Vashon Island, in King County, Washington State, is a 37-square mile island close by the mainland with approximately 11,000 inhabitants. Since it is not connected to a bridge, the only way to get to and from the island is by ferry. Though the island is small in size and population, there are many things to do for fun, especially beer drinking and live musical entertainment.
Camp Colvos Brewing is a new, local brewery established in 2018. The brewery has a retail shop with a taproom. At the moment, the beer is brewed offsite in a log cabin nearby blackberries, and old ski manufacturing shop and a coffee roaster. A new facility is being constructed that will house the brewery and taproom under the same roof. This establishment produces eight varieties of beer: Moonrise Double IPA, Rye IPA, Hazy Session IPA, Belgian Pale Ale Part 1, Saison Du Vashon, Vienna Lager, Up Town Porter and Pale Ale.
One of the tastiest activities on the island is visiting this brewery’s taproom. It is open seven days a week, from 1 pm to 8 pm. Guests can purchase and enjoy tap beer, savory pies, meat and cheese plates and small skillets. The tap room plays music, ranging from Talking Heads to Otis Redding. It also sells refrigerated beer to go, too, 32 -ounce growlers and 750-milliliter bottles of aged beers. “We’ve heard from people that they enjoy coming to our taproom for the chill vibe and atmosphere, which of course is awesome to hear,” says Matt Lawrence, Founder of Camp Colvos Brewing.
You can also taste their beer at nine restaurants on the island, which means you will always be nearby one: Gravy, Island Queen, Rocket Taco, Snapdragon, and The Hardware Store . Five taverns also serve Camp Colvos beer: The Beer Junction, Teku Tavern, Mammoth, The Camp Bar and Quarterdeck. Thriftway (a supermarket) and Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie (a coffee shop) sell their beer, too. Their beer is also sold on the mainland in Seattle and Tacoma at Via Tribunali (Capitol Hill and Georgetown) and Big Mario’s Pizza (Fremont and Queen Ann).
Since the island is relatively small, no matter where you go, musical entertainment always seems to be near you. There are many great bars and other venues which feature live music on the island. However, three stand out for their rich offerings for pleasurable activities.
The Center for the Arts seems to be the premier venue for musical entertainment. It hosts a great diversity of musical concerts, including classical, and dance performances, including ballet. The venue also hosts things to do such as pottery workshops, glassblowing and wine and cheese gatherings. In this building, you are always close by music, dance and art. There are a variety of things to do at the Center for the Arts.
Red Bicycle Bistro and Sushi is a restaurant with an international menu; it serves authentic Japanese sushi and American tavern favorites such as burgers and wings. When you are at this restaurant, the flavors of East and West are near you. The restaurant is open daily from 11:30 am to 9 pm. Red Bicycle Bistro and Sushi’s full-service bar is open daily from 11:30 am to 11 pm Monday through Friday and until 12 am on Friday and Saturday. The bar has a great variety of alcoholic beverages, a bar food menu (with items such as onion rings) and is a live music venue. Local musical artists often play live at the Red Bicycle Bistro and Sushi. Event information is found on their Facebook page.
Snapdragon is a vegetarian restaurant which is also a live musical venue. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, pastries and even makes wedding cakes. Its bar is open from 5 pm until 11 pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and until 12 am on Friday and Saturday. Snapdragon presents live music, including its Sunday jazz 6:30 pm concerts, on the weekends. There are other musical events and weekend shows held at the venue.
Whether your palette thirsts for beer or your ears crave music, you will find satisfaction on this island. Though small, the island has big offerings.
Author: Vashon Island
Vashon is an Island located between Tacoma and West Seattle. This account manages the vashon-maury.com website full on useful information for residents and visitors of the Island.
