Whidbey Island along the Puget Sound, north of Seattle, WA is along rugged terrain, surrounded by water. In Coupeville, one of the oldest towns in the State of Washington in Ebey’s Landing Natural Historic Reserve, one can find Fort Casey Historical State Park with historic military batteries and a lighthouse built in 1903.

We enjoyed wandering the charming towns, taking hikes along seemingly gorgeous views, and indulging in the plump tasty Penn Cove mussels plucked out of adjoining Penn Cove. To our surprise, though, was the terrific Sculpture Forest hidden in the woods within Coupeville.

The 15-acre parcel was donated to the city by resident Scott Price who built in the area, but decided against building on this particular land he had purchased. Of hearing that the forest would be demolished and replaced with residential developments, he opted to find a way to preserve the natural habitat of the environment.

Price worked with the adjoining US Navy and the city to develop a Conservation Easement, that preserves and protects the landscape.

He then worked with the community to blaze trails through the dense forest and locals to affix sculpture and artwork along the path.

We found ourselves alone in this free installation, wandering amongst the birds and animals in their natural habitat, enjoying the incredible creativity of artists in a foggy, eerie environment. We absolutely loved it – and the fantastic charitable story of generosity and determination that went with it.