Have you ever heard of Port Townsend? Hands down one of the most adorable towns in Washington, I recently spent one day in Port Townsend and absolutely fell in love with this little gem of a destination in the northwest corner of WA. Discover what makes this place unique and get inspired to visit Port Townsend for yourself on a Washington trip!

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On a recent road trip around Washington, my sister and I spontaneously decided to stop at the small coastal town of Port Townsend.

We’d just woken up at the crack of dawn at Lower Oak Bay Campground, a peaceful place where it was just us, another RV whose owners we never even saw, and a gorgeous view of the surrounding harbor.

With the only plan of heading further west towards Olympic National Park and a blissfully open morning with zero activities on our itinerary, we scoured the map and found Port Townsend.

Just 20 minutes north of our campground, we jumped in the van and headed to this strange little town that was seriously out of the way, not knowing what to expect or what we were going to find.

Little did we think Port Townsend would become one of our favorite destinations on our Washington road trip.

Psst, all photos below are taken with my beloved Sony Alpha a7 mirrorless camera! Which I bought secondhand from Amazon. Check it out here!

FALLING IN LOVE WITH PORT TOWNSEND, WASHINGTON

The moment we pulled into Port Townsend and drove along Water Street, which is right along the waterfront, I knew we’d found somewhere incredibly special.

Now I’ve been to loads of coastal villages and towns before but there’s something about Port Townsend that captivates from the moment you set eyes on its historic architecture, quaint little local shops, jaw-droppingly beautiful harbor views, and delightful downtown area.

Or maybe it’s the fact that after strolling along its streets and stepping inside the locally-owned shops, you find Port Townsend to be a community that embraces diversity, openness, and equality.

My sister and I visited Port Townsend in the midst of 2020, which means the Black Lives Matter movement was at the top of everyone’s mind (as it still should be until everyone experiences equality) and COVID-19 ambushed the world.

Much to our surprise and utter delight, it seemed as though every other storefront and shop alike had a Black Lives Matter sign in their front window.

Not to mention, other empowering signs dotted the streets, too.

Like welcoming the LGBTQ+ community, embracing the “All are Welcome Here” adage, taking action against climate change, and encouraging the support of small businesses to fight against conglomerate capitalism.

It was honestly so refreshing after seeing the Trump signs, hateful “radical left” signs, and conservative-promoting signs lining the roads in middle-of-nowhere Washington!

With regards to COVID-19, we stuck to social distancing guidelines by eating outdoors and walking the waterfront, as well as sanitization rules by using each and every hand sanitizer station at the front door of shops.

Even better, since we visited Port Townsend during the chillier month of September and early early in the morning, the town was basically empty aside from a few early bird bikers and coffee lovers!

It was absolutely blissful watching the sun peak out from behind the hills, as well as the morning ferries and kayakers glide across the bay without the crowds.

Once we’d gotten our fill of the mesmerizing waterfront views, we walked the streets of Port Townsend and pretty much stepped into every shop we came across!

From a local art gallery and small rug shop owned by a Turkish woman to a strange pirate-themed store and secondhand jewelers, Port Townsend is a diverse little place with lots to offer interested shoppers.

My personal favorite store we stopped at was called Phoenix Rising, a spiritual shop selling everything from crystals and tarot decks to reiki-infused candles and educational books!

After wandering adorable downtown area of Port Townsend, it was time to seek out some lunch.

Much to my surprise as a vegan, this little gem of a destination had so much plant-based food to offer. I was blown away by the never-ending choices!

It seemed as though most cafes and restaurants in Port Townsend fully embraced the vegan movement and accommodated for plant-based visitors just as much as omnivore visitors. I was loving it!

In the end, we ate at Tommyknocker’s Cornish Pasty. A quaint little locally-owned eatery bringing British pasties to the American people!

The Vegan Shepherd’s Pie pasty I had here was absolutely incredible and my sister loved her Bangers and Mash pasty. I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting or stopping in Port Townsend!

After filling our bellies with pasties and getting in our fill of small business shopping, it was time to jump back in the van and hit the road.

While both of us yearned to stay a bit longer and explore Port Townsend some more, our next destination of Olympic National Park was waiting.

Have you ever heard of Port Townsend before reading this blog? Or have you ever visited this cute little place in northwest Washington for yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Sophie xx

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