Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan, Guy Anderson, Mark Tobey, and other painters set up shop in La Conner in the 1940s, and the village on the Swinomish Channel (Slough) has been a haven for artists ever since. In recent years the community has become increasingly popular as a regional weekend escape—it’s a fairly short drive from Seattle, but it feels refreshingly far from the bustle.
La Conner has several historic buildings near the waterfront or a short walk up the hill—use the stairs leading up the bluff, or go around and walk up one of the sloping streets—as well as several inviting shops and restaurants. In summer the village can become a bit congested with people and cars, and parking can be hard to find. The flat land around La Conner makes for easy biking along levees and through the tulip fields. You'll see plenty of fields and farms, and a major attraction in fall and summer are farm stands selling local produce.
