The long-standing Skagit Valley tulip-growing tradition is broader than just that flower; the big farms actually grow just as many daffodils. The booming April tulip event inspired the much quieter La Conner Daffodil Festival in March; self-guided tour maps send drivers to working farms around La Conner and local nonprofits sell bulbs for home growers.

La Conner likes words; the small town was home to famous writer Tom Robbins, and has welcomed the rare new newspaper in the age of shrinking media. After the local weekly folded, the nonprofit La Conner Community News launched in 2025 and has already produced digital, newsletter, and print editions. 

Rich Skagit Valley farmland means plentiful produce, and La Conner’s roadside stands pop up along the rural roads year-round. Greens, from arugula to watercress, start to boom in the springtime before berry season comes on strong in June.

The downtown Channel Lodge is so close to shoreline that it looks like the building came to an abrupt stop right before charging into the Swinomish waters. Some rooms have small fireplaces, but the lobby’s river rock version is most impressive.

Pie Dive Bar has become a local chain of sorts, dishing chicken curry and coconut cream versions in Snohomish and Gold Bar, with the new La Conner outpost managed by the founder’s two sons. The to-go window for pies savory and sweet will be welcome when warm weather hits the town boardwalk.

A town this crafty inspires nesting, which is probably why the Wood Merchant has sold carved rocking chairs, jewelry boxes, and wall art for more than four decades. If it possibly can be made of wood—even wine stoppers and earrings—it’s here.