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We've compiled the best of the best in Orcas Island - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Owned by an Orcas Island–born sommelier who worked at restaurants in Vail and Vegas before returning home, this cheerful little bottle shop and tasting room in Eastsound has a great selection of wine, beer, and cider from around the world, including a wine series, the Orcas Project, that is produced in collaboration with Pacific Northwest winemakers and artists.
Stop by this cooperative gallery to see impressive displays of pottery, sculpture, jewelry, art glass, paintings, and quilts by resident artists, including an upstairs gallery devoted to original paintings by well-known Northwest landscape artist James Hardman. You'll find gifts in a wide price range at this wonderful space.
A stroll through the historic house, outbuildings, and gardens of this enchanting arts complex on a bluff overlooking President Channel and Waldron Island is more than just a chance to browse beautiful pottery—it's a great spot simply to relax, soak up the views, and be inspired by the shop's 80+ years of shaping clay and community. More than a dozen regular and guest potters exhibit and sell their wares here, everything from functional dinnerware and mugs to fanciful vases and wall hangings. Pottery isn't always the most kid-friendly but this place has playful outdoor pieces and a very cool tree house to check out.
This island favorite, with a coffee bar and a couple of cozy seats with panoramic views of the water, specializes in literary fiction and nautical literature. There's also a nice selection of cards, gifts, craft supplies, and children's books.
According to Girl Meets Dirt founder Audra Lawlor, fruit is affected by terroir, just like wine, and the salty San Juan Islands breezes certainly seem to work magic on locally grown stone fruit and pomes. Lawlor's small-batch jams made in a collection of heavy copper pots are the perfect addition to a charcuterie board, with complex flavors like Rhubarb Lavender, Island Plum, and Orange Peppered Pear. The shop also carries housemade shrubs and bitters.
Some of the ingredients used in the small-batch soaps and skincare products sold at this lovely-smelling Eastsound boutique are grown on the local Island Thyme farm. Founded in 1996 on Orcas, the aromatherapy-focused line is now carried across the state and beyond.
