Eastsound, the largest town on the island, has several interesting shops and good restaurants. Other villages on Orcas include Deer Harbor, West Sound, and Olga.
Shops worth checking out in Eastsound include Darvill's Bookstore, 296 Main St. (tel. 360/376-2135; www.darvillsbookstore.com), which specializes in Northwest fiction, history, and guidebooks. Also be sure to stop by Olga's, North Beach Road, in Eastsound Square (tel. 360/376-5863). If you're a gardener, don't miss the fascinating Smith & Speed Mercantile, 294 A St. (tel. 360/376-1006; www.smithandspeed.com), which sells homestead supplies and tools. You've never seen so many different spades and garden forks in one place. To learn more about Orcas Island, stop by the interesting little Orcas Historical Museum, 181 North Beach Rd. (tel. 360/376-4849; www.orcasmuseum.org), which is housed in a collection of six interconnected historic buildings that were moved to the center of Eastsound from locations around the island. The museum is open late May through late September Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm and Friday from 1 to 6pm. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors, and $1 for children.
Just outside Eastsound, off Horseshoe Highway, you'll find Howe Art, 236 Double Hill Rd. (tel. 360/376-2945; www.howeart.net), a studio and gallery run by sculptor Anthony Howe, who fashions hanging kinetic sculptures from stainless steel.
Several interesting pottery shops are located around the island. A few miles west of Eastsound off Enchanted Forest Road is Orcas Island Pottery, 338 Old Pottery Rd. (tel. 360/376-2813; www.orcasislandpottery.com), the oldest pottery studio in the Northwest. Between Eastsound and Orcas, on Horseshoe Highway, is Crow Valley Pottery, 2274 Orcas Rd. (tel. 877/512-8184 or 360/376-4260; www.crowvalley.com), housed in an 1866 log cabin. There's also a second Crow Valley Pottery shop in Eastsound at 296 Main Street. And on the east side of the island in the community of Olga, you'll find Orcas Island Artworks, Horseshoe Highway (tel. 360/376-4408; www.orcasisland.com/artworks), which is full of beautiful works by island artists. Just a couple of blocks from this gallery, you'll find the much smaller Olga Pottery, Third Street (tel. 360/376-4648), which showcases the work of potter Jerry Weatherman.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
