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Gig Harbor, Washington

Gig Harbor, Washington is located on Puget Sound near Tacoma. My first visit came only about five years ago. At the time it was one of the few towns on Puget Sound that I had not explored. I had heard testimonials to the town’s charm. And charming it is, at least the historic downtown along the waterfront. Like Poulsbo and other small Puget Sound communities, it is the historic center and waterfront that draws visitors to the town. Away from the waterfront, Gig Harbor is like most other small towns and suburbs in the Puget Sound area – almost certainly a nice place to live, but not much reason to visit. But the historic downtown is most definitely worth visiting. I don’t know why I had never visited before, but my wife and I have returned to Gig Harbor several times since that first visit, and I’m sure we will be back again soon. It has become one of our favorite places in Washington.

Once a small fishing village, Gig Harbor is now a bedroom community of nearby Tacoma. In the 1950s and 60s, new development in the area began to threaten the historic character of the area as the town developed after the Tacoma Narrows Bridge was built. However, city leaders steered most of the new development away from the harbor area. Today, Gig Harbor’s waterfront is an attractive and charming commercial district that blends modern aesthetics with the area’s historic and cultural heritage.

The history of Gig Harbor dates back to 1840, when Captain Charles Wilkes steered his “captain’s gig” into the sheltered bay during a heavy storm. The following year he published a map of the Oregon Territory, naming the bay Gig Harbor.

The Gig Harbor area was settled after the Civil War by Scandinavian and Croatian immigrants. In addition to commercial fishing, boat building and logging were also important components of Gig Harbor’s early economy. Among the prominent boat builders were the Skansie Brothers, who built the regions first gasoline powered fishing boat in 1905. The Skansie Netshed and House, home of Andrew and Bertha Skansie, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

When you arrive in Gig Harbor, park your car downtown (parking is free, but you need to get there early on summer weekends), and take a walk along the waterfront. The Skansie Netshed and House is located in Skansie Brothers Park. Maritime Pier, Jersich Dock, Ancich Park, and Eddon Boat Park are other spots where you can access the waterfront.

At the head of the bay, check out the Harbor History Museum. You can learn much more about the history and heritage of the Gig Harbor area there and see the Shenandoah, a 65-foot wooden purse-seiner built in 1925, that is being restored at the museum.

The museum is located where Donkey Creek flows into the harbor, and when the salmon are spawning you can watch them swimming upstream from viewing platforms in Donkey Creek Park, across Harborview Drive from the museum.

Tourism is more important than fishing to Gig Harbor’s economy today, but a small fishing fleet still exists and is still important to the cultural identity of the town. On the first weekend of June each year, during the Maritime Gig Festival, the fleet gathers in the bay for a Blessing of the Fleet ceremony.

Getting out on the water is both great fun and a way to view the waterfront from a different perspective. You can rent kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, and electric boats at Gig Harbor Boat Rentals, if you’re so inclined.

If you’re thinking about paying Gig Harbor a visit, a good place to start is the Gig Harbor Guide. It offers useful information on the history of the town, accommodations and dining options, and a detailed calendar of events.

My wife and I timed our first visit to coincide with the Gig Harbor Beer Festival. We’re from Beervana (also known as Portland), after all, and we frequently seek out new opportunities to sample craft beers that we’ve not tried before. Gig Harbor has four craft breweries: Gig Harbor Brewing, 7 Seas Brewing, Wet Coast Brewing, and Dunagan Brewing. We sampled beers from all but Dunagan at the beer festival, and we both found a number of beers to our liking, even though we have very different tastes in beer. Gig Harbor Brewing and 7 Seas Brewing have taprooms located on the waterfront in Gig Harbor. Wet Coast has a taproom just off Hwy 16 in the newer part of Gig Harbor. And Dunagan’s Irish Pub and Brewery is located about a mile south of Wet Coast, also just off Hwy 16. Of the four, only Dunagan’s serves food. If you want to eat as well as drink, try the Tides Tavern or one of the other establishments listed in the Gig Harbor Guide.

One restaurant that you should not miss is Netshed No. 9. Breakfast there was so good that we came back the next morning. And it has become our go to spot for breakfast when we’re in Gig Harbor. Try their triple berry whipped ricotta French toast. It might be the best French toast I’ve ever had. Netshed No. 9 is not open for dinner, but the same owners operate Brix 25°, located next door. We didn’t eat there, so I can’t vouch for it personally, but I have no doubt that it offers the same quality dining experience. One dinner place that we did eat at is Il Lucano, a very fine, authentic Italian restaurant a few blocks off the waterfront. Another place that I can recommend is Millville Pizza, on the waterfront. They serve artisanal wood fired pizzas, appetizers and homemade desserts. In my opinion, Millville is one of the best pizza places in the Northwest.

Today, many of Gig Harbor’s roughly 10,000 inhabitants commute to Tacoma across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The first bridge was built in 1940, but due to a design flaw, it proved to be vulnerable to cross winds. Nicknamed “Galloping Gertie,” it collapsed in a relatively minor windstorm only a few months after it was completed. It wasn’t until 1950 that a replacement bridge was built.

Once known mostly for the “Tacoma Aroma” produced by the polluted tide flats of Commencement Bay, a pulp and paper mill, a rendering plant, and an oil refinery, Tacoma has experienced a cultural, environmental, and artistic renaissance in recent decades. Industrial areas, like the old Dickman Mill site (now a city park), have been reclaimed and remediated. And the Tacoma Aroma is no more, thanks to modern environmental regulations. Today, the city has a vibrant arts scene, highlighted by the Museum of Glass and the Tacoma Art Museum in the Museum District. The city also has many beautiful parks. The 760-acre Point Defiance Park features a zoo, an aquarium, several botanical gardens, hundreds of acres of forest, and miles of Puget Sound waterfront. So, consider adding a visit to Tacoma to your itinerary when you come to Gig Harbor. But regardless of whether or not you choose to visit Tacoma, Gig Harbor should definitely be on your radar, if it’s not already. It’s an interesting, historical, and beautiful town with a lot of things to see and do.

Originally posted August 29, 2019 by Alan K. Lee. Most recent update December 9, 2023.

All photos © Alan K. Lee

Victoria, British Columbia

by Alan K. Lee

Victoria, British Columbia has long been my favorite Pacific Northwest city. It has always been the most British city in British Columbia, but it also has a distinctly Pacific Northwest/Canadian vibe. The city certainly reflects its British heritage, but it has also been influenced by the Native American/First Nations cultures that preceded the British and exhibits its own unique version of Pacific Northwestern cross-border culture. Think British charm without the stiff upper lip formality of Old England.

Victoria’s British charm may have been diluted a little over the years as it has grown and become a more cosmopolitan city, but it retains enough of that charm that so captivated me the first time I visited that I keep coming back. My wife and I have traveled to Victoria many times and will visit again soon.

The following is an updated and slightly edited version of a 2018 post on this site.

The Royal British Columbia Museum will probably always be my first choice of places to visit in Victoria. Too many museums are stodgy and boring, but the Royal BC has always been immersive and captivating. It’s expansive enough and interesting enough that spending a full day there is not out of the question.

If you’re visiting Victoria, the Royal BC Museum should be near the top of your must see list. If you’re not as captivated by it as I am, and don’t want to spend a half a day, or more, there, there are half a dozen other places worth visiting in close proximity. The British Columbia Parliament buildings are next door. On the other side, Thunderbird Park has a collection of totem poles and several historic structures. The Empress Hotel (officially the Fairmont Empress) is a block away. And Beacon Hill Park is just a few blocks to the south. Then there is the Victoria Bug Zoo, just north of the Empress. I would probably enjoy seeing that, but I don’t think there’s any way I could drag my wife there.

The BC Parliament Buildings and grounds are open to the public. Free guided tours of the buildings lasting 30-45 minutes are conducted daily in the summer and on weekdays the rest of the year. You can also take a self-guided tour, and tour books are available in a variety of languages. Self-guided tours are not available on weekends and holidays, though. The grounds are free and open to the public at all times. For more information, click here.

Thunderbird Park, next door to the Royal BC Museum, is a nice place to relax in the harbor area. It has a nice collection of native totem poles, and three historic structures: the Mungo Martin House, built by native carver Chief Mungo Martin in 1953; the Helmcken House, built by Dr. John Helmcken in 1852; and St. Anne’s Schoolhouse, built in 1844.

Beacon Hill Park, stretching from a block south of Thunderbird Park to the shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, is a beautiful 62-acre parcel of land dedicated as a city park in 1882. It is home to a totem pole carved by Chief Mungo Martin, David Martin, and Henry Hunt that was the world’s tallest (160 feet) when it was erected in 1956. It is still billed as the world’s tallest free standing totem pole. Park facilities include hiking trails, including a trail along the shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, a petting zoo (officially the Beacon Hill Children’s Farm), a wading pool, water fountains, picnic areas, sports fields and playgrounds, and a band pavilion.

The harbor front has a number of restaurants and hotels, the most famous of which, by far, is the Empress Hotel. Built in 1908 by the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Chateauesque style similar to other CPR hotels such as the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise, the Empress was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1981.

Water taxis in front of the Empress Hotel

The Inner Harbor is a busy place, and if you like to people watch, the harbor front is the place go. You can also book whale watching trips, seaplane flights, and carriage rides at the harbor front. Small water taxis, also called pickle boats, are also available that will take you to various waterfront locations, including many of the waterfront hotels and restaurants. Harbor tours are also available. And if you’re there on a weekend morning in the summer, you can catch a group of these little, very maneuverable boats putting on a water ballet, with the boats’ maneuvers choreographed to music broadcast from the shore. It’s fascinating and guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Performances are conducted every Sunday at 10:45 a.m. from late May to late September, and on Saturdays at 10:45 a.m. in July and August.

Craigdarroch Castle (photo from Wikipedia Commons)

There is much more to Victoria than what can be found near the harbor front, of course. Tour Craigdarroch Castle, an ornate Victorian mansion located a mile east of the inner harbor area, and Government House, just a few blocks to the south. Take in a performance at the Royal Theatre, on Broughton St, a few blocks north and east of the Empress. Or relax in one of the area’s other parks, such as Saxe Point and McAulay Point in Esquimalt, Uplands Park in Oak Bay, or Gorge Park on the Gorge Waterway.

The Emily Carr House, pictured above, is another place worth visiting. Emily Carr (1871-1945) was a renowned artist, writer, and advocate for social justice.

Eating and drinking spots are abundant in downtown Victoria. Afternoon Tea at the Empress is one of Victoria’s most iconic experiences, and high on the list of Victoria’s premier attractions. If the cost of high tea at the Empress (currently 78 Canadian dollars, approx. 60 US dollars, per person) is too rich for your blood, other slightly less expensive (and sometimes more highly rated) tea services can be found at the Tea House at Abkhazi Garden, White Heather Tea Room, and Pendray Inn and Tea House (formerly known as the Gatsby Mansion).

If a pint is more to your liking than a cuppa, there are many quality pubs near the Inner Harbor. Try Spinnakers Gastro Pub, across the Johnson Street Bridge in the Outer Harbor area. On Government Street, a few blocks north of the Empress you’ll find Bard and Banker, The Churchill, Garrick’s Head Pub, and Irish Times Pub, all rated highly and all within a block and a half of each other.

For an upscale dinner in the Inner Harbor area, Little Jumbo Restaurant and Bar is hard to beat. Catch their happy hour for a more affordable menu and cocktails. Il Terazzo, Brasserie L’Ecole, Il Covo, OLO Restaurant, and Saveur Restaurant all get rave reviews as well. For breakfast, try John’s Place (eight different versions of Eggs Benedict), or Jam (popular and crowded, but well worth it).

Outside of Victoria, Butchart Gardens is one of the Northwest’s and Canada’s most visited sites. Victoria is, of course, the gateway to the rest of Vancouver Island and its myriad attractions. It is also one of the gateways to the Gulf Islands, one of my favorite places in the Northwest.

If you haven’t experienced Victoria yet, go! You won’t regret it.

Originally posted 11-15-18. Most recent update 4-29-23.

Charleston, South Carolina

by Alan K. Lee

Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia had been on my bucket list of travel destinations for a long time. So, when my wife and I decided to visit Asheville, North Carolina and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, taking a side trip to Charleston and Savannah seemed like a sensible addition to our itinerary. It wouldn’t add much expense and, being only 100 miles apart, we could get at least a taste of both cities in the limited amount of time we had. (To see my post on our visit to Asheville, click here).

We drove from Asheville to Charleston on a Sunday morning and spent the afternoon wandering around the historic center of the city. It’s older and more traditional, more Old South, than Asheville, but no less charming – lots of wonderful old houses and buildings, in all conditions from newly renovated to literally falling down, often the one adjacent to the other.

The oldest surviving structure in the city, the Middleburg Plantation House, was constructed in 1699. Spanning more than three centuries, the architecture of Charleston includes Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Charleston Single House, and Art Deco style buildings and houses.

We found a wonderful restaurant, the now closed Hominy Grill, not far from our Airbnb for dinner that evening. The menu featured fresh, home-style food taken wonderfully upscale. Winner of the 2008 James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast, we found it to be just a great place to eat. Actually, the food was wonderful everywhere we ate in Charleston. It would take a long time to sample all of the many acclaimed restaurants in the city. The annual Charleston Food + Wine Festival brings thousands of tourists to Charleston each March, and food tours are popular year around.

While many people come to Charleston just for the food, there is much more to see and do in Charleston, of course. There are walking and carriage tours of the city, and plantation and garden tours. Fort Sumpter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired, is a short distance outside of town. You can learn some of the history of the area and see the city from the water on a boat tour of the harbor. The city has a number of outstanding museums, including the Charleston Museum, the Nathaniel Russel House, and Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. And there is much more to see and do, more than we had time for in our three days in the city.

We spent most of our second day in Charleston exploring more of the historic center of the city, then ended the day with a trip to Folly Beach, about ten miles south of the city. Near the center of the small town of Folly Beach, Folly Beach Pier extends more than 1000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean. Folly Beach County Park lies at the west end of the island. At the east end, Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve offers a more secluded beach about a quarter mile walk from the end of East Ashley Avenue with a view across the water to Morris Island Lighthouse, which is surrounded by water just offshore from the westernmost point of Morris Island.

The next day we made the short trip across the Ravenel Bridge to Shem Creek Park in Mount Pleasant. The park encompasses a large salt marsh where Shem Creek meets Charleston Harbor. There are extensive boardwalks that allow you to get out in the marsh, and nice views across the harbor to downtown Charleston. It’s a nice place to get away from the city for awhile and rest your feet. And after all the walking around Charleston that we did the previous days, my feet needed a rest.

Our final morning in Charleston we made a second stop at Hominy Grill for breakfast. On our way out of town we made a couple of stops not far outside of Charleston. The first was the Angel Oak Tree on Johns Island. This huge Southern live oak is estimated to be 400-500 years old. It’s trunk measures 28 feet in circumference, it’s 66 feet tall, and its canopy covers 17,200 square feet of ground.

After leaving Angel Tree, we made a second stop at Caw Caw Interpretive Center, another of Charleston County’s many parks. There are six miles of trails and boardwalks through a former rice plantation that is now marshland and swamp. The park is managed for wildlife, and is home to otters, alligators, deer, and other wildlife. Caw Caw is one of coastal Carolina’s birding hot spots. It’s also the site of the 1739 slave revolt known as the Stono Rebellion.

We had a great time exploring Charleston. It’s really a beautiful and charming place. But to really see all it has to offer, you need to plan for more than a three-day visit. For more information, check out the Charleston SC Visitors Guide and Discover South Carolina websites.

After our visit to Charleston, we made the two-hour drive to Savannah. To read about our visit to Savannah, click here.

Originally posted Jan. 20, 2020. Updated and re-posted April 9, 2023.