South Kitsap and Beyond Fun Family Adventures Fabulous Museums In Kitsap County Aurora Valentinetti Puppet Museum - Bremerton The Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. Admission is FREE but donations are gladly accepted Telephone: (360) 373-2992, Address 249 Fourth Street, Bremerton, WA Keyport Naval Undersea Museum The Naval undersea Museum is located outside Keyport gate. From Highway 3 take the Keyport Exit (Highway 308). Follow signs to Naval Undersea Museum. This museum is open Wednesday - Monday 10 am - 4 pm (360) 697-1129, Admission is FREE, but donations are gratefully accepted. Bainbridge Historical Museum - Bainbridge Island The Bainbridge Island Historical Museum is located at 7650 NE High School Road. The museum is open Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from 1 pm - 4 pm or you may schedule an appointment. For more information call (206) 842-2773. The museum asks a suggested donation of $3.00 - adults, $1.00 - children and families - $5.00. Two Treasures In Port Gamble Port Gamble General Store and Of Sea and Shore Museum are located on Rainier Avenue in Port Gamble. Take Highway 3 drive north, towards Hood Canal Bridge. At the Bridge, Highway 3 turns into Highway 104. Continue past the bridge (do not cross it) on Highway 104E. Port Gamble is about a mile further. Watch for museum signs. Port Gamble General Store is open September - March, daily, 8 am - 5 pm, April - August, daily, 7 am - 7 pm. (360) 297-7636. Of Sea & Shore museum is open September-mid April, Saturday, 11 am - 4 pm: April - August, seven days a week - 9 am - 5 pm. (360) 297-2426 Admission to the museum is FREE, donations are accepted. Pt Gamble Historical Museum - Pt Gamble Port Gamble Historic Museum is located on the downhill side of the General Store, facing the bay. Take Hwy 3 towards Hood Canal Bridge. At the Bridge, Hwy 3 turns into Hwy 104. Continue past the bridge, do not cross it) on Hwy 104 E. Port Gamble is about a mile further. Watch for museum signs. The museum is open 10:30 am to 5 pm seven days a week from May 1 to October 31. Costs: Adults $2.50. Students/Seniors $1.50 and children under 6 are free. For more information call (360) 297-8074. Port Gamble General Store is open daily, 8 am to 5 pm. (360) 297-7636. Marine Science Center - Poulsbo Watch for water along the way. Kitsap County has over 200 miles of shoreline! Consider becoming a member of the Marine Science Center. Membership is $35.00 for families and $20.00 for individuals Membership includes unlimited entrance to the center, 10% discount in the gift shop, a copy of the Puget Sound Book, access to monthly lectures, invitation to special events, complementary guest passes (four for families, two for individual) and the satisfaction of belonging to a great organization. Check out their website at www.Poulsbomsc.org. USS Turner Joy - Bremerton The USS Turner Joy (DD951) is located along the Bremerton waterfront. USS Turner Joy is open daily, May - October 1, 10 am to 5 pm with self-guided tours or guided tours with appointments. Tickets can be purchased at the Ships Store Gift shop on the Bremerton Boardwalk. Admission: Adults $7.00, Children 5 - 12 $5.00, and seniors $6.00. Want to entertain but don’t have enough room? The Turner Joy is available for memorable birthday or special occasion event. Ask about rental costs and group discounts. For more information call (360) 792-2457. Kitsap Historical Museum - Bremerton Kitsap Historical Museum is located downtown Bremerton at 280 Fourth St. Take Highway 3 to Highway 303S/Waaga Way exit or Highway 302 into downtown Bremerton. The museum is on Fourth a one-way Street. Parking is FREE but limited on the street. The museum is open daily 10 am - 5 pm Admission is FREE but donations are gladly accepted. Sidney Art Gallery & Museum - Port Orchard The Sidney Art Gallery and Sidney museum are located at 202 Sidney Avenue and are open Tuesday - Saturday 11 am - 4 pm, Sunday, 1 - 4 pm, closed on Monday. (360) 876-3693 or (360) 871-2237 for more information check the website http://wwwportorchard.com. From Highway 3 take Highway 16E (Port Orchard). Stay in your left lane and go towards the waterfront businesses. Turn right on Sidney. The museums are on the right. Naval Museum - Bremerton The Naval Museum is located along the Bremerton waterfront. Take Highway 3 to Highway 303S/Waaga Way exit toward Bremerton. Waaga Way turns into Wheaton Way, which turns into Warren Avenue. Cross the Warren Avenue Bridge, turn left on 11th Street. Follow 11th until it turns into Washington Street. The museum is on the left at 130 Washington Street. Parking is FREE along the street. The Naval Museum is open Monday - Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm; Sunday, 1 pm - 5 pm (360) 479-7447 Admission is FREE, donations are needed. Log Cabin Museum - Port Orchard The Log Cabin Museum is located at 416 Sidney Avenue and is open Saturdays 11 am - 4 pm and by appointment. (360) 876-3693 for more information check the website www.portourchard.com. From Highway 3 take Highway 16E (Port Orchard). Stay in your left lane and go towards the waterfront businesses. Turn right on Sidney. The museums are on the right. Phimister-Proctor Museum - Poulsbo Call to arrange a tour. The museum is open by appointment only for groups of 10-15, children 12 and older, please. Visit the website www.proctormuseum.com to learn more about Alexander Phimister Proctor. A Phimister Proctor Museum is located at 20201. Front Street NE in Poulsbo, behind Liberty Bay Auto. From Highway 3 take the Finn Hill exit. Turn right on Lindvig Way/Front Street and follow it down into Old Poulsbo. Turn right into the entrance to Liberty Bay Auto. Follow the road back behind the dealership. The Museum entrance is on the west corner of the building. Limited edition bronze sculptures and relief’s are available. Tax-deductible donations are used to educate a broader audience about Proctor’s life and work. For more information call (360) 697-4835 or (206) 842-6386. South Kitsap Scenic Tour This route begins at on Highway 16. Turn right on the Burley-Olalla Road and head east. Olalla: Known for its strawberries, the name comes from the Chinook word “Olallie” meaning “berries.” Olalla was one of the manly pioneer communities served by the mosquito fleet.: In fact, the Virginia V, a popular Seattle cruise vessel from the original mosquito fleet, was built on the beach here in 1922. At its peak, the Olalla dock was visited by as many as seven vessels a day. The Charles F Nelson house, a National Historic Place, was built in 1913 with two octagonal towers and a veranda overlooking the waterfront. Nelson operated a store in the Yukon Territory during the Gold Rush. He returned to become the area’s most prominent merchant. He and his wife staged musicals and encouraged local children to play musical instruments. Fregaria: Also known as Little Norway, Fragaria had a store with a post office, a Norwegian Methodist Church, a school and voters who when their school closed, chose to send their children to Seattle aboard the Virginia V rather then bus them to Port Orchard. Photographs from the early days are displayed in the store in Fragaria. Southworth: Before 1913, the area was known as Landsdale but when resident couldn’t agree on a name for the new post office, the government stepped in and name it Southworth for no apparent reason. Colby: A popular mosquito fleet destination, the steamer Kitsap transported up to 350 passengers at a time to Colby from Seattle for the annual July 4th celebrations. A nearly forgotten cemetery just beyond the turnoff to Manchester behind a low hill on the left is one of the few reminders of this town’s heyday. Markers in the cemetery reflect a 1920 diphtheria epidemic. Manchester: Perched on the water across from Blake Island, this sleepy town is known more for its Fuel Depot and state park than its remaining stores, restaurant, tavern and library. Manchester State Park: The Park was named for the nearby town. Constructed at the turn of the century as a U.S. Coastal Artillery Harbor Defense installation for the protection of the Ships and the area was converted to the Manchester Navy Fuel Depot and Navy Firefighting Station during World War II. The Torpedo Warehouse is a unique turn-of-the-century brick military structure. It is also the site of a former ferry terminal to Seattle: (viewpoint): Blake Island was the ancestral camping ground of the Suquamish Tribe and is believed to be the birthplace of Chief Sealth. Now a state park, it offers camping, picnicking, beach combing and scuba diving. It can only be accessed by private or tour boat Tillicum Village on the island is a ceder longhouse where Native Americans present traditional dances and salmon Feasts. Port Orchard: Originally named “Sidney.” it was the first platted town in the county and won the county seat away from Port Madison in 1893. The first county newspaper. The Kitsap County Pioneer, was established in 1886. One of the owners, A. H. Storage, devoted weeks to touring with the Navy Commision who finally chose Sinclair inlet for the Navy over other Puget Sound sites. It was also the site of two steam sawmills, two shingle mills and a pottery plant. Horluck Ferry to Bremerton: Horluck Transportation Co operates a fleet of foot ferryboats that have been ferrying passengers fro the last 70 years. Sidney Hotel site: Corner of Prospect & Frederick, just up the hill from the downtown corridor. A National Historic Site. Port Orchard’s grand dame was originally built in 1893, but burned to the ground several years ago. The replica office building, which now stands in its place, was built using the original foundations. The original hotel had 43 rooms, a dinning room and spacious lobby that doubled as a ballroom. Sidney Museum & Art Gallery: 202 Sidney Ave. Housed in the town’s first Masonic Hall (1906), the museum exhibits works of Northwest artists as well as recreations of a pioneer house, post office, doctor’s office, schoolhouse and general store. Log Cabin Museum: The museum, listed on the County Register of Historic Sites as an original pioneer cabin, preserves the history of Kitsap County. The cabin was built in 1913 and used as a home until the 1970's. Open Saturdays. Tours may be prearranged at other times by calling (360) 876-3693 Elandan Gardens: 3050 Highway 16. Located on Sinclair Inlet, it features Bonsai Garden Tours, an antique and gift gallery, bonsai trees and supplies and a specialty nursery. |