Clousie

We'll be arriving in Seattle on Sunday, July 3rd after a long flight from the east coast.

We'll go to Olympic park-coastal-probably Tuesday, so we're looking for somewhere to spend Sunday night and Fourth of July that would be low key, but fun. Any thoughts on the big island that contains Poulsbo and Bremerton (sorry I can't find the island's name) I realize it will be hard to get a room on Sunday of a 3 day weekend, so perhaps we should do something very generic between the airport and Seattle and then travel further west on the Fourth to stay when others are heading back.

We had thought of the Sequim area for Sunday and Monday, but wonder how far that is from Sea-Tac and if it's likely to be a major traffic jam Sunday afternoon. (Don't have exact flight times yet)

ALF

It might look like an island, but it is actually called the Kitsap Peninsula (www.visitkitsap.com). There are lots of places to stay, although 4th of July might cause problems. Sequim is 3-4 hours from the airport, and Sunday afternoon will definitely be a time of heavy traffic.

sunbum1944

The town of Edmonds just north of Seattle is very cute low key place to stay - and they will have their own parade on the 4th -
There are a lot of cute little shops- antiques /restaurants/ 1 theatre/ beach/ scuba diving - its a great little place to walk around - beautiful homes and flowers - and the ferry to Kingston lands there so easy hop to the penninsula

christy1

How about a nice waterfront B and B on Bainbridge Island (between Seattle and the Kitsap Peninsula). Or, one on Hood Canal or Port Townsend? If July 4th is a monday, making it a 3 day weekend, I don't think Sunday traffic will be too bad-the terrible times will be Friday and Monday. If you book now you should be able to snag a room.

Fodorite018

The ferry lines will definitely be backed up that weekend. The Edmonds-Kingston line is a good route. My dh commuted via that route for several years so we got very used to the long waits at certain times. On a holiday weekend in the summer...if you do not get there for the first sailing you can plan to wait anywhere from 1 hour upward to about 3 hours. Yes, just waiting.

If you know where you want to stay, like Bremerton, definitely make a reservation as early as possible. Loding in that area is a real hit or miss, and one year (before we moved there) we were out visiting family and we had a very hard time finding a place for the night.

Edmonds is a cute town like sunbum mentioned.

ellen_griswold

I would consider Port Townsend, a delightful, victorian town with great restaurants, shops etc. Take the ferry from Whidbey Island. They have great whale watching tours there ~ we used Capt. Jack's and had a great time. You'll also be close to Hurricane Ridge and Crescnet Lake (part of Olympic NP) the next day if you want to check them out before you head to the coast. And be sure to see Hoh Rainforest, too.

Clousie

Thanks for the ideas and also info about waiting for ferries. I hadn't thought of that.

We'll check out Edmonds, but we're also interested in your thoughts about Vashon Island or even heading down towards Olympia. If we were somewhere near Olympia (or perhaps you know of a better place in the vicinity) then we could just head out towards the coast on Tuesday.

We hate to "waste" a day of vacation just hanging around in a holding pattern, and would love to be outside enjoying the natural northwest.

Fodorite018

I can't help you with the Olympia area, we lived near Edmonds so I know that part. If you do end up staying in Edmonds, there is a beach there also that you could wander. The downtown/ferry/beach area is very concentrated so everything is a short walk.

Gardyloo

Hi Clousie,

A couple of random thoughts -

Look on the Silver Cloud Inn website - http://www.scinns.com/ - at their Mukilteo and Tacoma properties. Both literally built over the shore of Puget Sound. The Mukilteo-Whidbey Island ferry leaves next door from the Mukilteo branch; you could be on the road toward the US 101 "crossover" to the Olympic Peninsula quite easily from the Tacoma SC Inn. There will be plenty of "small town" 4th of July goings-on in Mukilteo/Everett (not sure if Mukilteo has fireworks of its own, Everett and Tacoma certainly do - both over the water) so no boredom factor.

I doubt that ferry congestion on the morning of the 5th going away from the Seattle/Everett area will be a factor. The return boats will be mobbed, of course, but you're going against the traffic. For that matter, I really don't expect that big a deal on the morning of the 4th, since most folks would have left the cities before that for the long weekend. So if you wanted to head over to the peninsula on the 4th I think you'd be okay. Getting accommodation might be another story of course.

If you choose to go to the peninsula via Whidbey Island (ferry from Mukilteo, second ferry into Port Townsend) be aware that the Port Townsend ferry is quite small and sometimes tides can disrupt their schedule, so that a wait on the Whidbey side may be necessary. Not a huge deal, just a heads-up.

happytrailstoyou

If you decide where you really want to be and book now, you shouldn't have much of a problem.

pshamrock

Stay in Seattle for the fireworks! It may not be low key, but it sure is fun. The Lake Union fireworks are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. You might check into the charter boat trips on the lake, or check into one of the hotels (Marriott Suites I think) and watch them from there. If you're doing that though, you'd need to book hotel now.