The coastal region of the Pacific Northwest is rich in history and fantastic sites to visit. This short route along the Puget Sound offers an exciting assortment of sites that come together to form a great weekend trip. Even better, this itinerary can be traveled any time of year (but check for holiday closure dates!).
Puget Sound Navy Museum
The museum displays exhibits that focus on the U.S. Navy presence in the Puget Sound that spans more than a hundred years. Plan your arrival for 10:00 to allow you sufficient time for the day’s itinerary; plan one to 1.5 hours for your visit.
The museum is a U.S. government facility and has very clear guidelines of conduct which can be reviewed here: https://www.pugetsoundnavymuseum.org/conduct-guidelines/
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Puget Sound Navy Museum, 251 1st St, Bremerton, WA 98337, 360-479-7447. Open: Wed-Mon 10-4; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve/Day, New Year’s Eve/Day, Easter. Admission: Free. Gift shop on site. Parking: plentiful parking is found at the Kitsap Conference Center, only a few hundred feet from the museum at 100 Washington Ave., directly across the Ferry entrance lanes from the museum. Cost is $4 for up to three hours, which should be sufficient for both the Navy Museum and the USS Turner Joy Museum.
USS Turner Joy Museum Ship
From the Navy Museum, walk a few hundred yards along the Bremerton Boardwalk to the USS Turner Joy.
Turner Joy was the last ship in the Forrest Sherman class of destroyers, the largest class of U.S. Navy destroyers built up to that time and the last class of all gun destroyers, mounting three 5-inch guns. The Turner Joy was made famous by the ship’s involvement in the Gulf of Tonkin incident which escalated the United States involvement in the Vietnam War. Turner Joy was commissioned in August 1959 and decommissioned in November 1982. She opened to the public as a museum vessel in 1992.
Plan on 1.25 to 1.5 hours for your visit—remember, you have three hours of parking, so you need to complete the Turner Joy visit in time to return to your vehicle by the end of your parking term.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
USS Turner Joy Museum Ship, 300 Washington Beach Ave, Bremerton, WA 98337, 360-792-2457. Open: Mar-Oct, daily 10-5 (last entry 4:30); Nov-Feb, Wed-Sun 10-4 (last entry 3:30); closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25-26, Jan 1-2, Easter. Admission: Adult $18, 62+ and Retired Military with ID $15, 13-17 $13, 5-12 $11, 4 and under Free. Gift shop on site.
U.S. Naval Undersea Museum
A 20-minute drive from the Bremerton museums brings you to a fascinating museum with exhibits covering everything under the sea from geologic history and the ocean environment to fantastic exhibits on the development of mine and torpedo technology, submarine and missile technology, and submarine rescue and escape. There is a considerable amount of information here so, if your are a reader, plan two to 2.5 hours for your visit.
The museum is a U.S. government facility and has very clear guidelines of conduct which can be reviewed here: https://navalunderseamuseum.org/conduct-guidelines/
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
U.S. Naval Undersea Museum, 1 Garnett Way, Keyport, WA 98345, 360-396-4148. Open: Wed-Mon 10-4; closed New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve/Day. Admission: Free. Gift shop on site.
Overnight Accommodations
Though there are more options for hotel accommodations in Port Townsend, we opted for Poulsbo, which is only about 15 minutes from the undersea museum. Timing allowed us to visit many of the gift shops along historic Front Street. For dinner, you can also select from a great selection of seafood restaurants.
Port Townsend Aero Museum
Day Two begins with a visit to an air museum. We look for air museums everywhere we go because, well, who gets tired of air museums? The museum is about a 45-minute drive from Poulsbo and displays an engaging collection of historic aircraft from the 20s, 30s, and 40s. Plan on one to 1.5 hours for your visit.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Port Townsend Aero Museum, 105 Airport Rd, Port Townsend, WA 98368, 360-379-5244. Open: Wed-Sun 9-4. Admission: Adult $10, Senior/Active Military $9, 7-12 $6, 6 and under Free. Gift shop on site.
Fort Worden State Park
A 15-minute drive from the air museum brings you to Fort Worden State Park. Fort Worden was constructed between 1898 and 1920 and was one of the largest such forts built by that time. The state park encompasses 434 acres with 12 miles of forested hiking trails with many historic and intriguing sites to see along the way, as well as two miles of walkable beaches that include the Point Wilson Light House, completed in 1914. The Fort, in its role as coastal artillery, was quickly made obsolete by rapidly improving technology. Though its remaining guns were removed shortly after WWII, the fort remained an administrative center until its closure in 1953. Today, 73 historic buildings remain on the grounds, including three restaurants, though only Reveille is open daily for breakfast and lunch from 8-3, 210 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368, 360-344-4400. Plan two to 2.5 hours for your visit, plus 45 minutes if lunching on site.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Fort Worden State Park, 200 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368, 360-344-4400. Admission: Free, but a Washington State Discover Pass or Day Use Fee is required to park and exit your vehicle, which can be purchased from an on-site automated pay station or at the Visitor Information Center on Harbor Defense Way or at the Coast Artillery Museum.
Puget Sound Coast Artillery Museum
The museum is located in one of Fort Worden’s historic buildings and presents the history of coastal artillery with a focus on Puget Sound harbor defenses as they functioned from the late 1800s to the end of WWII. Also on display is a collection of historic firearms. Plan on one hour for your visit.
Here are details you will need, including the address to enter into your navigation app:
Puget Sound Coast Artillery Museum, 200 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368, 360-385-0373. Open: daily 11-4. Admission: Adult $4, 6-12 $2, 5 and under Free.
Elendan Gardens
If your drive home is shorter than ours was and home is south or east (but not west or the Oregon coast), consider stopping to visit Elendan Gardens on your back south from the Puget Sound area.
Elendan Gardens, 3050 WA-16, Bremerton, WA 98312, 360-373-8260. Open: winter Fri-Sun 10-4 (closed if there is snow on the ground). Admission: $10 per person for adults, $1 for children 6-12 years old.
And with that our Puget Sound, Bremerton to Port Townsend itinerary is complete. We hope you enjoyed the sites along the route and will hit the road on more of our itineraries. Safe travels!
Hit the Road in the Pacific Northwest 