Just two hours north of Seattle by car, Port Townsend feels like a portal to another time — a historic seaport where the waters shimmer, fresh breezes blow and pastel-hued Victorian-era buildings line Water Street. It’s the perfect balm for city-weary senses.
For the best experience, drive up early (or better yet, the night before) and stay at the 1892-built Manresa Castle Hotel, boutique Bishop Hotel or the grand Starrett House. Spend your morning wandering Water Street’s shops and cafés, then stretch your legs further with a scenic walk through Fort Worden’s sprawling seaside grounds. Along the way, catch a glimpse of one of the country’s few traditional wooden boat shipyards — a nod to Port Townsend’s maritime soul.
An active arts scene, including the celebrated Port Townsend Film Festival each September, keeps the town vibrant year-round. While you can park at either end of Water Street and amble at will, this guide follows a northeast route through town before venturing farther afield.
💡Pro tips:
📌Depending on where in town you’re coming from, it can be worth checking the wait times at the Downtown-Bainbridge and Edmonds-Kingston ferry terminals to see which is shorter.
📌If you’d prefer to skip the ferries altogether, you can loop down through Tacoma and then drive north.
📌Don’t want to drive? Take the Kitsap Transit Kingston fast ferry from downtown Seattle, then the #14 Jefferson Transit bus to the Haines Place Park & Ride. (Just be sure to check the transit schedule before visiting, as the bus runs infrequently).
📸: Getty Images
1
Eat lunch at Owl Sprit
No, it’s not a typo — a “sprit” is a part of a boat. Port Townsend is rich in great food options, but this locally owned café is that rare gem with options for the gluten-free, vegan and carnivore among us. The vibe is homemade but not hippie-crunchy, and there’s a variety of tempting-looking cakes slathered with frosting for dessert. If you can, grab the lone outside table and relax in the sun while you nourish yourself for the day ahead.
📍218 Polk St.
🕐 11 a.m.–5 p.m. daily except Thursdays
📸: Getty Images
2
Type Townsend Studio
Walk south on Polk (toward the bay), then turn left on Water to find the Type Townsend Studio. Don’t be fooled by the words “typewriter supplier” here — this shop is so much more. Yes, restored typewriters and other antique machines abound, but Type Townsend is also filled with fantastic small gifts. (This writer got one friend a tiny typewriter key with her first initial on it and the perfect vintage postcard). Should you find yourself in need of some miniature toys, pins, vintage spoons, vases or handmade cards, this is the place.
📍1007 Water St.
🕐 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Thursday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday
📸: Getty Images
3
Tyler Street Plaza
In case you’ve been overwhelmed by all that ephemera, emerge back out into the sun (hopefully), walk just down the block to Tyler Street and refresh by sitting down for a spell and staring out at the water at the pocket beach in front of Tyler Street Plaza. If you need refreshment of a different, more caffeinated kind, head to the aptly named Better Living Through Coffee (100 Tyler St.) for locally roasted coffee, pastries or quiche.
📍 199-1 Tyler St.
🕐 Open 24/7
📸: Getty Images
4
KALMA
Are you mortal? If so, head across the street to KALMA. You’ll be greeted by posters, prints, gifts, a community grief altar and a beautiful memory tree decorated with photos of lost loved ones. The shop is part vintage clothing store and part community-oriented grieving space; as a whole, it’s an exquisite exploration of mortality. The back room, called the Parlor, is designed as a third space that supports mourning groups, a resource library, crafting sessions and more. Do your darker, more curious side a favor and just visit.
📍926 Water St.
🕐 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Thursday–Sunday
📸: Getty Images
5
Rose Theatre
Even if you don’t have time for a show, step into the lovely Rose Theatre, which was originally a vaudeville playhouse that opened in 1907. Restored in 1992, it’s now a three-screen theater filled with sumptuous red velvet and rose motifs everywhere (check out that carpet). Locals adore their popcorn bar, which you can try out even if you’re not seeing a flick: Top your organic popcorn with real butter and then shake on some spices of your choice, whether that’s bulgogi seasoning, “chorizo bomb,” the secret blend from nearby Silverwater Café, or just good old-fashioned nutritional yeast.
If you do have time to see a show, the Rose’s Starlight Room (their third screen, just next door at 237 Taylor St.) offers views of downtown Port Townsend and Admiralty Inlet, plus comfy chairs and couches and yes, more popcorn.
💡Pro tip: If you happen to be visiting mid-week, theater tickets are two-for-one on Wednesdays.
📍235 Taylor St.
📸: Getty Images
6
Walk out to Union Wharf
Take that popcorn and head southeast on Taylor St. toward Water St., then out onto the pier at Union Wharf. There, under some shade, you’ll find Gunther, the fully articulated 42-foot skeleton of a gray whale who washed ashore near Port Ludlow in May, 2019. Gunther was lovingly restored in a massive community effort led by a local veterinarian during the pandemic. At night, he’s all lit up.
When you’re done admiring Gunther and the view, wander back along Water St. to check out any of the shops — antique stores and art galleries abound — that may have caught your eye. If you have a sweet tooth, Elevated Ice Cream Co. (627/631 Water St.) toward the end of Water St. offers fudge and nostalgic candy as well as somewhat unusual ice cream flavors like golden milk and white chocolate rose.
🕐 Open 24/7
📸: Getty Images
7
Winter Texts
Then it’s time to get back into the car and head to Aldritch’s for further refueling of both body and mind. Gifts and snacks can be purchased at the grocery store on the lower level, but you can also head upstairs to a little nook of a bookstore called Winter Texts. They specialize in new and used poetry, small press editions and science fiction, among other things, and some of the titles have been penned by locals from PT’s vibrant literary scene.
💡Pro tip: Check out the nearby Starrett House at 744 Clay St., a peach-and-green mansion constructed in 1889 that’s supposedly very haunted. It definitely looks like it’s been up to something.
📍940 Lawrence St. (upstairs in Aldritch’s market)
🕐 Open 12 p.m.–6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday
📸: Getty Images
8
Fort Worden Historical State Park
A 5-minute drive (or half-an-hour walk) will take you to Fort Worden Historical State Park, a former military base originally constructed to protect Puget Sound from invasion by sea. Alongside Forts Casey and Flagler, it was part of what was known as the “Triangle of Fire.” Thankfully, no shots were ever fired here, and today the abandoned batteries make for a fascinating, if eerie, site to explore. You can also hike up the beach bluffs, admire the Point Wilson Lighthouse and keep your eye out for otters, seals, whales and eagles as you admire the inlet and environs.
💡Pro tip: Also check out the 1988 public sculpture garden “Memory’s Vault,” which was designed by artist Richard Turner and features the poems of Sam Hamill, cofounder of local poetry gem Copper Canyon Press.
📍200 Battery Way E.
🕐 Open 6:30 p.m.–dusk in summer, 8 p.m.–dusk winter
