5 Things to do on San Juan Island When it Rains

Posted on March 6, 2017

Beautiful San Juan Island, nestled in Washington State between the Olympic Mountains and Vancouver Island, lays in the so-called Olympic Rain Shadow. Where Seattle is drenched in 58 inches of rain per year, San Juan Island experiences 250 sunny days per year with only 29 inches of yearly rainfall. And when you come visit on day number 251? Do not worry! Friday Harbor and San Juan Island offer an abundance of things to do, rain or shine!

  1.  Spa Day

Leave your jammies on all day and treat the Earthbox Inn & Spa as your personal living room. Go for a swim, take a sauna and soak in the bubbly hot tub in our cozy pool-house. Work out or do some yoga in our exercise room. Browse the gift shop and join us in the lobby by the fire and read a good book, while sipping a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee from the San Juan Coffee Roasting Company. Have a couple’s massage or an acupuncture treatment at our Spa to address those aches and pains or indulge in a facial or body treatment to detox and rejuvenate your body.

  1.  Museum Day

Visit the San Juan Island’s  Museum of Art just a couple of blocks from the Earthbox, and enjoy rotating exhibits from the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia with a concentration on the ecological fragility and beauty of our region.

Don’t miss the Friday Harbor Whale Museum, a fantastic natural history museum and the first in the nation dedicated to an endangered species living in the wild. This hands-on museum with real whale skeletons, incredible educational materials about the black fish and a phone booth where you can listen to whale songs, is fun for kids and adults alike.

The Western Prince has a heated cabin and covered outside seating

  1.  Whale Watch Tour

The Western Prince offers whale and wildlife tours from March through October. Their boat has a heated cabin, covered outdoor seating and a bathroom. They have snacks and water for sale and always two fun & knowledgeable naturalists on board, who can answer all your questions and point out things you may have missed.

Friday Harbor’s historic Palace Theater

  1. Dinner and a Movie

Grab a quick, but yummy meal of fish & chips or amazing clam chowder at Haley’s Bait Shop or get wined and dined like royalty at the COHO Restaurant, before catching the latest movie at the historic Palace Theater.

Storm Watching on South Beach

  1. Driving Tour

Bring a thermos with hot cocoa and drive south to American Camp, through lush farmland and stunning vistas. Stop by South Beach and watch the white caps of the mighty Salish Sea in the pounding rain with the snow covered Olympic Mountains in the background.