Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Jefferson County Historical Society Museum MUSEUM
(210 Madison St; adult/12yr & under $4/1; 11am-4pm Mar-Dec) The local historic society
runs this well-maintained exhibition area that includes mock-ups of an old courtroom and
a jail cell, along with the full lowdown on the rise, fall and second coming of this captiv-
ating port town. The society also runs the Rothschild House (cnr Jefferson & Taylor Sts; ad-
mission $4; 11am-4pm May-Oct) up on the bluff, with an atmospheric interior furnished
in period fashion.
Fort Worden State Park PARK
( www.parks.wa.gov/fortworden ; 200 Battery Way; 6:30am-dusk Apr-Oct, from 8am Nov-Mar)
This attractive park located within Port Townsend's city limits is the remains of a large
fortification system constructed in the 1890s to protect the strategically important Puget
Sound area from outside attack - supposedly from the Spanish during the 1898 war.
The extensive grounds and historic buildings have been refurbished in recent years in-
to a lodging, and nature and history park; sharp-eyed film buffs will recognize the setting
as the backdrop for the movie An Officer and a Gentleman . The Commanding Officer's
Quarters (admission $4; 10am-5pm daily Jun-Aug, 1-4pm Sat & Sun Mar-May & Sep-Oct) , a
12-bedroom mansion, is open for tours, and part of one of the barracks is now the Puget
Sound Coast Artillery Museum (admission $2;
11am-4pm Tue-Sun) , which tells the
story of early Pacific coastal fortifications.
Fort Worden offers a number of camping and lodging possibilities. Hikes lead along
the headland to Point Wilson Lighthouse Station and some wonderful windswept
beaches. On the park's fishing pier is the Port Townsend Marine Science Center (532
Battery Way; adult/child $5/3;
noon-6pm Tue-Sun summer) featuring four touch tanks and
daily interpretive programs.
Activities
It's not all history. Port Townsend is the center for sea kayaking on Puget Sound and Fort
Worden is a stop on the Cascadia Marine Trail. PT Outdoors (1017b Water St) rents single
kayaks and stand-up paddle boards (SUP) from $25 an hour and offers guided tours from
$60/45 per adult/child for two to three hours. Puget Sound Express
( www.pugetsoundexpress.com ; 431 Water St) offers four-hour whale-watching tours from
May to October for $88/48 per adult/child, or an eight-hour excursion that includes a
stop-over in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.
PT Cyclery (252 Tyler St; per hr/day $7/28) on a back lot on Tyler St, has mountain bikes
and tandems for rent. It also provides local trail maps.
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