Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
for children 12 and under. In this same general area, right on Wash. 305 at the
west end of the Agate Pass Bridge, you'll also find the
Clearwater Casino,
15374 Suquamish Way NW, Suquamish (
&
800/375-6073
or 360/598-6889).
Continuing north on Wash. 305, you next come to the small town of
Poulsbo,
which overlooks fjordlike Liberty Bay. Settled in the late 1880s
by Scandinavians, Poulsbo was primarily a fishing, logging, and farming town
until the town decided to play up its Scandinavian heritage. Shops in the
Scandinavian-inspired downtown sell all manner of Viking and Scandinavian
souvenirs. Between downtown and the waterfront, you'll find Liberty Bay Park,
and at the south end of Front Street, you'll find the
Poulsbo Marine Science
Center,
18743 Front St. NE (
&
360/779-5549;
www.poulsbomsc.org), which
houses interpretive displays on Puget Sound and is a great place to bring the
kids. The center is open daily 11am to 5pm. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for
seniors and teenagers, and $2 for children ages 2 through 12.
If you're interested in seeing Poulsbo from the water, you can rent a sea kayak
from
Olympic Outdoor Center,
18971 Front St. (
&
360/697-6095;
www.
kayakproshop.com), which charges $12 to $17 per hour or $50 to $70 by the
day.
If you have time and enjoy visiting historic towns, continue north from
Poulsbo on Wash. 3 to
Port Gamble,
which looks like a New England village
dropped down in the middle of the Northwest woods. This community was
established in 1853 as a company town for the Pope and Talbot lumber mill.
Along the town's shady streets are Victorian homes that were restored by Pope
and Talbot. Stop by the Port Gamble Country Store, which now houses the
Port
Gamble Historical Museum
(
&
360/297-8074
), a collection of local memo-
rabilia. Admission is $2.50 for adults and $1.50 for seniors and students (free
for children 5 and under). From May 1 to October 31, the museum is open
daily from 10:30am to 5pm; the rest of the year, it's open by appointment. The
same location is home to the
Of Sea and Shore Museum
(
&
360/297-2426
),
which houses an exhibit of seashells from around the world. This museum is
open daily from 9am to 5pm, and admission is free.
South of Port Gamble on Wash. 3, you can explore the Kitsap Peninsula's
naval history. Between Poulsbo and Silverdale, you will be passing just east of the
Bangor Navy Base, which is home port for a fleet of Trident nuclear submarines.
The base is on Hood Canal. Near the town of Keyport, you can visit the
Naval
Undersea Museum,
610 Dowell St. (
&
360/396-4148
), which is located 3 miles
east of Wash. 3 on Wash. 308 near the town of Keyport. The museum examines
all aspects of undersea exploration, with interactive exhibits, models, and dis-
plays that include a deep-sea exploration and research craft, a Japanese kamikaze
torpedo, and a deep-sea rescue vehicle. The museum is open daily from 10am to
4pm (closed on Tues Oct-May), and admission is free.
Chocolate to Take the Chill Off
While in Port Gamble, don't miss
LaLa Land Chocolates
(
&
360/297-4291
),
which is across the street from the two museums. Although this shop
makes a wide variety of truffles, its chili-chocolate truffles and its Mayan
hot chocolate, made with habanero chili, are unforgettable. The shop
also does a chocolate-inspired afternoon tea.
Finds
