Poulsbo WA Washington
Frequently Asked Questions
On Liberty Bay, steps from downtown. The small vessels that ply the Salish Sea either tie up or anchor depending on their draft, and a few metres of pier put you on Front Street.
Because settlers from the Norwegian fjords put down roots here in the 1880s, drawn by a landscape that reminded them of home. Norwegian flags, painted half-timbered facades and rosemaling on the signs keep the memory alive, as do the murals telling the pioneers’ crossing.
Stroll Front Street for the galleries, bookshops and antique dealers, stop at Sluys’ Poulsbo Bakery, follow the boardwalk along the marina, then visit the two small museums. Everything sits within a ten-minute walk.
Cinnamon rolls, Viking bread, lefse — a thin Norwegian potato flatbread — and the outsized King Olaf doughnut at Sluys’ Poulsbo Bakery, a family institution founded in 1966. Elsewhere in town: smoked salmon, clam chowder, local aquavit and craft brewing.
Yes. The SEA Discovery Center, a family-scale university aquarium, shows the sea stars, anemones and octopus of cold Puget Sound waters, and its touch tank is a hit with children. Seals often surface between the marina docks.
The marina and its hundreds of sailboats, seals between the docks, herons working the mudflats at low tide and, on a clear day, the snow-covered Olympic Mountains closing the western horizon.
The story of the cod fishing fleet and of the steamers that linked the bay’s villages before the roads came, the so-called mosquito fleet. Models, photographs and navigation instruments make an affectionate portrait of the harbour, a few steps from the pier.
The US dollar, and card payment is universal, even in the small shops. Allow 15 to 20 percent for restaurant tipping.
English. Norwegian survives only in street names, shop signs and pastries: no special language skills are needed.
Opening hours. Shops generally close in the late afternoon and the two museums are not open every day: check before setting out, especially on a late call. Bring a warm layer even in summer, since the breeze off the water cools things quickly.
