Mini Trip: Port Townsend
/Pop quiz hot shot: Is it a trip or a vacation when you have kids?
Okay, I dated myself with the beginning quiz quote. Yes, I was a fan of the movie Speed when I was younger. And yes, I have kids, so this was a trip, not a vacation. Honestly, I am just kidding. I love going on trips with my kids. It revitalizes me and gets me out of any funk I might be living. It's a nice reset to life, and you return jazzed for the daily stuff. You don't have to go far, and you don't have to go long. Port Townsend is the trip!
Here's how we organized our mini trip to Port Townsend over spring break.
Day 1 - Thursday
Heading out and Lunch: After packing the car, we left late in the morning. On the way up, we stopped at Olalla Bay Market for lunch. We recently discovered this little gem and loved its market and restaurant.
Undersea Naval Museum: After lunch, we headed to the Undersea Naval Museum in Keyport. It's not a direct route to Port Townsend but worth the detour. First, the museum is free. Even if it's a bust, you didn't pay an arm and leg for admission. Second, it has some cool displays that the kids will enjoy. My sons loved learning about torpedos and submarines. There were some interactive elements, so they did some imaginative play, which was fun. They also loved learning that we use sea animals for some of our naval stuff.
Arrive AirBnB: We found a tiny home near Port Townsend that was a perfect fit for our family of four—two adults and two young kids. The house had one bedroom with a queen bed, a loft with two twin beds, a kitchen, a bathroom with a tub, and a small living space. It was remote and beautiful yet only 10 minutes from Port Townsend's downtown.
Downtown Port Townsend: It was late afternoon, so we decided to roam town a bit. We went to the very end of the strip and found a beach and playground. Then, we discovered a boat for kids to play on in the back of the marine center. They could have played on that boat for hours.
Happy Hour at Bishops Hotel: We just happened to make a turn off the main street, heard some jazz, and peeked inside. It looked so idealistic, with people listening to music and drinking negronis; I saw another family inside, so we took a chance. It was a fun little stop. We didn’t stay for long because we were hungry, and our dog was barking outside (d’oh). We enjoyed a cocktail, and the boys enjoyed watching the band play. They nibbled on some small shortbread cookies. All were happy.
Dinner: Tommyknocker's came recommended to me by an Instagram follower, and it was great. It's a very casual place for families. My husband and I got Cornish pastries, which were tasty, and the kids enjoyed spaghetti and pizza.
Day 2 - Friday
Breakfast: We started the day by grabbing pastries from Pane d'Amore. We realized there wasn't a place to sit and eat, so we drove to Velocity. Velocity, we learned, also has some good-looking breakfast items (local bagels, a few Pane d'Amore pastries, etc). We felt awkward, so we ate our breakfast outside on the picnic bench, which was fun (and luckily, I carry a blanket in the car to keep us a little warm). The coffee was delicious, and I would highly recommend this to any coffee lovers! Velocity is also where the playboat was from the evening before, so the boys played some more.
Fort Worden: Our next adventure took us to Fort Worden. We were not sure where to go, but we headed in and landed at the beach. The kids played with driftwood while we figured out our next moves.
The old Artillery Battery was just down the road from the beach. The boys loved the old military bunkers and tunnels. We did a lot of exploring in dark rooms and up ladders.
The lighthouse is near the old artillery battery, so we walked around it and enjoyed the view. We even saw a sea lion in the water.
We wrapped up our Fort Worden adventure at the Artillery Museum. It was free, and there was a guided tour. The guide was very passionate about the museum. He was in charge of the care and running of the museum, and you could tell he loved everything about it. The boys liked how he explained everything, but we left a little early since he was diving deep into everything, and the attention span was only so long with the kiddos. They learned a lot about different wars and how Fort Worden was involved, and they enjoyed the guns and artillery.
Lunch at Finnriver: Finnriver is one of our favorite places, and it's next door to Port Townsend in Chimacum. It is an orchard and cidery with some great food. There are even more food vendors on the weekends, but a pizza place and Finnriver's food are available on weekdays. We ordered pizza, a salad, and a buckwheat chocolate chip cookie. The kids love the fruit sparkler and the hubs, and I shared a cider flight. There is a huge field and a little area for kids to play with huge tires to climb. You can also bring your dog (a new thing for them!).
Shop Port Townsend: I love downtown Port Townsend's Victorian buildings and shops. Shopping isn't the boy's favorite activity, but sometimes, mom wants to do a little shopping. They behaved and even enjoyed some of the shops a bit. We found a hidden perfume shop, Olfactory House, and it was fun for the boys since they sat us down and shared all the scents. We also enjoyed the randomness of House of the Faun and, of course, the two bookshops, Imprint Bookstore and William James Bookseller. Oh, and I loved the Conservatory Coastal Home shop.
Whale Skeleton: We also checked out the gray whale skeleton downtown. At the end of Taylor Street, we visited the 42′ skeleton of a gray whale named Gunther. It’s just out on a pier and amazing to check out.
Beach Combing: We had a little time before dinner, so we headed to North Beach, also known as "Glass Beach" (another site here with more info). We heard there was good beach combing here for sea glass, which my older son especially loves. We did not find a bunch, but if we kept walking, we would have seen more--further away from the more visited part of the beach. It still made for an exciting beach visit, not to mention that it was gorgeous.
Dinner: A few great-looking dinner options made dinner a tough decision, but we landed at Hanazono Asian Noodle for dinner. They don't have an official kids menu, but they will make kid-friendly food on request. The boys enjoyed the chicken and some noodles (removed from the ramen broth). Josh got ramen, and I got soy-marinated fish with rice--all excellent!
Day 3 - Saturday
Breakfast: On our final morning, we grabbed coffee at Sunrise. It was a tasty coffee, and we grabbed beans as the price was right (and we later learned they were quite good!). We opted to get food as we roamed the Farmer's Market.
Farmer's Market: Lucky us, it was the opening day of the Port Townsend Farmer's Market. It is open Saturdays from April through October and some one-offs in the winter. It was a fantastic market. The market is in the upper downtown area, near Pane d'Amore. I had to grab more baked goods before leaving town. We also enjoyed the High Country Doughnuts, Hopscotch Cannery, Sol Smoothies, and the best pancake mix from Chimacum Valley Grainery. The highlight for the boys was Stryker Forge. Stryker Forge is an artisan blacksmith who made medieval fidget spinners.
Honestly, there is still much more you can do in Port Townsend. I would definitely go back! We had a great time and returned home refreshed and happy. Have you been to Port Townsend? Where is your favorite mini trips around the PNW?