Coupeville

Leaving Fort Casey, follow the signs to Engle Road and Coupeville. The oldest of Whidbey Island’s towns, Coupeville was first established in 1853. Brochures for self-guided walking tours through this 19th-century seaport town are available at the Island County Historical Museum, a good place to begin. A brief video in the museum will introduce you to the area’s history. (908 N. Alexander Street at the corner of Front; open daily, May to September, from 10 am to 5 pm; 360-678-3310.) You’ll also learn about Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve, 17,400 acres of remarkable prairie land, thoughtfully preserved so that future generations might appreciate the cultural and geographic heritage of this once-bustling farming and seafaring community. Ask in the museum for directions to the 1-mile trail from the beach at Ebey’s Landing (at the foot of Ebey Road) to Sunnyside Cemetery at Cook and Sherman Roads. The cemetery contains the headstones of some of the region’s pioneer families. From it, you’ll have marvelous views of the prairie and the water. Meanwhile, stroll the streets of town and try to imagine what it might have been like over 150 years ago when the first European settlers arrived at this home of the Coast Salish Indians.