Bremerton, WA Road Trips

Downtown has three museums, in one block, within walking distance of the ferries. Native American Salish people lived comfortably in the Puget Sound area, navigating the local waterways in well-made cedar canoes for thousands of years before 1792 when Captain George Vancouver 'discovered' the area, named it after one of his officers and declared the area for Great Britain. Once the Washington Territory was established in 1853, the U.S. government began signing treaties with area tribes to acquire their lands. The Suquamish people ceded most of their land around the Kitsap Peninsula to the United States. Soon, logging came into the area in full force. The areas once impassible thick forests gave way to farms, towns and industry as lumber was shipped off to areas such as San Francisco or burned as fuel for the growing fleet of boats known as the Mosquito Fleet. In 1888, William Bremer, a German immigrant from a wealthy banking family, traveled by boat from Seattle and purchased land that is now Bremerton from a local logger. In 1891, Bremer negotiated with Lt. A.B. Wyckoff to sell 190 acres to the U.S. Navy for Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, still a major employer. Bremer platted the town around the Navy's property and gave it his name. He opened businesses to support the Navy's activities. The City of Bremerton was incorporated in 1901. The Bremerton Chamber of Commerce was incorporated in 1928 with William Gates, Sr., grandfather of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, as treasurer.

Bremerton Harborside and Louis Mentor Boardwalk. Beautiful fountains and wide plaza along the Bremerton Waterfront 1 Kitsap Historical Society and Museum, 280 4th St, ☏ +1 360 479-6226. Tuesday through Saturday 10-4. collects, preserves, and exhibits the diverse culture, heritage and history of Kitsap County with a great collection of photos. Adult $4, youth (6-17 yr) $3, child (5 yr and under) free, student/military (w/ID) $3., Senior (65 yrs) $3. 2 Elandan Gardens, 3050 W State Hwy 16, ☏ +1 360-373-8260. Two acres of rhododendrons, Japanese maples and Bonsai trees. $10 per person for adults, $1 for children 6-12 years old. 3 Puget Sound Navy Museum, 251 First St, ☏ +1 360 479-7447. 10AM-4PM, closed Tuesday (Oct - April). collects, preserves, and interprets the naval heritage of the Pacific Northwest from 1840 to the present and has more than 18,000 objects in its collection. Free. (updated Mar 2019) 4 USS Turner Joy, 300 Washington Beach Ave (on Bremerton Boardwalk within an easy walk of the Seattle Ferry Terminal and the Harborside Convention Center), ☏ +1 360 792-2457. Mar-Oct 10AM-5PM, Nov-Feb 10AM-4PM. Tour a Vietnam-era Destroyer and see how life would have been for the 17 officers and 275 enlisted men it took to run the ship. Adults $22, veterans $20, seniors (62+) $19, youth (13-17) $17, children (5-12) $15, under 5 free, active military (with ID) tree. (updated Sep 2024) 5 Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, 1400 Farragut Ave #850. Established in 1891 as a Naval Station and was designated Navy Yard Puget Sound in 1901.

1 Bremerton Raceway, 7500 Old Clifton Rd, ☏ +1 360 674-2280, [email protected]. NHRA Division 6 Championship drag racing 2 Illahee State Park, 3540 NE Sylvan Way, ☏ +1 360 478-6460. Daily, 8AM-Dusk. close to Bremerton is a 75-acre marine camping park with 1,785 feet of saltwater frontage on Port Orchard Bay near Bremerton. "Illahee" means "earth" or "country" in the Indian tradition, and views of Puget Sound from the Illahee beach give the viewer a sense of what that word meant to native people. (updated Jun 2018) 3 Green Mountain State Forest, ☏ +1 360-825-1631, [email protected]. It is a 6,000-acre working forest a few miles west of Bremerton. 13 miles of trails and recreation opportunities for a variety of activities including horseback riding, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, camping, and other uses. The Green Mountain Horse Camp offer 16 campsites for first-come, first-served camping and the views include Puget Sound, Hood Canal, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and the Seattle skyline. There's an access road on Green Mountain that's open on weekends, allowing cars to be driven close to the top. (updated Mar 2025) The Kitsap Audubon Society has been meeting since 1972 and has a broad coalition of birders tracking and sharing sightings since then. They maintain an active website with updates of the latest sightings, suggestions on areas for birders and even a regular newsletter. They also developed a checklist of birds likely to be seen birds in the area.

1 Brother Don's, 4200 Kitsap Way, ☏ +1 360 377 8442. Su-Th 11AM-9PM, F Sa 11AM-10PM. Live music most evenings. (updated Apr 2025) 2 Fritz Fry House, 435 Pacific Ave, ☏ +1 360 479-1088. A beer and fry place (updated Apr 2025)

1 Chaos Bay Brewing, 2901 Perry Ave Suite 13 (in the Manette neighborhood). Brewery owned and operated by women with a wide selection of craft beers. 2 Silver City Brewery, 206 Katy Penman Ave, ☏ +1 360 813 1487.

Hampton Inn & Suites, 150 Washington Ave., ☏ +1 360 405-0200. Midway Inn, 2909 Wheaton Way, ☏ +1 360 479-2909.

State Route 3 (SR-3) is the main highway to Bremerton. From Shelton, take SR-3 north through the county. From the Olympic Peninsula, cross the Hood Canal Bridge near the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula, then take SR-3 south. From Tacoma and Interstate 5, take State Route 16 north across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge until it joins SR-3 near Gorst. 1 Washington State Ferries, ☏ +1 206-464-6400, toll-free: +1-800-843-3779. Connects downtown Seattle to Bremerton. All ferries are for both vehicles and walk on passengers and offer scenic views of the Puget Sound and Olympic mountains on the way into the area. 60 minutes one way; departures every 60-90 minutes. Bremerton is a favored boating venue for exploring the area, with a large, destination public marina. There is a 500 ft (150 m) buffer zone around US Navy vessels and facilities. Bremerton Marina, 120 Washington Beach Ave (in downtown Bremerton), ☏ +1 360-373-1035. Centrally located within walking distance to shops and restaurants and with room for 80-100 visiting boaters. Port Orchard Marina, 707 Sidney Pkwy, Port Orchard, ☏ +1 360-876-5535. Just across the harbor from Bremerton this guest dock is 3000 feet in length. There are 44 guest moorage slips available. The total estimated guest boat capacity is 180. Electrical hook up is available for a fee. Electrical power is available in 30 and 50 amps. It has been reported the minimum depth at mean low tide is 30. Fuel and pump out available.

Kitsap Transit offers transit services throughout Bremerton and between Bremerton, to Silverdale, Poulsbo, Bainbridge Island, Port Orchard. They also operate the foot ferry between Port Orchard, Bremerton and the Annapolis Ferry Terminals (see "By foot ferry" below). Kitsap Transit connects with Mason Transit Rt #3 (Mason County) at the Bremerton Ferry Terminal; Pierce Transit (Pierce County) in Purdy Park & Ride via Purdy Ride Shuttle from the Port Orchard Foot Ferry Terminal; and Jefferson Transit Rt# 7 (Jefferson County) at the Poulsbo North Viking Transit Center which can be reached by the 301 bus from Bremerton. Kitsap Transit Foot Ferry, ☏ +1 360 373-2877. M-Sa. shuttles passengers between Port Orchard, Bremerton and Annapolis ferry terminals using two passenger only ferries, 'Admiral Jack' and the 'Carlisle II' a historic Mosquito Fleet era boat that is nearly 100 years old. Foot ferry service is a great way to tour a historic boat and get an up close and personal view of the marinas and the harbor. $2. (updated Mar 2019) KnM Transport, ☏ +1 360-525-6360. Transporting mobility challenged clients in specially equipped vans. City Cab Taxi Service, +1 360 550-5377