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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Escape to Bainbridge

An island vacation is just minutes from the bustle of Seattle

Robyn Roehm Cannon Correspondent

Seattle’s Elliott Bay is filled with cruise ships this season. While it may not be in your summer plans to book passage on a major line to Alaska, you can still get out on the water on a jumbo boat, see the city and mountains from a different vantage and explore nearby Puget Sound islands via a Washington State Ferry.

Bainbridge Island is the easiest to get to from downtown Seattle. Just hop aboard a ferry at Pier 52 on the Seattle waterfront and 30 minutes later you’ll be kicking back and enjoying “island time.” A popular residential community for Seattle commuters, Bainbridge has lots to offer day-trippers and weekend visitors, from a world-famous historic estate garden, myriad farm to table restaurants and cafes, one of a kind retail shops, 13 local wineries, a new community art museum and handmade crafts and fine art produced by island artisans. You’ll also find numerous lodgings, if you care to spend a night or two.

Walk aboard the boat and into town, or take your bike or car to explore outside Winslow’s center. Here are a few exceptional places to inspire your island adventure:

A garden in the forest

Whether you’re an aficionado of formal or Japanese garden design, or simply love to wander through old growth fir trees surrounded by massive ferns and moss, the world-renowned Bloedel Reserve is reason enough to make the trip to Bainbridge Island.

The 150-acre estate was owned by timber baron Prentice Bloedel and his wife, Virginia. It has many magnificent features, including a Japanese zen garden and midcentury modern teahouse, a moss garden, meadows, birch and old-growth cedar woods, a waterfall, ponds and reflection pool. The French country residence occupied by the Bloedels for decades is also open for touring.

The reserve is at 7571 N.E. Dolphin Drive, off Highway 305, about 6 miles from the ferry. Summer hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is $15 for adults, with senior, military and student discounts available. For more information: (206) 842-7631 or www.bloedelreserve.org/

Blackbirds, church mice and cuisine

As you wander down Winslow Way through town, take a right on Madrone Lane for a few worthy stops.

On the corner, choose a delicious homemade pastry at The Blackbird Bakery. ( http://blackbirdbakery.com/menus/)

If you’re a knitter, get some inspiration and delight in the specialty yarns and custom patterns found at Churchmouse Yarns and Teas. It’s an island institution. ( www.churchmouseyarns.com)

At the end of Madrone Lane, you’ll find French-inspired Restaurant Marche run by Greg Atkinson and his wife, Betsy. Atkinson honed his culinary chops under luminary French chefs and spent more than a decade at the helm of Seattle’s celebrated Canlis before he came home to Bainbridge. Definitely sample one of his “plats du jour.” It’s easy to fill up on his hot French rolls, but save room – there’s always a seasonal dessert worth trying. This is fine dining in the most casually elegant way. ( www.restaurantmarchebainbridge.com)

A bit of Cape Cod

You may think you’ve been transported to the chic Massachusetts isles of Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard when you drive into Pleasant Beach Village on the south end of Bainbridge Island.

In 2012, Windermere Real Estate founder John Jacobi acquired the historic island residence that for years housed the Pleasant Beach Bar and Grill at Lynwood Center and transformed it into the gracious Manor House Restaurant and Beach House Bar.

He added the intimate Pleasant Beach Inn with outstanding architectural finishes, guest amenities and water views, surrounded the properties with a thriving retail and dining marketplace and incorporated public art, exceptional landscapes and whimsical water features around every corner.

Once you arrive, you won’t want to leave, so hang out by the new Olympic-size pool, go for delicious and reasonably priced burgers at Hammy’s Burgers, shop for island-made gifts and home furnishings at Sash or The Barn Cat. When you need a break, stop in at Island Cool Frozen Yogurt or have a glass of wine and plate of charcuterie on the patio at French-inspired Suzanne Maurice Wine Bar. ( www.pleasantbeachvillage.com, www.innatpleasantbeach.com)

Gardens and art, for art’s sake

Bainbridge Island is filled with artists and a generous community of patrons. July and August are ideal months to visit, when two annual events are held in support of the humanities. July 10 and 11 mark the 27th year that outstanding private local gardens are open for viewing during Bainbridge in Bloom.

A rare opportunity to watch nearly 50 island artists working in all mediums happens twice a year and the summer studio tour is coming up on Aug. 7-9. Before you head back to Seattle, be sure and stop at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, on the corner of Highway 305 and Winslow Way. Admission is free, the architecture and exhibits are inspiring and you’ll also find a lovely museum cafe and gift shop. http://ahbainbridge.org/bainbridgeinbloom/ www.bistudiotour.com, www.biartmuseum.org/about/history/

Robyn Roehm Cannon is a travel and lifestyle writer living in both Spokane and Seattle. Follow her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/robyn.r.cannon or on Twitter, @CannonRobyn.