10 Museums in Port Townsend That You Shouldn't Miss

Northwind Arts Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides visual art exhibits and sales, literary (poetry, prose, theater) reading series, new music in the Songwriters Showcase, the annual Art Port Townsend event, the Art in the Library exhibit and sales at the Port Townsend Public Library, and other programs. Our property at 701 Water Street is also available for event rental.

Jefferson Museum of Art & History is located in Port Townsend's historic 1892 City Hall building. The Museum features award-winning exhibits that display our unique cultural history of Maritime, Native American, and Early Settler life throughout its multiple galleries. The historic courtroom is now an art gallery, displaying the works of noted regional artists. Once Port Townsend's Fire Hall, Courtroom, Jail and Police Station in the late 1800s, the building itself has many stories to tell! May through October the Museum offers historic walking tours of our beautiful Victorian seaside city. The Jefferson County Historical Society also operates the historic Rothschild House as well as the Commanding Officers Quarters at Fort Worden which are open to the public from May through September.

Inspiring conservation of the Salish Sea. Founded in 1982, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center is a non-profit educational organization whose mission is to inspire conservation of the Salish Sea. We provide place-based, people powered, hands-on learning for all ages including youth camps, exhibits of marine flora and fauna, educational and historical displays, citizen science programs and community-based lecture series. Located at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, Wash., we offer two public exhibits: the Museum and the Aquarium.

Step through the kitchen door of the Rothschild House and step back to the 1800's. Located at the corner of Jefferson and Taylor Streets in uptown Port Townsend, the Rothschild House has been left as the family remembered it from its early years. As such, it is a surprisingly accurate reflection of our culture 100 years ago. The children's room looks like the children have just stepped out for a few minutes. The parlor waits for visiting callers. Outside, the roses of earlier generations still bloom; the herbs still rise in the springtime. Jefferson County Historical Society offers walking tours of Port Townsend's historic uptown. This tour, covering the "Moral High Ground," the genteel district up on the bluff in this once-notorious seaport, starts from the Rothschild House every Sunday at 2 pm, June through September. Please call ahead to ensure your reservation. The Rothschild House is managed by Jefferson County Historical Society. The JCHS staffs the house, while Washington State Parks provides maintenance and oversight.