More Anacortes all-day adventures on foot: DIY self-guided routes for all interests
If you are searching for a weekend getaway or trip centered on exercise and outdoor activities, Anacortes offers a terrific formula. Its compact location is on Fidalgo island, where you arrive with no need to fight ferry traffic and schedule.
Walking is one of the best ways to get to know Anacortes. Various self-guided tours make your outing easy to organize and follow:
- Historic Building Walking Tour
Offered by the Anacortes History Museum, this map highlights 30 historic downtown buildings. Enjoy it as a single 90-minute walk or two shorter loops. - Bill Mitchell Mural Project Walking Tour
A smartphone-friendly tour showcasing iconic murals throughout town, also presented by the Anacortes History Museum. - Public Art Tour
More than 50 artworks are displayed across Anacortes and Fidalgo Island. An easy-to-use online map guides you to sculptures, murals, and installations in public spaces. - Music Map of Anacortes
An interactive map from the Anacortes Museum and Parks & Recreation pairs music with place. Listen to songs written by local musicians as you walk to the locations that inspired them.
Museums & Maritime History
- Anacortes Maritime Heritage Center & W.T. Preston
This compact but engaging museum explores the town’s working waterfront. Tour the W.T. Preston, a National Historic Landmark steamboat, and view vintage films, large-scale historic photographs, and newly added artifacts.
Free admission; steamboat tours require a small ticket fee. Open weekends in May. - Anacortes Museum
Housed in a 1909 Carnegie Library, the museum tells the story of Anacortes through rotating and permanent exhibits. Artifacts, photographs, and interactive displays explore maritime life, logging, pioneer settlement and Indigenous heritage.
Free admission.