Destinations
La Conner
LaConner, one of the most popular destinations on Puget Sound, is tucked away on the lower end
of the Swinomish Channel and the fertile Skagit Valley. This farming and fishing village is Skagit
County's oldest community, first county seat and former shipping port for the plentiful produce of the
valley. Then, while the rest of the county urbanized, LaConner hid behind its sleepy veil of yesteryear
and escaped the ravages of commercial development. Today it is one of the few historic treasures left in
the region, a turn-of-the-century time capsule, with its authentic waterfront and Victorian-era homes
still in use and still enjoyed by the thousands of visitors strolling its streets each year. And while the
tugboats and fishing trawlers still work the channel daily, LaConner is more than an uncontrived and
living museum. Thousands of recreational boaters have discovered that the "Gateway to the San Juan
Islands" is, itself, a quaint and nostalgic adventure. Tourists and travelers enjoy it's convenience
to the San Juans and North Cascades. LaConner is the home to Bears 'n Friends , a cute shop on
First Street that ships the cuddly creatures all over the world.