18 Best Activities in Coupeville, WA (Insider Tips from a Local)
Visiting Whidbey Island and wondering what things to do in Coupeville?
Well I live just a few minutes away from this picturesque town, so know it like the back of my hand!
Coupeville is Washington State’s second oldest town, dating back to the 1850s. You’ll find historic charm, film locations, breathtaking views, and plenty of shopping and restaurants.
My three favorite things in Coupeville are getting imported cheese from Bayleaf, hiking Ebey’s Prairie Trail, and attending yearly festivals hosted in town.
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1. Walk the Coupeville Wharf
The Coupeville Wharf is THE iconic landmark of this quaint town dating back to 1905. This picturesque wooden walkway over the water is 500 feet long.
On clear days, Mt Baker sits as a majestic backdrop across the cove. Watch seagulls fly and hunt, keep an eye out for harbor seals popping their heads above water, and my favorite is looking at low tide for the pile of thousands of starfish.
The red building at the end is home to gift shops and a cafe. For boaters, the wharf offers a fuel dock, guest moorage, and showers.
2. Practical Magic Film Location
Did you know that Coupeville was used as the film location for the movie “Practical Magic” starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman? (I recently watched the movie for the first time and didn’t understand the hype, but some people find it extremely nostalgic)
The small, whitewashed town in the movie is almost the spittin’ image of Coupeville today. See if you can recognize storefronts and streets or use this map to help you.
Visit the Coupeville Visitors Information Center to get a glimpse of the props and memorabilia used during filming.
The house in the movie does not exist in real life as it was just a fake faux house built on San Juan Island, not Whidbey Island, for the film.
During the weekend of Halloween, Coupeville puts on a movie night, scavenger hunt, and other festive activities in honor of the movie.
3. Drink Coffee
What’s a PNW island without coffee shops? I know I’m an addict! 🙋♀️ Coupeville proper may only be 1.23 square miles but it has 4 coffee shops with different vibes and offerings.
Crabby Coffee – the only coffee on Front Street, this coffee shop is small with just a couple of inside tables. However, they have the best tasting coffee in town and I had fun with their coffee flights!
Sunshine Drip – this is a hub spot for locals to come get their morning cup of joe with their breakfast or lunch. Various seating options inside or umbrella covered patio tables outside. (be sure to also grab their almond bar, their grandma’s 100yr old recipe!)
Cedar & Salt – on the opposite end of town is this spacious but quiet coffee shop serving Coupeville Coffee Roasters espresso. I found their PSL comparable to Starbucks, a hard feat in my book! They also serve coffee flights at a very reasonable price.
Captain Whidbey – the historic hotel has a coffee shack that’s open to the public so you can enjoy a good cup of coffee and browse the grounds.
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• Best Coffee Shops on Whidbey Island
• Lyla’s Cafe in Granite Falls, WA for Coffee Flights
4. Ebeys Landing National Historical Reserve
Visiting Ebey’s Landing, the U.S.’s first national historical reserve and established in 1978, is like stepping back in time while being surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty.
I often hike along the grassy bluff of Ebey’s Prairie Trail, with views looking down on the fertile farmland below, where farmers are still growing crops on their ancestors’ lands from the 1850s. Check out the original home and blockhouse of Jacob Ebey, one of the site’s founders.
If beach strolling is more your style, Ebey’s Landing also has a sprawling coastline below the bluff. Beachcomb for shells and findings, birdwatch for blue heron, and just enjoy the salty air on your face as you’re treated to stunning vistas of the rugged Olympic Mountains and Admiralty Inlet.
5. Kayaking
Penn Cove is fantastic place to get in the water and enjoy a paddle.
Enjoy views of Coupeville and the surrounding greenery as you paddle the cove, which on perfect days can be as smooth as glass. Paddle around the mussel farm and see if you can catch sight of any harbor seals.
Wharf Dog Paddle offers kayak rentals year round. They will work with you on the best time to go out based on weather and tides.
6. Island County Historical Museum
The Island County Historical Museum is a quiet little museum where you’ll find everything from rare Native dugout canoes and exhibits on Whidbey’s indigenous heritage to stories about the Chinese immigrants who helped farm the area.
There are also ancient Columbian mammoth remains, pioneer-era tools and clothing, medical instruments, and even the island’s first car.
One of the most impressive pieces is “Four Seasons of Water,” a 15-foot motorized beaded canvas made with more than two million seed beads that took over 13 years to complete.
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7. Shopping
The most popular thing to do in Coupeville is to get your shopping on. Front Street is lined with cute shops to pop in and patron small businesses. Some of my favorites are:
A Touch of Dutch – one of my favorite stores, you can find imported goods from Holland like stroopwafels, black licorice, and during Christmas – speculaas.
Kingfisher Bookstore – a cozy bookstore to wander and search for your next page turner. Ask an employee for a book recommendation.
Briggs Shore Ceramics – a small pottery shop with colorful pieces enticing you to add something to your home to make it more bright and cheerful. Her workspace is located behind the counter to see art in action.
Aqua Gifts – my favorite of the boutique shops, this shop is crowded with fun home decor and findings, a lot of it seashore themed; you feel like you’re snooping through someone’s home haha!
Bayleaf – this is my favorite bougee store for European charcuterie foods like fancy cheeses, cured sausages, pickles and olives, or a fine bottle of wine.
Lavender Wind – for the lover of all things lavender, you’ll find it here. From pillow mists to chocolate, you can find a way to incorporate this flower everywhere in your home. They sell a tempting lavender lemonade, but I found the lavender taste very much lacking.
8. Fort Casey State Park
A visit to Coupeville isn’t complete without exploring the impressive Fort Casey State Park.
Situated on over 999 acres of stunning Puget Sound shoreline, this site was once a bustling military fortress, constructed in the late 1800s and used as a training facility up to the mid-1940s.
The fort is home to a pair of rare 10-inch disappearing guns that were the height of technology in the early 1900s.
Today you can explore the labyrinth of this historic military fortification through dark hallways and battery rooms, crossing bridges and climbing ladders.
From the top of the fort you can watch the ferry cross the sound between Coupeville and Port Townsend with the Olympics Mountains in the background.
The sprawling field has the perfect conditions for flying kites. If you’re lucky, you might catch the group of synchronized Quad-line kite flyers putting on a mesmerizing show.
I love climbing to the top of Admiralty Head Lighthouse for an elevated view of the park and water. Plus it’s free!
9. Adult Bevies
If you’re looking for a place to unwind with a glass of pinot, I highly recoommend Vail Wine Shop & Tasting Room for a cozy spot to get one poured. Get a tasting of 6 Washington wines, a mix of reds and whites, and find a seat by a window looking out at the cove and down the line of shops.
There is outdoor patio seating as well, perfect to soak in some sun and people watch.
During the summer, Bayleaf also offers “Patio Pours” on certain nights of the week. Enjoy sipping wines from carefully curated bottles imported from around the world.
The Spectacled Sasquatch serves up 12 local beers in a casual tap room with some quirky decor.
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• Snohomish Wine Walk
10. Snack on Treats
If you’re looking for fresh baked goods or frozen creamy treats, you have a few options to choose from.
Sunshine Drip – I constantly crave their almond crumble bar, a 100-year old recipe passed down from the owner’s grandmother.
Little Red Hen Bakery – bland but flaky baked goods to-go
Cedar & Salt – baking pies, cinnamon rolls, cookies, and more they have a variety of options. If you need a cool treat, they also serve scoops of Villa Dolce Italian gelato.
Kapaw’s Ice Cream – in the original building of Seattle’s Best Coffee, this ice cream shop usually has a line out the door on hot summer days. Ice cream is made in Oregon, but waffle cones are made fresh in house.
11. Coupeville Farmers Market
On Saturdays from mid-April to mid-October you can shop local vendors at the Coupeville Farmers Market.
It’s not that big, but a handful of white tents line the grassy field at the Coupeville Library with people selling fresh produce, handcrafted goods, and food trucks. Even the library participates by selling used books.
Live music is often there to entertain shoppers.
12. Bargain Hunting
I love saving money and shop for used goods more often than new. There are a few places to find used treasures in Coupeville.
Salmangundi Farms – only open on the weekends, this antique store is set in an old barn and requires some imagination and digging for that diamond in the rough.
Elkhorn Trading Co. – on Front Street, this antique store offers reasonable prices and unique finds.
13. Price Sculpture Park
Price Sculpture Park is unique outdoor interactive “museum” features an array of stunning sculptures, each one thoughtfully placed, often hanging from trees or hidden behind the foliage, awaiting discovery along the easy 0.6-mile trail.
I’ll confess, I was actually startled by the T-Rex sculpture when I turned a corner!
A free, self-guided tour can be downloaded on your phone and offers an interactive and educational experience, with descriptions of each sculpture and short videos from the sculptors themselves, providing deeper insights into their work.
For those looking for a more immersive experience, the park provides guided tours for larger community groups as well as general public tours on pre-scheduled days, which you can find on their Facebook page.
Dogs are not allowed on this trail. However, I did see someone walking their cat on a leash, which I guess technically is allowed and is a crazy loophole lol!
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14. Dine at Restaurants
There are a number of restaurants to find a fancy sit-down meal or food to-go in Coupeville.
Front Street Grill – New American food with the best view in town with floor to ceiling windows looking out over the water; serving Penn Cove mussels, burgers, and pasta. Can get busy, but worth the wait.
Toby’s Tavern – dive bar where the locals like to grab Penn Cove mussels and beer.
Goldie’s – woodfired sourdough pizza using wheat grown right at Ebey’s Landing
Oystercatcher – a chef driven, highly seasonal restaurant with a frequently changing menu
Osprey Fish Co. – one word: fish ‘n chips
Molka Xete – simple Mexican menu; serves breakfast items
Sunshine Drip – homey cafe serving largely portions sandwiches and wraps.
Captain Whidbey – fancy night out in a cabin lodge atmosphere; serving Penn Cove mussels along with staples like chicken or beef plates.
Callen’s – directly across the street from the ferry terminal, this restaurant is a local’s hang with breakfast plates, local and Alaskan seafood, and burgers.
15. Drive by the Musselfarm Farm
Penn Cove is known for their delicious mussels. If you drive along Madrona Way, appropriately named for the madrona lined road, you’ll pass the mussel farm in the cove.
You’ll see rows of floating palettes where this shellfish is grown. Big white bags sitting on top mean they are full of their fresh harvest. Unfortunately, there is no good place to pull off and take a good look at the sea farm.
However, during the Penn Cove Musselfest, there is the opportunity to take a boat ride to the mussel farm, and learning about their fascinating processes.
16. Fort Ebey State Park
Fort Ebey State Park was once a coastal defense fort during WWII and one of the last forts that was built as a harbor defense system in the Puget Sound.
Dare to explore the large battery built into the high bluffs. Walk down the dark hallway and poke your head into large, empty rooms.
The park has 25 miles of mixed-use walking and bike trails, some of which are part of the Pacific Northwest Trail. My favorite is the bluff trail overlooking the picturesque Admiralty Inlet, the Olympic mountains, and Mt Rainier.
17. Attend Festivals
There’s always something happening in Coupeville as it hosts a number of festivals throughout the year. Check with the Coupeville Chamber of Commerce for all the events going on, but some big ones are:
Penn Cove Musselfest – takes place in March and celebrates the shellfish harvested right here in the cove. Chowder tasting, boat tours to the mussel farm, a scavenger hunt, and cooking demonstrations with free samples.
Penn Cove Water Festival – this event in May showcases annual tribal canoe races, native arts and crafts vendors, captivating story-telling, musical/dance/art demonstrations, authentic Native foods, and more.
Coupeville Arts and Crafts Festival – what better way to spend a warm August afternoon than perusing hundreds of booths filled with fine arts? You’ll be inspired by the creativity and perhaps find a new favorite Washingtonian artist.
The Haunting of Coupeville – throughout the month of October, find spooky happenings like a scarecrow trail, a pumpkin patch with trolley rides, the Torchlight Parade, the Great Pumpkin Race, and a town showing of Practical Magic.
Greening of Coupeville Parade – a Christmas tradition, this holiday parade features local community floats all decked out with lights and tinsel. After the parade is the tree lighting ceremony along with a performance of carolers. And if weather permits, the night finishes off with the Christmas Boat Parade of Lights in the cove.
18. Sunnyside Cemetery
Perhaps a morbid thrill of mine is to walk through old graveyards and Sunnyside Cemetery does not disappoint.
Dating back to 1865, this cemetery serves as the final resting place for pioneers, sailors, and community members who shaped Whidbey Island. As you meander among the weathered gravestones, see if you find recognizable namesakes from streets and towns found all over the island.
You’ll find a whole plot dedicated to the Ebey family and Captain Thomas Coupe of Coupeville, among many others.
One of the notable structures in the cemetery is the Davis Blockhouse, a historic log cabin converted to a blockhouse, which you can step inside and imagine what it would be like sharing the small space with your whole family.
As you can see, there are plenty of things to do in Coupeville.
If you want to make the most of your time, Coupeville makes a great central homebase for a weekend Whidbey Island getaway.
