Do you love to hear good music?…read more Do you love to be in a beautiful setting with mountains, apple orchards, beautiful gardens...and just to get away from it all? If you do then do yourself a favor and check out the Olympic Music Festival. I truly *heart* this musical getaway. I've driven past the signs to the Olympic Music Festival many times in the past on my way to Hood Canal and we've finally stopped by. My regret is that we didn't do this sooner. This is such a wonderful activity to do in the summer time. Pack a picnic, a bottle of wine, some carrots (for the donkeys) and head over to Hood Canal. The experience of listening to beautiful music in the shades of the apple trees surrounded by mountains and open air...HEAVENLY (and I'm not even exaggerating). Beethoven sounded even better when I'm breathing in fresh country air and gazing up at blue sky and mountains...seriously! If I could write poetry, this place would surely be an inspiration. GO! NOW! or the next weekend (open on weekends at 2pm). They're playing all summer until Labor Day. Check out the Seattle Times' review for more info. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2009359860_olympic21.html

This is the yin to my yang. What an awesome celebration of classical music. Totally casual…read moreenvironment. Great music and a glorious venue. Spend a day or a weekend. Nothing like Washington in the Summer. I'm totally in love w/ this festival. To see what I'm talking about, go to http://www.olympicmusicfestival.org/. You won't regret it. Bring an SO or not. This place is romantic, and it's very real.

"A" for effort! I hadn't gotten embroiled in the political side of things since I don't live in the…read morearea and I flew to Washington primarily based on this festival (I'm from Hawaii). I know there's some kind of feud going on between the flower factions of this-and-that but it didn't stop me from going. There's not a whole amount of information out there about the Lavender Festival so I had to do some digging before I went (mainly via Youtube) but I was pretty amazed at the collaboration and effort that goes into making this festival a reality. This is a large-scale operation that involves not only the main town but the outskirts as well: The main festival is located in downtown in Sequim. Parking is tight as the other reviewers have mentioned but I pulled into the heart of it and paid a $10 fee in a private dirt lot. When you are limited on time, you just gotta pay. It was very hot and I wasn't sure if I'd be buying a lot of things and didn't want to lug them down several blocks, so I paid for the convenience, which I didn't mind. There are a lot of vendors: food, drink, rocks, lavender stuff, flea market junk, hippie new-age stuff, crystals, plants, clothing, etc. It's like your typical farm fair. FOOD: I was really hoping to try a bunch of exotic lavender-flavored items since I've read about their lavender flavored shrimp in year's past but all I encountered were some lavender cocktails (delish) and lavender ice cream from Olympic Mountain (blew my socks off). As far as real food was concerned, it was a wash. I ordered a veggie plate from a local "Thai" vendor and it was terrible. Seating was very limited in the shade around the food stations. There was a lot of seating in and around the booze tent but it was under the hot sun, no thanks. The kid and I ended up sitting on a bunch of hay bales under a tree eating our ice cream. The kid had to wait outside of the tent while I sucked down my French Connection ($8). Toilets were porta potties scattered about the premises. The other half of the festival is on the outskirts of Sequim and some of it overlapping into Port Angeles in the various lavender farms that participate during the festival. I found out which farms were free by snagging a free periodical left in the hotel lobby and decided to visit them during the festival. Due to limited time, I couldn't visit all the festivals I had desired, so I stopped at strategic ones along the way (they deserve their own ratings). No matter if you are visiting the farms or the festival downtown itself, be sure to slather on the sun screen, take a bunch of cash, water, wet wipes and plan on meeting at common spot if anyone gets lost. I'll be coming back that's for sure. Despite whatever is going on between the War of the Lavenders, I'm grateful that this festival lives on and I am hoping it won't go away any time soon. I can imagine this festival means a lot to the economy of Sequim and its surrounding towns and I'd hate to see it dissolve due to disagreements on how it should be run. Long Live Lavender!!

"An alluringly scented festival showcasing everything handmade, unique, and lavender."…read more Sequim home to the annual Lavender Festival and draws hundreds if not thousands of crowds. Lavender farms around the area are open for tours (some require an entrance fee) and sells bundles of freshly cut lavenders and other novelty items. Each farm is different and the uniqueness definitely adds to the character of each location. Make sure to grab a Lavender Festival guide map for a detailed list of farms around the area. The Street Fair is located in downtown Sequim on Fir street. Parking can be tricky and I suggest early attendance to secure a reasonable spot. Admission is free and the fair does allow dogs on the premises. Food options are decent and the live entertainment is a nice touch. Here are the farms we visited in our quest to see the lavenders: Graysmarsh - Cash only. Options of lavender and raspberry picking. Pets not allowed. Abundance in parking however no gift shop. Fat Cat Farm - Diverse gift shop and very friendly service. Only $5.00 for u-pick lavenders and the farm grounds are simply picturesque. Dogs are allowed however mind the free roaming chickens. Cards accepted and minimum of $10 purchase. Lavender connection - Smaller gift shop however they offer a "create your own scent." There are some seating areas for tired travelers. The owners were very ice and personable. Oliver's Lavender Farm- Not as much of a crowd compared to other farms. Small gift shop located in the back of the main house and offers a good selection of various lavender products. Martha's Lane - Ice cream shop features lavender flavors. I tried the white chocolate raspberry lavender ice cream. The texture was simply amazing and the taste was a perfect marriage of raspberries, sweetness, and lavender. They also offer various types of lavenders and each row is labeled for convenience. No pets allowed as this farm is organic certified. They have a fantastic gift shop with an abundance of lavender themed items. Beware as this shop can inspire sudden gift giving. Victor's Farm - Parking was full and the farm is very popular. There were more items in the gift shop and visitors can view the process of drying out the bunches of lavenders. Make sure to walk around to the back of the farm. Live music, lavender lemonade, and seating areas makes this a wonderful pit stop. The lavender festival is a good tourist/weekend activity for all ages. Excellent community and the staff from all of the farms were helpful and pleasant.

Great little museum but rich in history and stories. It's only a $4.00 worthwhile entrance fee. It…read moreputs everything in perspectove on what you see as you go exploring the batteries at the park. We didn't get to spend as much time here as we would like as the park closes at dusk, which is a little after 4pm during January. I highly recommend not skipping this museum when visiting Fort Worden.

To start, I was shocked it is only $4.00 to get in and free for young kids. I'm used to paying…read moreinsane museum fee's ($15-$20 per person) by where I live. Anyway, this place was neat! It is not very big but it contains lots of information. There are two different wings to the museum, and a small movie room. I absolutely loved the gun room. It is a room with hundreds of guns on the wall that are encased in glass. Super cool! The men working here were also super nice and had lots of good information to share. It was really cool hearing about the history of Fort Worden. What a neat place!

This is an established gallery in a new, and much nicer location. There should be plenty of of…read morefoot traffic. The gallery is in a 1890's era building of old bricks and exposed ductwork. The gallery has two rooms. The day we visited, the well lit front had a display of art made from re-cycled/re-purposed materials. Very creative. It was with many artists mostly from the Olympic Peninsula area. The back gallery was a more the diverse collection of different media. All the artists are top shelf and not amateurish. My only complaint (selfishly so) is the lack of art photography (not the klitchy street festival kind). One or two pieces would be nice.

Excellent art gallery and reading space. I attended a reading connected with the port Townsend…read morewriters conference center. High-quality writers, lovely.

I selected this unincorporated town to explore on a recent trip. It was quaint and enjoyable, the…read moresmall museum was full of organized artifacts and records, the local historic homes were beautiful and the docents/ people were welcoming, hospitable and informative. Thank you!!!! I will be back to explore another section of your lovely area.

I love a small community historical museum and this space didn't disappoint. I carved out about an…read morehour to spend was able to wander on my own for quite some time. The board secretary was on hand (a recently retired school teacher) and filled in some gaps for me. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the local history and shared wonderful stories about the museum and the area. The museum is currently going through a capital campaign and will be expanding their grounds to include tours of a historic home. They have lovely space for picnics and hope to also offer space for weddings in the future. They currently have a large open field and an amphitheater that can be used for outdoor summer concerts. Not sure if I need to go back - I think I saw everything that there is to see. But if you are interested in local history and are in the area; I can't more highly recommend a visit!

Love this cute little town! There is so much to see and do for a few hours. There are plenty of…read morerestaurants with a variety of food choices. Cool old historic buildings to see. A definite must stop is the General Store. It is huge inside with a cafe, museum, restrooms, ATM and tons of gifts. We thoroughly enjoyed walking around this town. We had lunch at Butcher & Baker Provisions, and it was excellent. Their cakes and cheesecakes are delicious! Highly recommend stopping here while in the area.

Port Gamble was not part of the original adventures, but after talking with Norma Jean at the…read morebotanical gardens, it had my curiosity peaking, historical old lumber port town and beaches... I was in! Upon arriving, seeing the beautiful old houses, a cute authentic general store, and amazing views of the sound, I couldn't wait to explore it further. Plenty of parking, I headed down to check out the beach, on the way seeing that during the summer season, there are kayak rentals (another reason to return) what made the beach interesting, besides a ton of seashells, was that it was adjacent to where the town in the old days had their dump and landfill, so over time, the old glass was finding its way onto the beach, Cool stuff! A little bit like the glass beach near Fort Bragg, Cali. Definitely enjoyed walking through the town, appreciating the buildings and houses and history. They have guest houses for rent, there was a wedding going on, so that's another venue available, lots of gift and art shops and a cute Tap House I'll review as well. A fun historical place with great views of the Sound to add to adventures in the area. God bless and Cheers!

What a fun scavenger hunt and great u-pick lavender. Being amongst the fields of bees is awesome…read more So much to see. Highly recommend!

The old opera house in Stanwood is now known as the Floyd Nygaard Center. Located right at the…read moreheart of downtown, the venue hosts events ranging from art shows to dinner auctions. We recently attended an fundraising event at the center and it was memorable. The building was built in the early 1900s and has probably undergone a few facelifts, but features original to the building can still be appreciated. The building has a small kitchen for caterers so the venue is ideal for smaller events fof 120 or less. There is also a built-in bar for beverages. Ample parking is available onsite.