If you're spending time in Sequim and you care about art, a day trip to Port Townsend is close to mandatory. The drive takes 45 minutes along a route that follows the northern Olympic Peninsula coastline, and what you find at the other end is a Victorian seaport town with an arts scene that operates at a level you wouldn't expect from a community of 10,000 people.
A Quick History
Port Townsend was built in the 1880s and 1890s as a speculative boom town, with investors betting it would become the major port of Puget Sound. When the railroad went to Seattle and Tacoma instead, Port Townsend's growth stalled, which turned out to be a gift. The Victorian commercial buildings and grand residences were preserved by economic stagnation rather than demolished for modernization. By the 1970s, artists and counterculture types recognized the cheap rent and beautiful architecture, and a creative migration began that continues to this day.
Centrum at Fort Worden
Fort Worden State Park, a former military installation at the northern tip of the Quimper Peninsula, is home to Centrum, one of the most significant arts foundations in the Pacific Northwest. Centrum runs residency programs, workshops, and performances across multiple disciplines including writing, visual arts, music, and dance. Its festivals draw national-caliber performers: the Jazz Port Townsend festival, the Acoustic Blues Festival, and the Port Townsend Writers' Conference all operate under the Centrum umbrella.
The fort itself is worth a visit for its architecture and setting alone. The officers' quarters line a parade ground overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the batteries and bunkers scattered along the bluffs have an austere beauty. Film buffs may recognize Fort Worden as the filming location for "An Officer and a Gentleman" (1982).
Water Street Galleries
Downtown Port Townsend's main commercial street runs along the waterfront, and its ground-floor retail spaces house an impressive density of galleries. Northwind Arts Center is the anchor, a nonprofit gallery that hosts juried exhibitions, artist talks, and community events. Around it, you'll find galleries specializing in marine painting, contemporary sculpture, Northwest landscape art, glass, ceramics, and photography.
The quality is consistently high. Port Townsend attracts artists who have exhibited nationally and internationally but prefer small-town living. You'll find work here that would hold its own in Seattle or Portland galleries, often at lower prices and with more direct access to the artists themselves.
The Monthly Art Walk
Port Townsend holds its own monthly art walk, and if you can time your visit to coincide with it, the experience is distinctive. The Victorian streetscape, the harbor backdrop, and the quality of the participating venues create an atmosphere that feels more like a European gallery district than a Pacific Northwest small town. Galleries stay open into the evening, and the sidewalks fill with visitors moving between venues. Combined with Sequim's own art walk, the two events represent the Olympic Peninsula's strongest contribution to Washington's gallery culture.
Jefferson Museum of Art & History
Located in the historic City Hall building on Water Street, this museum provides context for Port Townsend's cultural identity. Rotating exhibitions cover regional art history, and permanent displays address the town's maritime heritage, its Native American roots, and its Victorian architecture. The museum is small enough to cover in under an hour and serves as a useful introduction before you hit the galleries.
Copper Canyon Press
Port Townsend is home to Copper Canyon Press, one of the most respected independent poetry publishers in the United States. Founded in 1972, the press has published major American and international poets and operates from Fort Worden. While you can't tour the offices without an appointment, the press's presence speaks to the depth of Port Townsend's commitment to the literary and creative arts. Their titles are available at local bookshops.
The Music Scene
Port Townsend's music community is robust enough to support multiple festivals and regular live performances throughout the year. Beyond Centrum's headline festivals, you'll find jazz in downtown restaurants, folk music at the local pubs, and chamber music in the churches. The town's acoustics-friendly older buildings and its population of semi-retired professional musicians create a scene that is small but serious.
Where to Eat
Water Street and the blocks immediately surrounding it offer enough good restaurants for a full day of eating. Breakfast options include bakeries with house-made pastries and sit-down cafes with locally sourced eggs and produce. Lunch can be oysters from the nearby Quilcene and Dabob bay operations, wood-fired pizza, or sandwiches from one of several delis. For dinner, the town supports a few proper restaurants with seasonal menus and regional wine lists. Reservations are smart on weekends and during festival periods.
Combining with Sequim
A productive itinerary: start in Sequim with morning gallery visits, drive to Port Townsend for lunch and an afternoon of gallery hopping and Fort Worden exploration, then return to Sequim for dinner. If you're visiting during a First Friday or during festival season, you can structure the day around Sequim's galleries in the morning and Port Townsend's evening programming. The two towns complement each other well. Sequim's scene is intimate and community-driven; Port Townsend's is slightly larger, more institutionally supported, and more varied in its offerings. Together, they make a case that the Olympic Peninsula is one of the strongest small-town arts corridors in the Pacific Northwest.