Mount Vernon (Washington)

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.

Mount Vernon downtown

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

Amtrak serves Mount Vernon via its Amtrak Cascades service that runs between 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. 🌍 Mount Vernon station is located at 105 E Kincaid St and includes a ticket desk and waiting room.

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 with Island Transit Rt#411W from Whidbey Island, and Skagit Transit #410 from Anacortes and the San Juan Ferry Terminal at March's Point Park & Ride.
• 80X Service to Mount Vernon from Bellingham operated by Skagit Transit and Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA)
• 90X connects Mount Vernon with Everett, where transfers from Sound Transit buses from Seattle are possible.

• 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), ☎ [phone]. 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. 
• Greyhound, Skagit Station @ 105 Kincaid Suite #100, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone]. 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. 
• 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

Public transportation in Mount Vernon is available via the Skagit Transit bus service. Cost for bus service is extremely reasonable. However the buses do not run at night, so you have to be careful you do not get stranded.

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), ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 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), ☎ [phone]. Tu–F 10AM–7PM; Sa 10AM–6PM; Su 11AM–6PM. A fun diversion for children. 
• Lincoln Theater, 712 South First St., ☎ [phone]. 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 Dales, 2030 Riverside Dr, ☎ [phone]. 
• Big Scoop, 327 E College Way. ice cream, restaurant with American food (updated Jan 2019)
• Il Granaio, 100 W Montgomery, STE 110, ☎ [phone]. Italian, Old Town Grainery Building (updated Jan 2019)

Drink

• BigFoot Java, 1633 Riverside Dr (At College Way and Riverside Drive), ☎ [phone]. 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! 
• Farmstrong Brewing (Farmstrong), 110 Stewart Rd, Mount Vernon, WA 98273, ☎ [phone]. NOON to close. A local micro brewery open to the public that brews and serves a multitude of beers for all palates. (updated May 2017)

Sleep

• Best Western College Way Inn, 300 W College Way, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], fax: [phone]. 
• Best Western CottonTree Inn, 2300 Market St, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. 

Go next

Routes through Mount Vernon

Vancouver ← Burlington ←	N  S	→ Arlington → Seattle
Abbotsford ← Sedro-Woolley ←	N  S	→ Arlington → Seattle
Vancouver ← Bellingham ←	N  S	→ Everett → Seattle