The Friday Harbor Documentary Film Festival, established in 2013, prides itself on presenting stories from the Pacific Rim and beyond to entertain, inspire, educate and enlighten. Located in quaint Friday Harbor, on gorgeous San Juan Island, you get it all:

When the thick fall fog lays silence over the harvested valleys of our island; when the humpbacks are gone to have babies in the warm waters of Hawaii; when the veil between our world and the next is the thinnest; then it’s time for Halloween on San Juan Island.

San Juan Island, with its fertile valleys kept sunny and warm by the Olympic Rain Shadow and its fresh air and clean water, is a culinary paradise. Our busy island farmers, fishermen and foragers tirelessly produce and catch ingredients that our talented island chefs whisk into a Locavore’s dream!

Autumn is my favorite time of the year to visit San Juan Island. The long sunny days are made for endless walks on the beach and I absolutely love the color of the light.  I dream about the fall harvests as I stroll through the Farmers Market with its colorful abundance. I feel grateful and calm. These are my favorite spots to visit in the fall. I’m certain you will fall in love with them as well.

San Juan Island is nicknamed the “banana belt” of Washington State, because it is in a rain shadow, protected by the Olympic Mountains on one side and Vancouver Island on the other. The beautiful valleys in the center of the island are lush, rolling pastures for cattle, sheep and goats. Countless farms, producing lavender, sea salt, apple cider, wine, flowers, wool, produce, cheese and meat, are calling San Juan Island their home.

San Juan Island offers not only astonishing beauty and wildlife, world-class whale watching, rich history, amazing art, and really good food, it also has spectacularly beautiful beaches. Whether you are a beachcomber or birder, want to go for a refreshing dip or are looking for tide pools filled with bright sea stars and anemones, our island has the perfect beach for that.

One of the cool things about staying at the Earthbox Inn & Spa in Friday Harbor is that you can do anything there is to do in town by foot.  No need to worry about traffic, parking, or who is going to be the designated driver. For a small town of only about 2,500 people living here year round, Friday Harbor has an incredible bar scene and something for every taste. The people from Orcas and Lopez Island even call our quaint town “Sin City”, with a little wink.

We at the Earthbox Inn & Spa offer beach cruiser bicycles to our guests to check out for free. We have twenty orange and purple cruisers and have virtually never ran out.

Do you regularly bring home tons of clean, untouched clothes from your trips? Are you at a total loss when it comes to decide how many outfits to bring for the kids on an island trip? Do you have trouble deciding what to bring when both sea kayaking and going to a fancy restaurant are on the menu for your weekend getaway? If you are visiting San Juan Island for a night from Seattle or for a week from Spain, we have some Earthbox guest-tested, Island specific packing tips for you.

I’m not exactly what you call a “water person” and to tell you the truth, the thought of sea kayaking in the Pacific Ocean, even with my experienced friend in the same kayak and an even more experienced guide in the next, frightened me some. But this is what life and adventure are all about: find your boundaries and gently push, or paddle as the case may be.