3 Best Sights in Gig Harbor, Washington Cascade Mountains and Valleys

A compelling collection of exhibits describes the city's maritime history, and there are photo archives, video programs, and a research library focusing on the area's pioneer heritage and Native American culture. The facilities include a one-room, early-20th-century schoolhouse and a 65-foot, 1950s purse seiner, a type of fishing vessel from the community's famous seafaring fleets. News clippings and videos about "Galloping Gertie," the bridge over the Tacoma Narrows that famously collapsed in 1940, are eerie.

A 10-minute drive from Gig Harbor, this is a wonderful beachcombing area at low tide. Native American tribes once fished and clammed here, and you can still see people trolling the shallow waters or digging deep for razor clams in season. Children and dogs alike delight in discovering huge Dungeness crabs, sea stars, and sand dollars. Picnic tables and walking trails are interspersed throughout the 109 acres of steep, forested hills, and the campground is popular all summer.

During the town's early years, Gig Harbor's waterfront was lined with wooden structures set on pilings over the water; fishermen used these netsheds to store gear and tackle. Today just 17 of these structures remain, with the town's still active commercial fishing fleet still using some of them. This 3-acre park preserves the historic home and netshed once owned by the Skansie Brothers, lifelong fishermen and boat builders. Festivals and a summer farmers' market are held on the grassy lawn, which includes a pavilion, picnic tables, and a platform overlooking the harbor.