1
Fort Worden State Park
200 Battery Way, Port Townsend 98368 Driving directions
The Green Guide

Useful information

Description

Authorized in 1896 and in use through World War II, Fort Worden was headquarters for Puget Sound Harbor Defenses. Along with Fort Flagler and Fort Casey, it formed part of the Iron Triangle defense system built to protect Puget Sound. The fort overlooks Admiralty Inlet on the northern end of Quimper Peninsula. From its beaches and crisp green parade ground there are wonderful views north across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the San Juan Islands and the Cascade Mountains beyond. The 454-acre park is frequently used for festivals and concerts.The large, wood-framed houses along Officer's Row were built in a style inspired by Jeffersonian Classicism, with pedimented roofs, colonnaded porches and Palladian windows. Standing at the end of the row is the impressive Commanding Officer's Quarters, completed in 1902. The 12-room house, with its late-Victorian (1890-1910) furnishings, is decorated to look as though it were still lived in. Across the parade grounds separating Officer's Row from the barracks stands the Coast Artillery Museum. Two 16-inch practice projectiles flank the front steps of this museum, which contains weapons, uniforms and military artifacts pertaining to the fort's history. The building and adjacent grounds were used in the movie An Officer and a Gentleman (1982).Further north, housed in a former warehouse on the fort's dock, is the small, child-friendly Marine Science Center. Touch tanks contain starfish, anemones, sea cucumbers and other living specimens found in the area's intertidal habitats.

Localisation

  • Route from this place
  • Directions to this place
  • Route via this place
  • Nearby hotels
  • Nearby restaurants

ACTIVITIESSEARCH NEARBY

Things to see and donearby

Where to sleepnearby

  • From $120
    People’s House
    Fabulous 8.9
    1.9 Km - 806 Clay Street 1, Port Townsend WA 98368
  • From $150
    Ravenscroft Inn
    Exceptional 9.7
    1.95 Km - 533 Quincy Street, Port Townsend WA 98368
  • From $142
    The Bishop Hotel
    Fabulous 8.9
    2.13 Km - 714 Washington Street, Port Townsend WA 98368

The Green Guide

Buy on