Overview
Port Orchard is on the Kitsap Peninsula in the Puget Sound of Washington state. Its waterfront core has kept its original small-town character and offers commanding views of the Sinclair Inlet and the historic naval shipyard of Bremerton.
4 sights · 15 things to do · 1 places to eat · 4 bars & cafés · 1 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Port Orchard
Waterfront Park
This popular waterfront park has a boardwalk, covered gazebo, beach access and a view of Port Orchard Marina and the ongoing ship traffic. This area is central stage for many events in Port Orchard including the summer o…
Log Cabin Museum
Open seasonally and selectively, this quaint museum located in a historic log cabin features changing exhibits of home life in South Kitsap during the past 100 years as well as items typically used and tells the ongoing …
Sidney Art Museum
It is in one of Port Orchard's historic buildings. The gallery features a monthly exhibition of works of Northwest artists.
Veterans Living History Museum
This tiny museum along main street is a labor of love by its curator who has collected and displays an amazing array of military memorabilia he has collected or has been donated to him over the years. Not much space is a…
South Kitsap Regional Park
With a large area and many utilities including batting cages, a scale outdoor railroad, hiking trails, a 6-bench picnic shelter, 3 ballfields (baseball, softball, and multi-use), and more, the park frequently hosts local…
Clayton Park
Basketball court, large field for informal games, playground, picnic areas, restrooms, this is a popular sunny park for kids and their families.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: May–Sep. Summer highs reach about 78°F; winter lows dip to about 37°F. Wettest: Nov and Jan. (climate data from nearby Seattle)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- BFI King County International Airport - Boeing Field, Seattle — 16 mi away. Directions
- SEA Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Seattle — 16 mi away (major hub). Directions
It is 13 miles due west of West Seattle and connected to Seattle and Vashon Island via the Washington State Ferries run to Southworth.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 3-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Log Cabin Museum, Sidney Art Museum, Polaris Theater
- Lunch La Palapa
- Afternoon Veterans Living History Museum, Clayton Park
- Evening Chug-A-Tug Espresso
Day 2
- Morning Square Lake Park, McCormick Woods, Trophy Lake Golf & Casting
- Afternoon Waterfront Park, Concerts on the Bay
- Evening Bethel Saloon
Day 3
- Morning South Kitsap Regional Park, Village Greens Golf Course, Howe Farm County Park
- Afternoon Kitsap Live Steamers, Fathoms O’ Fun Summer Festival
- Evening Whiskey Gulch Coffee Company
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Seafood is a regional specialty so look for seasonal specials and locally sourced ingredients. Dungeness crabs, clams, oysters, mussels, and of course, salmon can all be found in abundance. Also look for fresh produce from local farms. Blackberry season towards the end of summer usually means these tasty local berries will find their way into local dessert menus.
Port Orchard offers a variety of dining options, including seafood, Italian, gourmet hot dogs and hamburgers and, of course, pizza.
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Port Orchard began as a booming lumber town called Sidney and became Kitsap County’s first incorporated city in 1890. It wooed the county seat away from Port Madison on Bainbridge Island in 1893 and remains the center of county government.
Like many towns in the area, Port Orchard used to be only accessible by boat, and the town grew around the harbor. It now includes spread-out suburbs and big box stores.
The city is very family-friendly, with child-friendly parks, a library with activities for kids, and friendly neighborhoods.
Get in
It is 13 miles due west of West Seattle and connected to Seattle and Vashon Island via the Washington State Ferries run to Southworth.
By car
State Route 16 (SR-16) is the main highway to Port Orchard.
- From Tacoma and Interstate 5, take SR-16 north across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, then take one of the several exits marked for Port Orchard.
State Route 3 (SR-3) joins SR-16 near Gorst, just west of the city.
- 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.
By boat
Arriving by water, you'll find a large, destination public marina at the center of town. There is a 500 ft buffer zone around US Navy vessels and facilities to the north.
Go Port Orchard Marina
This is the main guest moorage dock in the area and the 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.
By ferry
Place Washington State Ferries
Connects West Seattle to Southworth near Port Orchard. All ferries are for both vehicles and passengers except the ferry between downtown Seattle and Vashon Island and connections to buses can be made at all ferry terminals for walk-on passengers. The Southworth terminal provides the best access to Port Orchard however be warned that lines can get long during the summers and holidays. Try to avoid peak times such as commuting peak hours heading towards Seattle in the mornings and leaving Seattle in the late afternoons. Friday late afternoon and Sunday late afternoon should also be avoided if possible or at least plan on arriving early to avoid congestion.
By foot ferry
Go Kitsap Transit Foot Ferry
It 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.
By airport shuttle
Place Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter
It provides scheduled ground transportation to and from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to various locations on the Kitsap Peninsula.
Get around
The historic waterfront shopping area is small and very accessible on foot or bike and has easy access from the foot ferry and marina.
The rest of Port Orchard is quite spread out and is more appropriate for car travel.
By bus
See
Sinclair Inlet is a busy shipping channel that extends out from Port Orchard, with state ferries coming and going from Bremerton. The water taxis, the Naval Ship Yard and the busy local marinas make it an interesting place to watch boat traffic.
Museums
Port Orchard has several small museums all within walking distance from downtown and the marinas. This is a great way to explore some local art or learn more about Port Orchard's maritime history.
See Log Cabin Museum
Open seasonally and selectively, this quaint museum located in a historic log cabin features changing exhibits of home life in South Kitsap during the past 100 years as well as items typically used and tells the ongoing story of the Orchards. Worth watching for seasonal happenings like Santa visiting at Christmas.
See Veterans Living History Museum
This tiny museum along main street is a labor of love by its curator who has collected and displays an amazing array of military memorabilia he has collected or has been donated to him over the years. Not much space is available to navigate this tiny museum but it's worth a stop on your way exploring downtown.
Do
Parks
Do South Kitsap Regional Park
With a large area and many utilities including batting cages, a scale outdoor railroad, hiking trails, a 6-bench picnic shelter, 3 ballfields (baseball, softball, and multi-use), and more, the park frequently hosts local sports events and is a popular spot for social gatherings and celebrations.
Do Square Lake Park
Don't let the Manchester address fool you, this 7.9-acre park is southwest of Port Orchard along Lake Flora Rd. Popular with sport fishermen with limited parking and access, a small pit toilet is available. Best suited for hand-launched boats.
Entertainment
Events
Do Concerts on the Bay
Birdwatching
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.
The state Audubon Society developed The Great Audubon Birding Trail which includes key migration flyways. Flyways are major north-south routes of travel for migratory birds and likely areas to see birds along the route extending from Alaska to Patagonia. The Sinclair Inlet is one of only a handful of locations in the area along the trail and an excellent area for birdwatching.
Golf
Port Orchard is blessed with several of the top golf courses in the state some, of which offer shuttle service from the marina.
Do Village Greens Golf Course
Affordable 19-hole golf course that is well designed, Caddy shack has hotdogs, soda and coffee. There is also a small driving range.
Sea kayaking
Sea kayaking can be a rewarding way to explore the Kitsap Peninsula's nearly 400 miles of coastline. Port Orchard is a popular place to launch with its convenient downtown boat launch giving paddlers a closeup look of the harbor and the nearby naval shipyard. There is a 500 ft buffer around military vessels and ferry traffic is common, but shipping lanes are easily avoidable by boating close to shore.
Organized trails offer overnight camping options and maps of appropriate lengths and scenic travel destinations.
Scuba diving
Scuba diving the cold waters of Puget Sound takes a bit more gear and training than most warm water locations, but the rewards are incredible.
Watermans Wall is a well-known advanced dive accessible by boat near Port Orchard. When rounding Point Glover, you will see a very prominent navigational marker on a large concrete foundation on the shore to your left (mistaken for a lighthouse by some). Find the wall with a depth sounder on a straight line between this navigational marker and a little red house on the far shore that sits all by itself. This puts you just south of the marker, with the wall starting in about 75 yards offshore. Anchor in about 40 feet of water on the shelf above the wall, about 10 yards from the wall. The wall starts in about 50 feet of water.
The wall has some shear faces, lengthy ledges, boulders, rock piles, and some large crevices. Here you can find most of the famous marine creatures that make Puget Sound the marine-life Mecca that it is. Lots of little Pink Scallops and some big Rock Scallops, Giant Barnacles, a wide assortment of sea stars including Sunflower Stars. Brown Rockfish and Quillback Rockfish, Lingcod, Buffalo Sculpins and Orange, purple, and yellow sponges are in abundance, as are yellow Sea Lemons nudibranchs. Wolf Eels and Giant Pacific Octopus can be seen here also. However, the steep terrain and currents make this an advanced dive.
Orchard Rocks Conservation Area, northeast of Manchester State Park in neighboring Manchester, is well-known to regional scuba divers. The natural bedrock and boulders provide habitats for rock-associated fish and invertebrate species.
Buy
The historic waterfront core, accessible by foot from the marina, has kept its small-town character intact and is lined with antique shops, boutiques and old-time classic storefronts.
Up the hill and further inland along Mile Hill Dr, Port Orchard has expanded over the years to include strip malls, big box stores and chain fast food.
Eat
Seafood is a regional specialty so look for seasonal specials and locally sourced ingredients. Dungeness crabs, clams, oysters, mussels, and of course, salmon can all be found in abundance. Also look for fresh produce from local farms. Blackberry season towards the end of summer usually means these tasty local berries will find their way into local dessert menus.
Port Orchard offers a variety of dining options, including seafood, Italian, gourmet hot dogs and hamburgers and, of course, pizza.
Eat La Palapa
A great Mexican restaurant close to the marina with fresh food and good drink specials.
Drink
Coffee
Like the rest of Puget Sound, Port Orchard takes its coffee pretty seriously. Chain shops like Starbucks are prevalent but try these coffee shops for some local flavor.
Drink Chug-A-Tug Espresso
A boat-themed drive-through coffee stand. On Tuesdays, you can get 50 cents off your beverage for correctly answering their trivia question.
Drink Lighthouse Espresso
A bit off the beaten path for most tourists, this drive-up lighthouse-themed espresso stand is on the route to the Southworth ferry.
Drink Whiskey Gulch Coffee Company
Whiskey Gulch was the name given to the area that once was home to an illegal moonshine operation that flourished based on its proximity to Puget Sound shipping routes. Now they serve coffee, soup, and sandwiches, and an occasional band might play there as well.
Bars
Bars are scattered across the area. There are enough of them downtown to perform a mini bar crawl.
Drink Bethel Saloon
Probably a bit off the beaten track for most tourists, but if you're looking for the classic dive bar full of colorful locals complete with peanut shells on the floor, this is your place. Older than anyone can remember they also have music on the weekends.
Sleep
Hotels
Camping
- Nearby Manchester State Park offers 35 tent spaces, 15 utility spaces, and two restrooms/showers. Several campsites are reserved for non-motorized campers such as kayakers or bicyclists.
Go next
- Manchester State Park, just east of the city in neighboring Manchester. It is a 111-acre camping park with 3,400 feet of saltwater shoreline on Rich Passage in Puget Sound between Southworth and Port Orchard. It was at one time a harbor defense installation for the protection of nearby Bremerton, then a fuel supply depot and Navy fire-fighting station. The park contains a former torpedo warehouse built in 1901, a mining casement, and a gun battery which are open for exploring.
- Olalla and Gig Harbor are to the south.
- Bremerton and its historic Naval Shipyard are directly across the water via foot ferry.
Port Orchard is an excellent starting point for exploring the area by water.
- Blake Island State Park. Port Orchard is a popular launching point for this nearby state park that was the birthplace of Chief Seattle.
- Bainbridge Island is nearby to the east.
Nearby
Bremerton
City / town · 34 listings · 3 mi away
Gorst
City / town · 8 listings · 3 mi away
Manchester
City / town · 9 listings · 5 mi away
Southworth
City / town · 7 listings · 7 mi away
Blake Island
Park · 4 listings · 7 mi away
Olalla
City / town · 16 listings · 8 mi away
Brownsville
City / town · 6 listings · 9 mi away
Silverdale
City / town · 18 listings · 9 mi away
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