Free & Cheap Things to Do in Port Townsend

Historic Sites

A 434-acre former 1900s coastal artillery fort turned state park on the bluffs north of downtown, with two miles of saltwater shoreline, a maze of empty concrete gun batteries to explore, the 1914 Point Wilson Lighthouse, and the cliffside campus where An Officer and a Gentleman was filmed. Trails connect the parade ground to the beach and the lighthouse.

Address: 200 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368

Tip: Discover Pass required for parking in all areas since March 2026. Self-serve kiosks at the beach and near the main entrance. The concrete batteries are great for kids — bring flashlights.

Walking Tours

The entire downtown waterfront is a National Historic District — about ten square blocks of 1880s brick storefronts, ornate Italianate facades, and bluff-top Victorian mansions, designated together in 1976. A free self-guided walking tour map at the Visitor Center marks 24 notable sites including the 1889 Hastings Building, the 1907 Rose Theatre, and the Haller Fountain.

Address: Water Street between Madison and Quincy, Port Townsend, WA 98368

Tip: Free maps from the Visitor Center at 2409 Jefferson Street or the Northwest Maritime Welcome Center. JCHS guided walking tours run Saturdays in summer ($15) — the free self-guided version covers the same ground.

Parks & Nature

Port Townsend's first community park, dedicated in 1904 and named for the S'Klallam chief who befriended early settlers. The 6.5-acre hillside park steps down toward Admiralty Inlet through manicured rose and rhododendron beds, past a Victorian gazebo, picnic shelters, and an enormous trellised wisteria walkway, and ends at a public beach with sweeping Cascade Mountain views.

Address: Jackson & Blaine Streets, Port Townsend, WA 98368

Tip: Open dawn to dusk. Free parking on Jackson Street. The wisteria blooms in May. Stroller- and dog-friendly. Beach access at the southwest corner of the lawn.

Parks & Nature

A 75-acre freshwater lagoon and bird sanctuary on the Olympic Loop of the Great Washington State Birding Trail, with a 1.4-mile loop of accessible packed-earth trails through cattails, willows, and grasslands. Wintering ducks, herons, and bald eagles make it a quiet alternative to Fort Worden — and one of the only level walks in this hilly town.

Address: 12th & Kearney Streets, Port Townsend, WA 98368

Tip: Trails are wheelchair- and stroller-accessible — rare on the peninsula. Free parking off 12th Street near Henery's Hardware. Bring binoculars; the south end has the best bird viewing.

Arts & Culture

Housed in Port Townsend's 1892 City Hall — itself a brick Italianate landmark on Water Street — the JCHS Museum tells the maritime, logging, and S'Klallam history of Jefferson County across three floors of galleries, plus a basement jail block where Jack London was reportedly held in 1893. Rotating contemporary art exhibits fill the top-floor gallery.

Address: 540 Water Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368

Tip: Open Thursday–Sunday 11am–4pm year-round. Free First Saturdays run until 7pm. Admission also covers same-day entry to the Rothschild House (April–September).

Arts & Culture

The free public entry point to the Northwest Maritime campus on Point Hudson, with hands-on maritime exhibits, a ship-bridge simulator visitors can steer, an open boat-building shop where wooden boats are under live construction, and a working wood-fired oven. The campus hosts the annual Wooden Boat Festival each September.

Address: 431 Water Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368

Tip: Open 7 days a week, 10am–4pm. Free Maritime Washington National Heritage Area sticker at the front desk. Pair with a walk to the Point Hudson breakwater and the marina.

Arts & Culture

A pair of small but excellent natural history and aquarium buildings on the Fort Worden pier, with touch tanks of native sea stars, anemones, and rock crabs, a full orca skeleton, and a kelp-forest exhibit. Volunteer naturalists narrate the touch tanks — a genuine education for kids and adults.

Address: 532 Battery Way (Fort Worden), Port Townsend, WA 98368

Tip: June–early September: open daily except Tuesdays, 11am–5pm. Off-season: Fri–Sun noon–5pm. Touch-tank feeding sessions at 1pm and 3pm. U.S. military veterans free.

Historic Sites

An 1868 Greek Revival merchant's home preserved as a house museum, with original furnishings, wallpaper, and family possessions intact from the Rothschild family who lived here for nearly a century. Built by architect Horace Tucker for D.C.H. Rothschild — a German Jewish dry-goods merchant who arrived in Port Townsend in 1858 — it's one of the most untouched Victorian interiors on the West Coast.

Address: Jefferson & Taylor Streets, Port Townsend, WA 98368

Tip: Open Thursday–Saturday 11am–4pm, April through September only. Free First Saturdays. Same-day ticket from Jefferson Museum gets you in here too — bundle them.

History & Museums

At Jefferson County International Airport, this hands-on aviation museum displays antique and classic aircraft — many restored on-site and still flown — in a working hangar. A volunteer-run youth mentorship program keeps the planes airworthy, so visitors often see restoration work underway.

Address: 105 Airport Rd, Port Townsend, WA 98368

Tip: Open Wednesday–Sunday 9 AM–4 PM. Ask volunteers about the flyable aircraft — they love to talk shop. It's about 10 minutes from downtown, an easy rainy-day pairing with the waterfront.

Parks & Nature

Quieter than nearby Fort Worden, this forested state park on Port Townsend Bay marks an 1856 Army post, with interpretive signs at the old fort site, several miles of woodland trails, a tidal beach, and a campground. It's a peaceful, tree-shaded alternative for hiking and picnicking.

Address: 1370 Old Fort Townsend Rd, Port Townsend, WA 98368

Tip: About 3 miles south of downtown. The forest trails and shoreline are the draw; the historic fort itself is mostly interpretive markers. One Discover Pass also covers Fort Worden and every other state park that day.

Beaches

On the Strait of Juan de Fuca just north of Fort Worden, this small free county park opens onto a wide, driftwood-strewn beach famous for long low-tide walks, beachcombing, and sea glass. Front-row views take in passing cargo ships, the Olympic Mountains, and, on clear days, Mount Baker.

Address: 5880 Kuhn St, Port Townsend, WA 98368

Tip: Go at low tide for the best beachcombing and tide pools. Parking and facilities are limited. If you walk west toward Glass Beach, watch the tide closely — the rising water can strand hikers.