Tygart Media

Category: Jefferson County

Port Townsend, Quilcene, Brinnon

  • Port Townsend & East Jefferson: Farmers Market Opens, UFO Fiber Art Exhibit & Victorian Heritage Festival April 24–26 — Exploring Olympic Peninsula

    Port Townsend has a lot going on this spring — here’s what to know before your next visit.

    The Port Townsend Saturday Farmers Market opened for the 2026 season on April 4, and it’s running every Saturday 9 AM–2 PM through the season at Tyler and Lawrence Streets in Uptown. With up to 90 vendors at peak season — local produce, seafood, baked goods, artisan crafts, and prepared food — it’s one of the finest small-city farmers markets in Washington State. Easy to combine with a stroll through Port Townsend’s Victorian downtown.

    Also worth a stop: Peninsula Fiber Artists just installed “UFO: Second Sightings” — a walk-by fiber art exhibit at the Fiber Habit Window, 675 Tyler St. The concept is intriguing: artists traded their own unfinished objects (UFOs) anonymously with each other and transformed them into entirely new finished works. The exhibit is viewable 24/7 through May 31, no ticket required.

    Looking ahead to late April, mark your calendars for the 30th Annual Victorian Heritage Festival, April 24–26, 2026. The festival includes presentations and events at Fort Worden State Park, Victorian fashion talks, and guided walking tours through Port Townsend’s remarkable collection of preserved Victorian architecture. One of the most distinctive heritage events anywhere on the Olympic Peninsula.

    Port Townsend Spring Events

    • Saturday Farmers Market: Every Saturday 9 AM–2 PM, Tyler & Lawrence Streets, Uptown Port Townsend. Up to 90 vendors. 2026 season runs April through fall. jcfmarkets.org
    • “UFO: Second Sightings” Fiber Art Exhibit: Fiber Habit Window, 675 Tyler St. Viewable 24/7 through May 31. Free. Peninsula Fiber Artists.
    • 30th Annual Victorian Heritage Festival: April 24–26, 2026. Fort Worden State Park events, fashion talks, architectural walking tours. Port Townsend Heritage Association. yourpeninsula.com for details.

    Sources: Jefferson County Farmers Markets (jcfmarkets.org), Peninsula Daily News (April 7, 2026), PT Leader, yourpeninsula.com, Chevy Chase Beach Cabins event listing

  • Hood Canal North: Bald Eagle Kayak Tours in Brinnon — Sculpin Season Draws 100+ Eagles to Hood Canal — Exploring Olympic Peninsula

    Spring is eagle season along Hood Canal North — and right now, the numbers are extraordinary.

    Hood Canal Adventures in Brinnon is running their Bald Eagle Viewing Kayak Tours through June, and the timing couldn’t be better. The annual Pacific midshipman sculpin spawn draws massive concentrations of bald eagles to the Hood Canal shoreline near the Dosewallips delta. At low tide, the spawning fish become exposed in the shallows — and the eagles follow. Guides routinely spot 40 to 60 bald eagles at once, with some peak days exceeding 100 perched along the banks and overhanging trees. This is one of the most dramatic wildlife spectacles in western Washington, quietly unfolding on the jade-green waters of Hood Canal every spring.

    If you’re craving more intertidal magic, Hood Canal Adventures also runs Tide Pool Exploration tours with an on-water marine biologist — paddle out at low tide to find sea stars, nudibranchs, sea anemones, sea cucumbers, and crab in the rocky shallows. Their Dosewallips Estuary Kayak Tour takes you deep into the 1,000-acre wildlife delta at Dosewallips State Park, where elk sightings are surprisingly common even from the water.

    Spring is the sweet spot to experience Hood Canal North — before summer ferry crowds and before temperatures push visitors toward the mountains. Book at hoodcanaladventures.com or find their full listing and reviews at explorehoodcanal.com.

    Hood Canal North Spring Guide

    • Bald Eagle Viewing Kayak Tour: 2.5 hrs. Running April–June. 40–100+ bald eagles typical during sculpin spawn. Hood Canal Adventures, 306146 Hwy 101 N, Brinnon. (360) 301-6310. hoodcanaladventures.com
    • Tide Pool Exploration Tour: 2.5 hrs with marine biologist guide. Sea stars, nudibranchs, anemones, sea cucumbers.
    • Dosewallips Estuary Kayak Tour: 1,000-acre wildlife delta. Elk sightings common. Connects to Dosewallips State Park trail system.
    • Dosewallips State Park: 1,000+ acres, Maple Valley and Steam Donkey trails, yurts available year-round.

    Sources: explorehoodcanal.com, hoodcanaladventures.com, TripAdvisor 2026 listings, Hood Canal Adventures Facebook