We were at Lime Kiln Point on San Juan Island today and were VERY happy to find Red Checkered Picnics! We were surprised to find they had a wonderful array of nice picnic items, like vegetarian quiche, a caprese sandwich, other good food and a cooler full of ice cream treats. A really great selection of high quality fare that made our time at the park all the more better. Cynthia, the owner, told us that part of the proceeds from her shop go to the park fund which made us happy too. So if you get out to Lime Kiln Point on San Juan Island this summer don’t worry about going hungry — you’ll do well to stop at Red Checkered Picnics and pick up a satisfying lunch or treat and either have it there on a picnic bench or take it with you on your walk in this beautiful whale watching park. They are right off the parking area to Lime Kiln. The only thing I would recommend that Cynthia do is perhaps put out a sandwich board or something leading to the café that announces what great things they have there, so people can see it and realize it’s not a typical snack shop. It’s something much better than that!
Jake S.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Pompano Beach, FL
This place is exactly what you, as a traveler, need if you make the trek out to the Westside of San Juan Island to Limekiln State Park. Before the road terminates you’ll pull off to your left to park at the visitor’s center. Directly behind the center and just off to the side of the trailhead is Red Checkered Picnic. A nice sized kiosk with an attendant inside and pretty much anything you would need or want to eat when visiting a state park. As Limekiln state park is one of the smallest state parks you’re likely to find, the draw is really one thing: Seeing orcas in their natural environment with as little human interference as possible while still sitting on land in the US. But, as orcas don’t follow any schedule you should plan to hunker down for a little while and for this reason Red Checkered Picnic shines. If you brought only water and a power bar without realizing you should be spending a couple hours here, then this place is there to fulfill any snacking needs you have at one of the many benches and tables overlooking Deadman’s Bay or the International Line out to Canada. It’s bright, clean, inviting and simply festooned with treats.
