Here in Washington—a state with many distinct climates, terroirs, and biomes as well as diverse agricultural blessings—we celebrate our apple, wine, beer, stone fruit, and seafood industries to the hilt. Some may be surprised to learn that dairy and cattle are the state’s second-largest agricultural commodities, making Washington a real paradise for cheese lovers, with nearly 50 cheese makers across the state. For those seeking a culinary adventure, many of these artisans can be visited easily. The combo of rolling pastures, family-run estate creameries, and delicious artisan cheese all dovetail into some pretty unforgettable road trips.

Starting in Seattle, this road map focuses on Western Washington, leading cheese enthusiasts from the islands of Puget Sound to the foothills of the Cascades, offering the chance to meet passionate small-time producers—and their animals—and sample award-winning cheeses at some of the region’s best, most picturesque destinations. It’s so much more fun than buying it at the store. (Fortunately, though, if you run out, you can easily restock closer to home.) Very ambitious cheese lovers can probably complete the whole trip in a day, but if you’re involving ferries and islands, you may want to build in an extra day, or you can also pick and choose to taste from the list. Just don’t forget to pack a cooler for all your delectable souvenirs.

Street Cheese

Seattle

Okay, it’s not a creamery, but any cheesehead, either extant or aspiring, who doesn’t know about Street Cheese needs to learn right away. On Seattle’s Beacon Hill, the small, very aromatic cheese shop opened in 2025, after co-owners Tailor Kowis and Courtney Johnson created a brick-and-mortar version of their pandemic-era cheese truck. Johnson also took home the bronze at the 2025 Mondial du Fromage in France, which some consider the Olympics of Cheese, making her the third-best cheesemonger in the world.

Courtney Johnson (left) and Tailor Kowis, owners of Street Cheese, a boutique purveyor in Beacon Hill.

Photo by VLAD RADION/RADION STUDIOS

You won’t see any live dairy cows or goats here, just murals of them, but it’s a pretty great place to get yourself jazzed up about cheese before the trip. They have selections from all around the world, from nutty, aromatic Mouhitaler by Herkkujuustola in Finland to tropical Mandala cheese by Pardinho Artesanal in Brazil—as well as offerings from dozens and dozens of PNW makers, naturally—and free samples are cheerfully given. The staff here loves to talk cheese, so feel free to ask questions.

Mountain Lodge Farm

Enumclaw

Out in the foothills of the Cascades, Mountain Lodge Farm makes cheese from its herds of Nigerian Dwarf and La Mancha goats, who graze on native salal and Douglas fir forage. Founder and herd master Sherwin Ferguson believes the quality and variety of her animals’ diet heavily contribute to the flavor of their milk, which in turn imparts unique vegetal qualities to the creamery’s cheeses. Although the on-site cheese shop is only open on Sunday afternoons, the farm hosts open houses regularly alongside other events, including cheese workshops and opportunities for folks to “meet the milkers.” In the cheese shop, don’t miss the farm’s signature Summit, a spreadable ash-ripened bloomy-rind goat cheese that’s shaped like Mt. Rainier. Really.

Lost Peacock Creamery

Olympia

Technically, this is in Olympia, but sandwiched between Henderson Inlet and Nisqually Reach, the rural Johnson Point peninsula almost feels like one of the bigger San Juan Islands. In rural Thurston County, this family-run Grade A goat dairy combines traditional cheesemaking with a commitment to sustainable farming. Using milk from its own herd, the creamery creates distinct styles of fresh and aged goat cheeses—like a goat’s milk cheddar and “ugly chubs” of  spreadable chèvre accented with flavors like Thai chili—along with cozy classics like feta and ricotta. Guests will quickly realize where the farm got its name when they hear the peacocks cackling in the distance, and the casual setup makes it easy to meet the goats, horses, guinea fowl, working farm dogs, resident barn cats, and several regal, rainbowy peacocks who strut about the property, begging to be Instagrammed. Tours are free— just ask Bill, who mans the cheese vendor booth in the parking lot. Make sure to snag some halloumi and some goat yogurt from him before you go. Lost Peacock Creamery

At Lost Peacock Creamery, the goats are part of the family.

Photo by RACHEL TAYLOR-TULLER

TUNaWERTH

Oakville

Are we still in Washington state? Arriving at TUNaWERTH, along the marshy Chehalis River with its watery oxbows and fj ords, feels like a trip to the Low Countries—with just a couple fewer windmills, perhaps. Netherlands-born Anita and Pieter de Boer have been making Dutch-style cow’s milk cheeses from their own herd since 2010. Don’t worry. There’s no tuna involved—the name is a medieval Dutch name for the village of Ternaard, honoring the de Boers’ Friesian roots. Visitors can meet the creamery’s pasture-raised Jersey-and-Holstein herd and buy cream, yogurt, buttermilk, and various cheeses made from their immaculate, GMO-free milk. The lineup includes classic Gouda as well as distinctive Dutch varieties such as komijne (cumin) and kruidnagel (clove) cheeses. Up your breakfast game by taking home some of the cream-topped yogurt and low-pasteurized milk—you can even make your own cheese with it.

Going Dutch. Anita de Boer and her husband run TUNaWERTH Creamery, where they make dairy products in the style of their homeland, The Netherlands.

Photo by HEIDI ROTH

The following creameries are a little far afield for an easy day trip, but for caseophiles (cheese connoisseurs) who don’t mind driving a few extra hours—or maybe even making it a multi-day cheese tour—these are worth the time.

Dungeness Valley Creamery

Sequim

This dairy is not specifically a cheese maker, but it does sell cheeses from other local makers—and importantly, it puts you near Port Townsend to catch the ferry for the next leg of the trip. Out on the northeastern tip of the Olympic Peninsula, this family-run dairy farm welcomes visitors to its store every day except Sunday. The purebred Jersey herd produces A2 raw milk—which, unlike most American cows’ milk, contains only the A2 beta-casein protein variant and is easier for some lactose-intolerant folks to digest—and it sells unpasteurized milk and cream made by the ladies, as well as artisanal cheeses, butters, fresh eggs, and pure raw honey “direct from the hive,” sourced through various local producers. The store also doubles as an ice cream shop, serving hand-scooped Lopez Island Ice Cream. Outside, the curious Jersey cows and calves, who have their names written on their ear tags, will wait impatiently for you to pay attention to them; they’ll often come right up to the fence, looking for pets and skritches.

From Port Townsend, take the ferry to Coupeville on Whidbey Island, and from there, drive south, where you will find the next location. Dungeness Valley Creamery

Glendale Shepherd

Clinton

About 30 miles from the Coupeville ferry dock—but only a few from the Clinton dock, where the boat will later take you back to the mainland—let the rural, birch canopied, sword fern-flanked Glendale Heights Road lead you back to 18th-century Switzerland (seemingly) ending at dreamy little Glendale Shepherd, overlooking Possession Sound. Appearing like something from an Alpine fable, the creamery is equipped with friendly dairy dogs to greet you at the entrance. After your hellos, follow them to the mossy wooden lodge to shop for a panoply of products made by the resident herd of island sheep: cheese, labneh, yogurt, premium lamb (try the house-made sausage), and even a whey-based vodka that’s distilled on site. As for cheese, well, the crowd faves are the Ewe Blue and the soft White Cap strewn with herbs and red pepper. But the long-aged Woodsman, a great stand-in for pecorino or maybe Ossau-Iraty, as well as the fresh sheep’s milk crumbles blessed with dill and garlic, are not to be slept on either.

Bellsong Creamery At Bella Luna Farms

Clearview

Back on the continent, just outside the tiny forest community of Clearview in unincorporated Snohomish County, woman-owned Bella Luna Farms is another ringer for a quaint mountain village in a German fairy tale. Among the farm’s plum trees and blueberry bushes, Bellsong Creamery makes Euro-style cheeses, cultured butters, and other fresh dairy products using the third-gen dairy’s Toggenburg goats. It makes a ton of artisan dairy products here: alpine-style, washed-rind, triple-crème, crème fraîche, several types of cultured butters, and seasonal buttermilk, alongside manifold others, so make sure you have some real estate left in your cooler. (Creamy and mild, the raw-milk-based, cave-aged Toma Alpina is a great place to start on Bellsong’s vast cheesy catalog.) The farm’s guest experience varies from day to day, but depending on when you’re there, you may be able to participate in, say, a hands-on butter-making class or catch some live cheese making. Bella Luna Farms also hosts seasonal pop-ups, market events, farm-to-table dining experiences, and a variety of one-day culinary classes—not all of them dairy-related! Check out bellalunafarms.com for the upcoming event and class schedule.

NOTE: Since workers live on the farm and it’s also sometimes closed for private events, aspiring visitors must give the staff a heads-up before stopping by, either by  signing up for a class or specifically requesting permission to visit. You can drop a line via the website. Just be sure to wait for a confirmation before you go. As noted, Bella Luna Farms occasionally hosts public events, like a recent Bastille Day celebration, so those are always good days to show up.

Clearview is about 30 minutes from Seattle, just north of Woodinville, so it’s easy to close the loop from here and get to the very best part of the trip: eating all your cheese prizes. If you saved any for home, that is.