In 1920 the community of Anacortes erected one of the country’s finest examples of folk art to honor local WW I servicemen. Thousands of rocks in varied hues were brought from neighboring islands to construct the elaborate mosaic walls that swirl around the perimeter of the park and the grotto-like bandstand. We found ourselves in awe of the remarkable artistry and craftsmanship. Click on the photo above for a larger view.

Anacortes is called the “city of parks” for good reason. It has seventeen parks, forests, seven freshwater lakes, beaches, sand dunes and wetlands. We had time to explore only a few. One of our favorites is Washington Park. Located just three miles from downtown, we were flabbergasted to find ourselves transported to a dense forest located so close to town. We drove the 2.3 mile scenic loop (the road is so narrow and the trees and ferns so dense, we thought we had mistakenly driven up a hiking trail). The road hugs the Rosario Strait where there are waterfront pullouts for picnicking, exploring tide pools or just gawking at the scenery. The original park acreage was donated by one of Fidalgo Island's earliest pioneers, Tonjes Havekost, who said, "Make my cemetery a park for everybody." His grave stands on the southern edge of the park, overlooking Burrows Channel.

Washington Park offered some spectacular photo opportunities.

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