Things to Do in Arlington

Arlington is a town rooted in the rhythms of the season – from farmers markets and roadside stands selling lavender to seasonal farmers markets, to midsummer river dips.

It’s the kind of place where you can spend a full morning perusing a taxidermy-bedecked hardware store that sells pickles, craft brew, and pretty much anything you can think of including but not limited to work overalls, thermoses, a circular saw, and craft beer.

Alternately, you can visit a farmers market wherein vendors peddle small batch kombucha and organic lacinato kale.


Which is to say that this is not your grandpa’s farm community, exactly. It’s an elevated shabby-chic Americana that has a distinct flavor of Pacific Northwest charm.

From the earliest days, folks found themselves drawn to the confluence of Stillaguamish River forks. Fewer people travel by waterways these days. Luckily, the Centennial and Whitehorse Trails lead bicyclists and pedestrians into the heart of the city, past prominent and plentiful works of public art.

Which begs the question: is Arlington a great place to stop while on the road to regional adventure, or is the city a destination in and of itself? We definitely have our money on the latter.

Be sure to budget more time than you think when visiting Arlington – its charm has a way of lengthening and sweetening time itself. A morning heap of ketchupy eggs and potatoes can easily slide into an evening of golden light and craft beers while you’ve been chatting with your new best friends.

Nature, of course, is all around us – even in the heart of the city. By “nature” here we mean more like the backcountry, the trails through the forest and into the mountains. And there are plenty of those just outside of Arlington, along the Mountain Loop Highway. 

The Stillaguamish River has a rich history of flyfishing. The North Fork was the first river in Washington State history to be designated for fly fishing only – that’s a bold conservation policy move for 1949. Today you’ll still see anglers in hip waders casting their lines in pursuit of the next catch and release trout.