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Port Townsend
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Port Townsend Attractions
With many restored Victorian homes and commercial buildings, the town's most popular activity is sightseeing through the historic districts. The town is divided into the waterfront commercial district and the residential uptown area only 2 blocks from the water. At the Port Townsend Visitor Information Center you can pick up a guide that lists the town's many historic homes and commercial buildings.
Water Street is the town's main commercial district. It is lined for with turn of the century brick buildings adorned with ornate facades. Within these buildings are dozens of interesting shops and boutiques, several restaurants, and a handful of hotels and inns. To learn a little more about the history of this part of town and to gain a different perspective, walk out on Union Wharf, at the foot of Taylor Street. Here you'll find interpretive plaques covering topics ranging from sea grass to waterfront history.
The Jefferson County Historical Society History Museum is where you can learn about the history of the area. Among the collections here are regional Native American artifacts and antiques from the Victorian era.
Most of the Victorian homes are in uptown Port Townsend, atop the bluff that rises behind the waterfront's commercial buildings. Here you'll find stately homes, views, and the city's favorite park.
Fort Worden State Park
Fort Worden State Park Once a military installation that guarded the mouth of Puget Sound, the park lies north of the historic district. Built at the turn of the 20th century, the fort is now a 360-acre state park where a wide array of attractions and activities assure that it's busy for much of the year. Many of the fort's old wooden buildings have been restored and put to new uses.
Marine Science Center
At Fort Worden State Park you can learn about life below the waters of Puget Sound at the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. The center has tide-pool touch tanks filled with local marine life. There's also an exhibit on the area's natural history, complete with fossils from around the the area and a glacier exhibit.