Taking the Ferry from Port Townsend to Coupeville on Whidbey Island

My wife and I recently spent a week enjoying the Pacific Northwest, dividing our time between Astoria, Oregon and Port Townsend, Washington, using each town as a home base to explore the surrounding areas. By far, the most fun day we had was when we walked from our hotel cottage in Port Townsend to catch the 11am ferry to Whidbey Island. I just bought walk on tickets when we got there which were only $5 per person each way. We timed it just right - walking up just as the last cars were loading. It was also timed so that when we got off the ferry at the Coupeville Ferry Terminal we only had to wait about 5 minutes for the free no charge Island Transit shuttle bus to pick us up for the 20 minute route into the town of Coupeville, where the original Practical Magic movie was filmed. The ferry from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island takes about 30 to 35 minutes and pedestrians are the first ones off. I saw either a small whale, dolphin, or sea lion on the ride over.

It was early October so Coupeville was already leaning into the Halloween theme, with witchy decorations all over town. The weather was absolutely perfect. A crisp, clear, and warmish early fall day. After a brief look around at the picture perfect Front Street, we went into Toby's Tavern for lunch and a beer or two. Toby's is the kind of place that you could settle in to, but we managed to escape after only about 90 minutes, LOL! We took more pictures and walked around a bit more. We had some time to kill before taking the shuttle > ferry back, so we got a glass of wine from Vail Wine Shop and Tasting Room and savored the incredible outdoor view from the little porch behind the building.

After about 30 minutes, it was time to go back because we didn't want to leave our dog alone in the hotel room for too long. The shuttle was late picking us up (or had it been early so we missed it???). It finally arrived only about 8 minutes late and we still made the same ferry back to Port Townsend that we had intended to. We saw sea lions in the water on the ferry ride back.

Let me back track a bit. We spent the first part of our trip in Astoria, OR. We had been to Astoria many times before, but it was still fun to spend a few days off in our favorite town in Oregon with its rugged river views and blue collar feel. We went to many of the breweries, including Fort George and Buoy of course. We had some good breakfasts and we also discovered a well established but new-to-us restaurant called Silver Salmon Grille that we'll be returning to on future visits. While in Astoria, we drove across the bridge into Washington state to visit Cape Disappointment and take in the expansive views and the lighthouse there.

I had never been to Port Townsend, WA before so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I thought it would be similar to Astoria but it was actually quite different. Both are small maritime cities of similar size and populations, but Port Townsend has a more artistic, well preserved, upscale thing going on. With calmer waters. While Astoria is a great no nonsense hub for craft beer and pub food, Port Townsend is more suited to cozy bistros and quiet lounges where you can enjoy small plates with a glass of wine or a cocktail and imagine yourself living there. It's a place where rich, older people go to retire. It took a minute to warm to Port Townsend's charms, but I ended up liking it a lot!

We did the touristy things in Port Townsend like walking along Water street, catching the shuttle to uptown, visiting Chetzemoka Park, Fort Warden Historical State Park, and Fort Townsend Historical State Park, and driving out to Finnriver Farm and Cidery. It was also fun to just sit with our dog outside The Old Whiskey Mill on Water Street and watch people walk by. Port Townsend had some great breakfast spots (Hudson Point Café and The Courtyard Café) as well as some good places for dinner and/or a nightcap (Mezzaluna Lounge and Alchemy Bistro and Wine Bar), plus a good old fashioned locals bar bar (Anchor).

I'm looking forward to returning to Port Townsend and spending more time on Whidbey Island!

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