Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is the county seat of Skagit County a city in the North Cascades region of Washington State. In 1998 Mount Vernon was rated the #1 "Best Small City in America" by the New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities.
Get in
Mount Vernon is situated along western Washington's main north-south transportation route, Interstate 5, where the major east-west highway SR 536 intersects.
By car
The easiest and most common way to get to Mount Vernon is via Interstate 5 (or "I-5"), which passes through the city. I-5 gives access from Bellingham and Vancouver, British Columbia to the north, and from Seattle to the south. SR 536 gives access (via SR 20) from Anacortes and Whidbey Island to the west.
By train
Railroad access is available through Amtrak. The railway extends north to Vancouver, Canada and south to Los Angeles. The Skagit Transportation Center is the city's train station.
By bus
- Whatcom Transportation Authority. Service to Mount Vernon from Bellingham on Route 80X [1], running weekdays and Saturdays.
- Skagit Transit. Route 90X [2] connects Mount Vernon with Everett, where transfers from Sound Transit buses from Seattle are possible.
Get around
Public transportation in Mount Vernon is available via the Skagit Transit bus service. Cost for bus service is extremely reasonable. However the buses do not run at night, so you have to be careful you do not get stranded.
Due to the size of the city, it is easy to travel by bike.
See
- Tulip Festival. April 1 to April 30,. Every year during the month of April, to the delight of local businesses and irritation of local residents, the city celebrates the [ tulip festival]. Thousands of Seattle residents and international visitors flock to see the endless fields of tulips just outside the city limits that paint the Skagit Valley more brilliantly than a Dutch impressionist could. During the peak of the tulip festival, First Street is closed downtown and local artists set up stalls. Partly as a result of this, at the height of the festival traffic downtown gets congested. It is therefore advisable to use Best Road instead to reach the tulip fields.
- Skagit Valley Highland Games & Celtic Festival, Edgewater Park, 600 Behrens Millett Rd (I-5 Kincaid Street Exit #226, 3rd Street, then Baker Street), ☏ +1-360-416-4934, skye@sos.net. 9AM–7PM. Usually celebrated during July (July 11–12, 2009). A shuttle runs from the "County" parking lot at the Kincaid Street exit off I-5.
- Skagit Valley Children's Museum, 550 Cascade Mall Dr (at the south end of the Cascade Mall, close to Sears), ☏ +1-360-757-8888. Tue–Fri 10AM–7PM; Sat 10AM–6PM; Sun 11AM–6PM. A fun diversion for children.
- Lincoln Theater, 712 South First St., ☏ +1-360-336-8955. Fri, Sat 5:30, 8PM; Sun 5:30PM; Mon, Tue 7:30PM.. A 1920's era movie theater with art-deco decor. It currently serves as a combination performance theater and movie theater. Movies $8, discounts for members, students, seniors.
Do
Buy
Eat
- Max Dales, 2030 Riverside Dr, ☏ +1 360 424 7171.
- Skagit Valley Food Co-Op.
Drink
- BigFoot Java, 1633 Riverside Dr (At College Way and Riverside Drive), ☏ +1 360 428-3081. 24 hrs. A 24-hour drive thru espresso stand that offers a large variety of flavors of coffee, espresso, Italian sodas, and other specialty drinks, in addition to pastries, bottled beverages, and cigarettes. Close to the freeway with amazing customer service! Try a Mythical White Mocha or a Nutty Yeti Latte! Legendary Creature... Legendary Coffee!
Sleep
- Best Western College Way Inn, 300 W College Way, ☏ +1 360 424-4287, toll-free: +1 800 793-4024, fax: +1 360 424-6036.
- Best Western CottonTree Inn, 2300 Market St, ☏ +1 360 428-5678, fax: +1 360 428-1844.
Go next
| Routes through Mount Vernon |
Vancouver (via  ) ← Burlington ←
|
N  S
|
→ Arlington → Seattle |
| Abbotsford ← Sedro-Woolley ← | N  S
|
→ Arlington → Seattle |
| Vancouver ← Bellingham ← | N  S
|
→ Everett → Seattle |