Port Townsend Attractions

Port Townsend is a quaint Victorian seaport filled with art galleries, historic homes and buildings, and one-of-a-kind shops. The many restaurants run the gamut from vegan to steak, Thai to Mexican. All businesses are privately owned by local residents, with no chain stores to be found.

This dog-friendly town is filled with artisans and small business owners who love what they do. Fort Worden is just one of the great places to hike, plus you will also find the Marine Science Center, Commanding Officer Quarters, the Natural History and Coast Artillery Museums, and the Point Wilson lighthouse.

Festivals abound from May through October, and live music and theatre are available year-round. Spring brings the annual Victorian Festival, where you can dress in period clothing and tour privately owned historic homes, enjoy high tea, and learn the colorful history that made this town a rival to Seattle in the 1800s. May means Rhody Festival, a week of celebrating the state flower with kiddy and pet parades, bed races, a carnival and fish fry, and the grade parade on Saturday.

During summer months, Centrum at Fort Worden holds their annual jazz, blues, and fiddle festivals that sell out each year. In early September, the Wooden Boat Festival attracts boat lovers from around the world, and October brings the annual Kinetic Skulpture Race. On the first weekend of December Santa arrives by boat, then rides in a horse-drawn carriage to Haller Fountain to light the town Christmas tree.