RATING: ♦♦♦♦♦
Evergreen SKP Coho Park in Chimacum provided a great home base for us to explore the Olympic Peninsula. We explored as much as we could over our week stay in the area. Our two favorite places were Sequim and Port Townsend.
Sequim (pronounced “Squim”) is located at the tip of the peninsula on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with the Olympic Mountains to the south.
Sequim enjoys the ideal climate for growing lavender, and over the past 20 years, it has become “America’s Provence”. The small downtown area is home to three lavender shops. The light posts and benches are painted lavender, and the local lavender farms draw thousands during lavender season.
It was hard to decide which farms to visit, as they are all different and unique. We chose Jardin du Soleil, a 10-acre certified organic farm, and Purple Haze, a 12-acre farm also certified organic. Both farms invited visitors to wander through the fields, take pictures, and experience the wonderful color and fragrance of lavender.
At Jardin du Soleil, the lavender harvest was in full swing. The plants reach their peak bloom in July and August. Workers were cutting the flowers and tying them into bundles to sell. Some of the cut flowers would be made into bath and body products, aromatherapy and herbal products, etc. to be sold in their gift shop.
The fields at Purple Haze seemed a bit more formal, with rows alternating colors of lavender and yellow. There was a designated area where visitors could cut their own lavender. In addition to the fields and gift shop, the farm included an ice cream stand and beverage stand, as well as bunnies, chickens, and peacocks.
The Sequim Lavender Festival and Lavender Weekend are held annually at the end of July.
We also visited the beautiful Railroad Bridge Park and Dungeness River Audubon Center that are nearby.
Port Townsend was just a few miles from our campground, so we visited several times. The town’s official website describes it perfectly as having a “maritime heritage, artist spirit, and a touch of urban chic.” It is charming. We would say it ranks as one of our favorite places we’ve visited in our travels.
There was early speculation that the city would be the largest harbor on the west coast of the U.S., and many beautiful Victorian homes were built during the late 19th century. The port was large and could accommodate overseas vessels. Shipping of goods and timber from the area was a major part of the economy.
But then the depression hit, and the railroad that was supposed to end in Port Townsend, instead ended on the east side of Puget Sound. This contributed to the rapid growth of Tacoma and Seattle. For Port Townsend, the boom was over.
Over the decades that followed, Port Townsend maintained its economic stability in a variety of ways, including the development of artillery fortifications at Fort Worden. The area is now home to the Navy’s primary munitions handling dock on the Pacific coast.
Since the 1970s, new residents, including many retirees, have moved to town, building new homes as well as restoring the Victorian buildings that had been preserved for nearly 100 years. The waterfront retail district has unique local restaurants, shops, and galleries.
Fort Worden is now a state park where festivals, concerts, and theater performances are held. It is a popular place during the summer. Many people like to mention that the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman” was filmed here. There’s also a wonderful sandy beach out on the point, which is a perfect place to watch the big ships pass by.
The Port Townsend Historic District is a U.S. National Historic Landmark District.