Mount Vernon (Washington) - city in Skagit County, Washington, United States

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 on 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

Mount Vernon station 📍 is located at 105 E Kincaid St and includes a ticket desk and waiting room.

• Amtrak, +1 215-856-7924. Operates train service around the United States of America. 2022-03-31 Amtrak Cascades service that runs between Portland, Seattle and Vancouver twice daily serving Edmonds, Everett, Stanwood, Mt Vernon & Bellingham. Connections from the Empire Builder from Chicago can be made in Everett and from the Coast Starlight coming from Los Angeles can be made in Seattle.

By bus

The central station for Skagit Transit, Island Transit, Amtrak & Greyhound is the Skagit Station located at 105 E Kincaid St in the eastern edge of downtown Mt Vernon, behind the county jail and next to I-5 at Exit #226:

• Skagit Transit 📍 public transportation in and around Mt Vernon, Burlington, Sedro Valley and other areas in Skagit County.
  • 40X connects Mount Vernon with March's Point Park & Ride. At March's Point P&R, riders can connect with Island Transit bus route 411W from Whidbey Island and Skagit Transit bus route 410 from Anacortes (route 410 also travels to the ferry terminal to the San Juan Islands)
  • 80X connects Mount Vernon with Bellingham, Alger and Chuckanut P&R. Route operated by Skagit Transit and Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA)
  • 90X connects Chuckanut P&R, Mount Vernon and S Mt Vernon P&R, with Everett, where transfers are possible with Sound Transit buses enabling travel from Seattle.
• BellAir Airporter, (depot) 844 S Alder, Burlington (Just north of Fred Meyer. I-5, Exit #230. East on Rio Vista Ave. South on S Alder St. Board in front of office), +1-866-235-5247. Goes up to Marysville, Stanwood, Burlington/Mt Vernon, Bellingham & Blaine from Seattle and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on one route and west from Burlington to La Conner & the San Juan Ferry Terminal on another. 2022-09-29
• Greyhound, Skagit Station @ 105 Kincaid Suite #100 (ticket desk inside the Mt Vernon Station Building, bus stop in front of building), 48.41831°, -122.33473°, +1 360 336-5111. Travels primarily on Interstate 5 between Seattle, Everett, Mount Vernon, Bellingham and Vancouver BC. Passengers transfer to other buses in Seattle and Vancouver to get to additional destinations. Map marker indicates stop location.
• Island Transit Service to Mt Vernon from Camano Island on Route 411C. Route 411W from Whidbey Island only goes up to March's Point P&R near Anacortes where passengers transfer to Skagit Transit 40X to continue to Mt Vernon.

Get around

Skagit Transit, +1 360-757-4433, custserv@skagittransit.org. Operates bus service within Skagit County including within and between Anacortes, Burlington, La Conner, Mount Vernon, and Sedro-Woolley. The buses do not run at night. Also offers connecting service from other counties, including route 80X traveling south from Bellingham and route 90X traveling north from Everett. Routes 80X and 90X stop in Burlington and Mount Vernon. 2022-09-26

Due to the size of the city, it is easy to travel by bike.

See

• Tulip Festival. April 1-30. Every year during the month of April, to the delight of local businesses and irritation of local residents, the city celebrates the bloom of the colorful tulips. Thousands of Washingtonians 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 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 mid-July. 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. Tu–F 10AM–7PM; Sa 10AM–6PM; Su 11AM–6PM. A fun diversion for children.
• Lincoln Theater, 712 South First St, 48.4181°, -122.339°, +1-360-336-8955. F Sa 5:30, 8PM; Su 5:30PM; M Tu 7:30PM. A 1920s-era movie theater with art-deco decor. It is now a combination performance theater and movie theater. Movies $8, discounts for members, students, seniors

Do

Skagit River Walk Park - 735 Mt Vernon Terminal Railroad

Buy

Eat

• Max Dale's Steak and Chop House, 2030 Riverside Dr, 48.4392°, -122.3354°, +1 360 424-7171. Upscale. Reservations accepted. 2021-10-13
• Big Scoop Sundae Palace, 327 E College Way, 48.4361°, -122.3384°. lunch and dinner daily, starting at 11AM. An old-fashioned ice cream parlor plus a retro-style restaurant with a wide variety of burgers, fries, and other 1950s diner food. 2021-10-13
• Il Granaio, 100 W Montgomery, STE 110 (Old Town Grainery Building, one block north of the Greyhound bus station), 48.4192°, -122.3369°, +1 360 419-0674. Daily. Italian-style pasta and meat dishes. No pizza. Open for dinner every evening, plus lunch on weekdays. Consider the high-value four-course special menu, served from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. $20–35 2021-10-13

Drink

• BigFoot Java, 1633 Riverside Dr (At College Way and Riverside Drive), +1 360 428-3081. 24 hrs. A 24-hour drive-through 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!
• Cruser Coffee, 1304 Memorial Highway (Right beside the Mexico Cafe), +1 360 707-8177. Open 7 days a week. A locally owned drive thru espresso stand located in west side Mount Vernon, with a large variety of coffee, espresso, breakfast foods and Italian sodas. 2019-10-30
• Farmstrong Brewing (Farmstrong), 110 Stewart Rd, Mount Vernon, WA 98273, +1 360-837-8852. NOON to close. A local micro brewery open to the public that brews and serves a multitude of beers for all palates. 2017-05-12

Sleep

• Best Western College Way Inn, 300 W College Way, +1 360 424-4287.
• Best Western CottonTree Inn, 2300 Market St, +1 360 428-5678.

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