Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PORT TOWNSEND FROM THE WATER (& AIR)
If you'd like to explore the town from the water, you've got several options.
Three-hour sailboat tours ($65) are offered by
Brisa Charters
(
&
877/41-
BRISA
or 360/385-2309; www.olympus.net/brisa_charters) and
Bryony Char-
ters
(
&
360/481-0605;
www.sailbryony.com). This latter company only operates
between April and October. Several times a year,
Port Townsend Marine Sci-
ence Center
(
&
360/385-5582;
www.ptmsc.org) operates boat tours ($45) to
nearby Protection Island, a wildlife refuge that is home to puffins, rhinoceros
auklets, and other nesting sea birds. One trip a year is done on a 101-foot his-
toric schooner. Late May through August, whale-watching cruises ($25 for
adults, $15 for children ages 2-10) through the San Juan Islands are offered
by
Puget Sound Express,
431 Water St. (
&
360/385-5288;
www.pugetsound
express.com), which also offers passenger ferry service to Friday Harbor.
If you'd like to try your hand at paddling a sea kayak around the area's waters,
contact
Kayak Port Townsend,
435 Water St. (
&
800/853-2252
or 360/385-
6240; www.kayakpt.com), which offers 2-hour ($30), half-day ($40), and full-
day tours ($76), and also rents sea kayaks. At the nearby
Port Ludlow Marina
(
&
360/437-0513
), south of Port Townsend, you can rent sea kayaks ($10-$15
per hour) and motorboats ($20 per hour).
OTHER AREA ACTIVITIES
While in town, you might want to check out Port Townsend's two wineries, both
located south of town.
Sorensen Cellars,
274 S. Otto St. (
&
360/379-6416;
www.sorensencellars.com), is open March through September, Friday through
Sunday from noon to 5pm (or by appointment). To find this winery, turn east
off Wash. 20 onto Frederick Street and then south on Otto Street.
Fair Winds
Winery,
1984 Hastings Ave. W. (
&
360/385-6899;
www.fairwindswinery.com),
is the only winery in the state producing Aligoté, a French-style white wine.
Between April and October, the winery is open Friday through Monday from
11am to 5pm; October through March it is open Saturday and Sunday from
noon to 5pm. To find the winery, drive south from Port Townsend on Wash. 20,
turn west on Jacob Miller Road, and continue 2 miles to Hastings Avenue.
MARROWSTONE ISLAND
You'll find another old fort turned state park on nearby Marrowstone Island,
which is reached by driving south 9 miles to Port Hadlock on Wash. 19 and then
turning east on Wash. 116. From Port Hadlock it is another 11 miles to the north-
ern tip of Marrowstone Island and
Fort Flagler State Park.
This large park has
a campground, boat ramp, beaches, and hiking trails.
Between Port Hadlock and Marrowstone Island is Indian Island, most of
which is an active military base. However, the waters off the island are popu-
lar with sea kayakers. At the south end of Indian Island is a small park popular
with windsurfers.
WHERE TO STAY
IN PORT TOWNSEND
Moderate
Ann Starrett Mansion
Built in 1889 for $6,000 as a wedding present
for Ann Starrett, this Victorian jewel box is by far the most elegant and ornate
bed-and-breakfast in Port Townsend (and the entire state for that matter).
The rose and teal-green mansion is a museum of the Victorian era: A three-story
turret towers over the front door, and every room is exquisitely furnished with
