A Book Club Getaway to Westport, Washington: Where to Eat, Shop & Beach

Some trips are about packing as much as humanly possible into 48 hours. This was decidedly not one of those trips.

For our first annual book club getaway, my besties and I packed our books, beach chairs, an arguably excessive amount of junk journaling supplies, snacks, games, and ourselves into the car and headed for Westport, Washington - a tiny beach town on the Washington coast that I somehow hadn't properly explored before. I am already plotting my return!!

Westport isn't a fancy resort town, and that's precisely what I loved about it. It's the kind of place where you can wander along the marina with an ice cream cone, spend practically an entire day buried in a book on the beach, grab fish and chips for dinner, browse little local shops, and end the night in your pajamas making junk journal pages around the kitchen table.

There are no elaborate frills required here. Just a beautiful Pacific Northwest beach, ridiculously good food, charming local businesses, and plenty of room to slow down.

If you're looking for things to do in Westport, Washington, planning a Washington coast weekend getaway, or trying to convince your own book club that it's time to take the group chat on vacation, here's everything we loved.

Staying in a Cozy Westport Airbnb

Our home base for the weekend was this adorable 1960s-inspired Westport Airbnb, located close enough to town that we could even walk to coffee in the morning.

The little two-bedroom house had three beds, which worked perfectly for our group of three after one of our four book club besties sadly couldn't make the trip. It had clearly been given lots of aesthetic love, with a cute remodeled interior that still had the charm - and, admittedly, a few quirks - of an older house.

It did get warmer inside than we would've preferred during our sunny summer weekend, and there were a couple of little things that felt slightly off. So while I wouldn't call it a flawless stay, I would call it a very cute and cozy home base for our particular trip.

And we USED that home base! We cooked our own breakfasts, assembled a charcuterie board for dinner, spread junk journal supplies all over the little table, read our books, did face masks, and became perhaps a little too invested in card games.

If you're planning your own book club getaway, this is my biggest recommendation: don't treat your accommodations as merely somewhere to sleep. Give yourself entire evenings with nowhere to be. Bring the hobbies everyone loves, buy the snacks, put on pajamas, and let hanging out at the house be part of the trip. Those nights ended up being some of my favorite memories.

First Stop: Mexican Food at Taquería Los Tres Figgies

We barely had time to drop our bags before food became priority number one.

Taquería Los Tres Figgies was my first introduction to Westport, and I'm not exaggerating when I say the people here were some of the friendliest we met all weekend.

I ordered a veggie burrito and elote on a stick, while Madi went for the birria, and we paired everything with mango agua fresca and horchata. So. Freaking. Good!

The restaurant has a second location in Ocean Shores, too, but its Westport location is right in the marina district.

We'd actually get a hilarious reminder of just how small and neighborly Westport is the following morning… but we'll get there.

Exploring the Westport Marina + Ice Cream at Sunset

After dinner, we spent our first evening getting acquainted with the marina district. This is one of those areas where I'd recommend not having much of an agenda. There are colorful murals, boats, little shops, candy, souvenirs, and plenty of opportunities to stop for a treat. Naturally, we found several.

Granny Hazel's Candy and Gifts is a Westport institution for saltwater taffy, fudge, gifts, souvenirs, and - critically for yours truly - warm Westport apparel when you completely fail to bring an adequate sweatshirt to the Washington coast.

It’s me, hi. I'm the problem, it’s me! I found a cute quarter-zip that saved my freezing butt.

We also grabbed ice cream from Whale of a Cone, an adorably quirky ice cream shop that also has darling mini arcade games and other snacks, and took our cones up the Westport Viewing Tower for sunset.

The tower overlooks the working marina and Pacific coastline, and I cannot recommend timing this stop with golden hour enough. We stood up there eating our ice cream as the sun went down, admiring adorable dogs, and looking out over the boats and water. It was one of those very simple vacation moments that just HITS.

Morning Coffee at Capt'n Jack's

The next morning started exactly how all good girls' trips should: with a walk for coffee!

Our Airbnb was close enough that we could stroll over to Capt'n Jack's, a tiny local espresso stand with both drive-up and walk-up convenience.

While we were standing there getting our drinks, the woman (owner) we'd met at Los Tres Figgies the day before pulled through on the other side of the coffee stand. She immediately recognized us, smiled and waved. We'd been in town for approximately five minutes and were apparently already regulars LOL.

That tiny interaction sums up so much of what I liked about Westport. It felt friendly, local, casual and genuinely neighborly. We walked back to the house with our coffees, spotted some cute neighborhood dogs along the way, ate breakfast, and prepared for our biggest plan of the entire weekend: Doing almost nothing.

Spending the Day Reading at Westport Light State Park

If you're wondering what the number-one thing I'd do again in Westport is, this is it.

Pack a book and go to the beach. For hours.

We headed to Westhaven Beach at Westport Light State Park, one of Westport's most popular stretches of Pacific coastline. The larger state park has trails, beach access and an ADA-accessible concrete trail along the coast.

We found roadside parking nearby and hauled what felt like our entire existence toward the sand: chairs, bags, books, lunch, cooler - you name it.

And I'm going to warn you right now: carrying all of that across soft beach sand is a workout nobody requested!!!

But once we got settled? Heaven! We had lucked into one of those glorious Washington coast summer days: around 75 degrees, sunny, breezy and beautiful. Madi brought these little hammock-style chairs, we'd packed our lunches at the Airbnb, and we had nowhere else we needed to be.

So we stayed for something like six hours. We read. We talked. We ate lunch. We hunted for sea glass. We sat in the sun. We wandered down to the Pacific and braved some very chilly water. And for a book club trip, I genuinely can't think of anything better.

A quick coastal safety note: while we dipped our feet/bodies into the water during our visit, Washington State Parks does not recommend ocean swimming here because currents and rip tides can be unpredictable. Stick to designated beach access points and check current conditions before your visit.

There is something wonderfully indulgent about dedicating an entire vacation afternoon to reading a book beside the ocean. Nobody was asking what we should do next. Nobody needed an itinerary.

We had books. We had snacks. We had the Pacific Ocean.

Fish & Chips + the Ultimate Book Club Night In

Eventually, six hours of beach lounging made us hungry enough to abandon our posts.

Dinner came from Bennett's Fish Shack, a casual waterfront seafood spot known for exactly the kind of meal I want when I'm spending a weekend on the Washington coast: fish and chips.

We grabbed two orders to share, brought them back to our Airbnb, and turned them into a full dinner situation with a homemade charcuterie board.

Then came face masks, saltwater taffy, junk journaling, and games. Our weekend game rotation included Flip 7, a chaotic version of UNO with significantly more plot twists than the UNO of our childhoods, and the card-game version of Monopoly.

Frankly, the book club was doing surprisingly little discussing of books at this point. lol

We also baked Pillsbury black cat Halloween cookies before bed, because it was late summer and spooky season had already begun in my heart, obviously.

Shopping in Downtown Westport

We saved most of our actual shopping for our final morning, when we returned to the marina district and took our time popping into the little businesses along Westhaven Drive.

This is another thing I loved about Westport: the shopping isn't a sea of big chains. The marina's own visitor information highlights its collection of local gift shops and restaurants, which makes wandering around feel much more like treasure hunting.

Tides & Anchors Boutique was one of our stops for coastal clothing, gifts and little souvenirs. Naturally, I was particularly interested in anything that could make its way into my junk journal!

My favorite shopping discovery, though, might have been Pomegranate. If you're from Olympia/Tacoma, the easiest comparison I can make is that it gave me a little bit of a Compass Rose vibe: beautiful home decor, gifts, and things you absolutely did not know you needed until they were sitting in front of you. Did I need more home decor? Don't answer that! I found some treasures anyway. ;)

One Last Weird & Wonderful Stop: The International Mermaid Museum

Before officially heading home, we had one final stop - and I need you to understand that when I learned there was an International Mermaid Museum near Westport, visiting it became non-negotiable.

International Mermaid Museum is located on the grounds of Westport Winery Garden Resort, roughly halfway between Westport and Aberdeen. The nonprofit museum combines mermaid mythology with education about ocean ecology, which was such a pleasant surprise!

Inside, we found mermaid figures and stories, ocean-themed exhibits, a tide-pool-style display, video screens with popular movie clips, a gift shop and all sorts of whimsical little details. I even got my fortune from a mermaid fortune teller and made one of those pressed souvenir coins with the museum design on it.

The museum is small, so I wouldn't necessarily plan an entire day around it, but that's part of why it worked so well as our final stop. It's weird, charming, inexpensive and memorable - the exact kind of roadside attraction I will choose every single time.

The surrounding Westport Winery Garden Resort also has places to eat and drink. We had hoped to sit down for a meal while we were there, but it was a busy weekend and they were booked up. That's officially on my list for next time!

The museum currently lists daily hours and inexpensive admission, but I'd still check its website before making the drive since hours and prices can change.

Why Westport Is Such a Good Washington Girls' Getaway

What surprised me most about this trip was how little Westport needed to entertain us. There wasn't some massive checklist of attractions we needed to race through. We weren't making reservations every few hours or constantly getting back into the car. And we had SOO much quality time together!

That's why I'd especially recommend Westport for a girls' weekend, book club getaway or low-key Washington coast vacation. Bring the hobbies you already love doing together and let the destination provide the backdrop.

Book club getaway pro tip? Have everyone bring a small collection of their junk journaling or crafting supplies to share. Suddenly one kitchen table becomes a tiny craft store, and everyone gets to work with things they don't own at home.

I genuinely cannot wait to come back. Next time I hit up Westport, I want more beach time, more seafood, another slow wander through the shops - and I am absolutely returning to see whether the mermaids have anything else to tell me. :)

A Quick Westport, Washington Weekend Itinerary

If you're planning your first trip and want to loosely recreate ours, I'd keep it incredibly simple:

Day 1: Check into your accommodations → lunch at Los Tres Figgies → wander the Westport Marina District → saltwater taffy at Granny Hazel's → ice cream at Whale of a Cone → sunset from the Westport Viewing Tower → games, reading and crafting at your rental.

Day 2: Walk or drive to Capt'n Jack's for coffee → pack lunch → spend the bulk of the day at Westport Light State Park/Westhaven Beach → pick up fish and chips from Bennett's → charcuterie, face masks, junk journaling and games.

Day 3: Homemade breakfast → shop Westhaven Drive and the marina district → don’t forget to visit Tides & Anchors and Pomegranate → stop at the International Mermaid Museum on the way toward Aberdeen → head home sandy, happy and already talking about the next girls' trip.

Westport, Washington FAQ

Is Westport, Washington worth visiting?
Absolutely - especially if you prefer low-key coastal towns over polished resort destinations. Westport combines expansive Pacific beaches with a working marina, local restaurants, small shops and quirky attractions. It's particularly well suited to a relaxed weekend rather than a jam-packed sightseeing trip.

What is there to do in Westport, Washington?
Popular things to do include exploring Westport Light State Park and Westhaven Beach, walking around the marina district, visiting the Westport Viewing Tower, eating local seafood, shopping at marina-area businesses and visiting nearby attractions like the International Mermaid Museum. Westport is also known for surfing, fishing, crabbing and beachcombing.

Is Westport good for a girls' weekend?
I think it's practically made for one. Rent a house together, pack your favorite games and hobbies, spend an afternoon (or two) at the beach, and leave enough blank space in your itinerary to actually enjoy one another's company.

How long should you spend in Westport?
For a first visit, two nights and roughly three days felt great. It gave us a full beach day plus time to explore the marina, restaurants and shops without rushing. That being said, however, I don’t think any of us would’ve complained about having one more night + day!

What's the best thing to do in Westport?
For me, it was ridiculously simple: bring a good book to Westhaven Beach and stay awhile. Westport Light State Park has a long stretch of Pacific coastline, trails and beach access, so it's an easy place to build an entire slow afternoon around.