If you're visiting, check out these spots:

• Mount Erie: This 1,273-foot-high peak in the middle of Fidalgo Island affords visitors a memorable 360-degree view that encompasses Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, the Olympic Mountain range, the San Juan Islands and all the shimmering water between. Lookouts are easily reached by automobile. Hikers will want to take the woodsy trails, however, and capture the scenery on the way up.

• Marine Supply and Hardware: For anyone with a little salt in the blood, this historic store at 202 Commercial Ave. is a must-see. Founded in 1911 by a Greek immigrant, it is part museum, part store, with original oiled wood floors and shelves stocked with everything from crab gear and Chinese artillery spotting binoculars to antique Navy diving helmets and a ship's bridge telegraph.

• Anacortes Arts and Crafts Festival: Held the first full weekend in August at the north end of Commercial Avenue -- the town's main drag -- this lively festival draws about 70,000 people to this town of 13,900. There are 250 booths, invitational and juried fine art shows, and continuous music and entertainment.

• The W.T. Preston: This 163-foot wooden sternwheeler, constructed in the late 1890s to clear snags and deadheads from local waters, has permanently run aground at Seventh Street and R Avenue, next to The Depot, an old rail station converted into an arts center. Tours of the sternwheeler, maintained by the Anacortes Museum, are available during the summer. The museum's number is 360-293-1915.

• Causland Memorial Park: A monument to veterans who died in World War I, this unusual park was designed by French architect John Le Page and named after Harry Causland, who died in a battlefield at Banthville Hill, France, in 1918. From 1919 to 1926, the amphitheater, bandstand and walls were painstakingly constructed from thousands of pieces of red, gray, tan and white rock gathered from Anacortes and nearby islands. Each rock was hand-placed into handsome designs and set in concrete. You'll find it at Eighth Street and N Avenue.