October 3, 2024
Snohomish, Washington, also known as "the antique capital of the Northwest," is one of our favorite year-round day trips from Greenlake Guest House. This small town is located just 30 minutes northeast of Seattle. We love browsing the shops and restaurants along the quaint historic downtown district along the Snohomish River on 1st Street. Founded in the 1850's, the town itself is very cute with lots of historic architecture and charm. If you have some extra time, you may want to visit one of the local Snohomish farms or hike or bike the Centennial Trail, especially during summer and fall harvest season. The town is all decked out for the holidays in December and is a fun place to shop for Christmas gifts. Here are a few of our favorite places to visit.
Shopping in Snohomish
The downtown historic district along the riverfront on 1st Avenue is packed with a variety of antique, vintage, and household goods stores. We are sure you will find something wonderful to pack or ship home on a visit to Snohomish. We certainly have done so!
Cin-A-Mon Stik: Inviting displays with rustic-style housewares, gifts, and candles for sale.
Victoria Village Antique Station: A multi-dealer antique mall in 20,000 square feet of space. Clean and friendly!
Star Center Antique Mall: 5 levels of shops and over 200 antique dealers are located under one roof here.
Worthy Home: This is the perfect spot to pick up vintage clothing for yourself or to give as a gift or the perfect vintage lamp or decor for your home.
Snapdoodle Toys and Games: Top rated, local toy store with imaginative and educational toys for children of all ages. Note: they also have a Seattle location near us.
Restaurants in Snohomish
The Cabbage Patch Restaurant: We've been visiting this quaint Snohomish restaurant for over 30 years. The Cabbage Patch offers a solid menu of comfort food served in a historic old house with antique furniture. The Cabbage Patch soup is delicious! The complimentary miniature scones and jam are always a nice starter.
Snohomish Pie Company: Located right along the river, this bakery offers 12 kinds of homemade pie as well as cookies, cinnamon rolls, and simple lunch fare.
Andy's Fish House: Andy's serves fresh, local seafood in a casual atmosphere. It has limited indoor seating, but the large outdoor space is a good option in warmer weather.
Snohomish Festivals
The Historic Downtown Snohomish Association sponsors a number of special events like Fall into Snohomish Zombie Walk (October 26), Winterfest, and quarterly Snohomish Wine Walks to benefit the Snohomish Food Bank and other organizations.
Snohomish Kla Ha Ya Days are part of Seattle SeaFair and happen on the third weekend of July each year. This beloved historic celebration began in 1937 in downtown's historic district. It features parades, live entertainment, food, a carnival, and contests.
Beyond Historic Downtown Snohomish
Snohomish is surrounded by prime farmland and wooded areas and the Snohomish River. It's the perfect spot to get out of the big city and enjoy being outdoors. The Centennial Trail is a popular, 30-mile paved trail that starts downtown Snohomish and heads north to the Skagit county line. Some of the local Snohomish farms host weddings and events and welcome visitors, especially in summer and the fall harvest season.
Bob's Corn and Pumpkin Farm: This is a fun spot to bring your kids, teens, or grandchildren. In fall they offer a huge corn maze, hay rides, u-pick pumpkins and more. In summer, you can visit their sunflower farm.
Craven Farm: This venue hosts lots of weddings in the summer. Fall is prime tourist season with activities for all ages including a pumpkin patch, hay rides, apple cannons, axe throwing, and a beer garden.
Swans Trail Farms: This farm has u-pick strawberries (in summer) and apples (in fall), a pumpkin patch, a corn maze, hay rides, ziplines, and lots of fun for kids of all ages.
Centennial Trail: This 30-mile paved trail follows the original route of the Seattle, Lake Shore, and Eastern Railway. View farm land and wooded forests, rivers, and streams as you walk or bike along the trail. You can start the trail at its southernmost point in downtown historic Snohomish, at Maple Avenue and 1st Street.
Getting to Snohomish:
Snohomish is just under 30 miles northeast of Greenlake Guest House. The fastest route for driving is to head 17 miles north on I-5 to Everett, and then head 9 miles east on Highway 2 to Snohomish. Follow signs to the Snohomish Historic Downtown. However, a more scenic route is to drive up Lake City Way (Highway 522) and then head north to Snohomish on Highway 9 when you reach Woodinville.