Area Attractions
Area Attractions – Seattle
- The Northwest Folklife Festival also takes place each Memorial Day Weekend at the Seattle Center. This popular, annual event showcases homegrown talent of the Northwest – many exciting sights to see, foods to try and music to enjoy! This event is at the top of our list for recommended additions to your choir tour when attending the Fort Worden Festival. It will give your students a true taste of the Northwest – and they have a little something for everyone! Plan to spend a few hours – perhaps giving your singers lunch with spending money ‘on-their-own’ so they can try out one of the many tasty food choices. This is also a good place for purchasing Northwest souvenirs. Admission is free.
- The Seattle Center, created for the 1962 World’s Fair, is also home to The Space Needle, The Seattle Monorail, The International Fountain, Experience Music Project (EMP), and the Pacific Science Center. All of these attractions are popular with children and teens.
- The historic Pike Place Market is also at the top of our list of places to visit in the Seattle area. You will see many local craftsmen, artists, food growers, performers and more! The market is also home to the very first (original) Starbucks coffee shop. Admission is free.
- Visit the Seattle Waterfront to see circling seagulls charming the crowd and smell aromas of freshly baked waffle cones and steaming baskets of fish & chips. Browse the eclectic souvenir and curio shops such as Ye Olde Curiosity Shop and consider having a group dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory (always a good choice for children’s and youth choirs – and good for the tour budget!).
Area Attractions – Port Townsend
Arrive early on Friday before the festival starts, or schedule some time in afterwards to enjoy these local places!
- Walk around downtown Port Townsend, full of dozens of interesting shops and boutiques and several restaurants/coffee shops.
- Have a picnic or get your feet wet at the Fort Worden beach – one of the rare sandy beaches in Washington State.
- Hike the trails and climb the bunkers found all over Fort Worden State Park (you may want to bring a flashlight!).
- Visit the Marine Science Center at the park. It has great tide pool touch tanks filled with crabs, starfish, anemones, and other marine life.
- There is also a fascinating exhibit on the area’s terrestrial natural history, complete with fossils from around the peninsula. Open until 4:00 PM Friday. Adults $5, Students $3.
