Port Townsend has to be one of the most charming towns we have visited.
It is a historic Victorian seaport on the edge of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state.
Click to enlarge if you want to see the details of this amazing house and garden.
The town is bordered by the stunning Puget Sound and the Straight of Juan de Fuca.
It has panoramic views of the sound and the snowy Olympic Mountains.
This beauty with her Mansard roof is perched overlooking the water, with windows everywhere, to capture the views.
Port Townsend is full of art galleries and artists.
The residents have restored the town’s many painted ladies to surpass their former glory.
Bounded by seas and sounds, Port Townsend has wonderful restaurants, as well as fun pubs and cafes.
St Paul’s Episcopal Church is a gothic revival built in 1860.
Wandering the the old Victorian neighborhoods is a architectual browsers paradise.
Cheers to you from stunning and historic Port Townsend~
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One of my favorite places! Were you able to visit For Worden? Highly recommend if not.
Also, if you are not already on your way, check out Point No Point. Also a great little park with a historical lighthouse, sandy beaches, and a view for days… 🙂
Wonderful! Thanks for the tip. There is sooooo much to see here. I have been to this area several times and have not yet begun to scratch beneath the surface.
We were going to stay there, in a cottage. It is wonderful. I would love to come back and stay there.
Wow! Great old houses. Painters love it!
This is the home of happy painters! 😉
These lovely photos of Port Townsend remind me very much of the house I have seen in Victoria, BC. I guess that’s where the term Victorian is coming from. Great photo essay, Cindy!
Pt. Townsend and Victoria are just a hop and a skip from each other by ferry, and yes, the similarities are marked. Both are very beautiful. Victoria is a much bigger city though, and PT is a small quiet town.
Wow Cindy you make these look so stunning. Like a real estate showing. So beautiful. I love the quaint feeling of these houses and this town. The gardens are stunning <3
Yes, a quaint feeling describes it perfectly. The gardens, the restorations, the setting itself, all combine to make this a very special place.
I think so too. My two favorite Aunties live in WA and their gardens are so rich and brightly colored. Maybe it’s the damp climate that gives them such vibrance. <3
I agree, rich soil, a moderate climate and tons of rain. The flowers just seem so healthy.
<3
Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
Lovely photos by Cindy Knoke of Port Townsend’s painted ladies (older homes).
Have a wonderful weekend and thank you sweet friend <3
Really enjoyed this stroll with you, Cindy, through Port Townsend. I took a ferry here, once, but didn’t see the beautiful houses, so enjoyed this aspect. The emerald grass and trees and flowery gardens are so rich with life.
Happy you have been. It is a truly beautiful place and so were the nearby San Juan Islands. You do have to not be bothered by lots of rain to live her happily.
What a treat to see Victorian houses preserved and decked out like these! Thanks for capturing their old majesty 💛
Thank you for appreciating them Val & cheers to you <3
They’re all lovely! I especially love the green painted themes, roof lines, and the gingerbread trims.
The green was a theme, used really creatively with other colors, and I could have done a whole post just on the roof details. Wonderful! You have good eyes.
Oh my! I love those houses 💚
I do too <3
Gorgeous houses!
Hi Peter! They are special aren’t they.
Beautiful images! I could look at old houses forever.
You and me both. I love touring them too.
Gorgeous homes and landscaping! Each photo looks like a postcard and you did a wonderful job capturing the beauty of each. 🥰
Ahhh, you are very kind & most appreciated. Thank you!
Fabulous property porn!
Love architectural porn!
I love Port Townsend. We stayed in one of the painted ladies which had been turned into a B&B. It was so cool.
So did we! It was beautiful and so restful.
Such unique architecture! All this modern day stuff is just duplicated design!
Agreed, and poor duplications to boot!
What a gorgeous place! And that house with all its windows to provide residents spectacular water views is amazing! Thanks for introducing me to Port Townsend, Cindy!
That is truly a stunning home and property. It was the first to be declared a historical landmark.
So beautiful. A living time capsule.
I love escaping into the past in places like this <3
Gorgeous!
Happy you enjoyed!
I’ll take the one with the Mansard roof overlooking the Sound, thank you.
Yes, that one was really amazing. I have photos of the glassed in patio that runs the whole length of the back of the house with the most stunning views. It was the first home in Pt. Townsend to be registered as an historical building.
Even better!
<3
What an amazing, beautiful place to live. Thanks for sharing it with us, Cindy. Hugs on the wing.
Hugs back to you sweet friend~
Beautiful photo of these houses, Cindy! They are so well presented and maintained. 💗
There is lots of love and care demonstrated here.
Beautiful Houses!
Aren’t they wonderful. I would like to spend a summer in one.
Such charming Victorian houses – the restorations are certainly a labor of love. <3
Yes, and artistry. One home’s garden was so creative and whimsical I was enraptured.
Lovely buildings Cindy. I’ve noticed that many communities that are near the ocean/sea tend to paint their buildings/homes in bright colours. Two that come to mind are Newfoundland and many of the Greek Islands. I wonder why?
Leslie
That is so interesting. I was born and grew up by the ocean and my town was not particularly colorful. Both the places you mention are not in the USA. I tend to see more use of color abroad. New Orleans and San Fran, both by water, are quite colorful though, and that gorgeous town full of Victorians in Florida……
just a random thought passing through my mind as I looked at your photos….
Absolutely amazing. So very beautiful.
Thank you. It would be so fun to spend a summer here. There is so much left to explore.
A grand collection indeed!
And there were so many more, and the historic downtown, but I had already broken my own rule and posted more photos than I allow myself!
You did well … and cheers to your self-imposed rule. 🙂
Thank you.
I thought this post was going to be about butterflies (painted lady), but I enjoyed looking at these houses even more. Wonderful colours and trim and style. Great post, Cindy.
I am happy you enjoyed. Painted Lady butterflies would be so at home in these gardens! <3
What an interesting variety of architecture and the gardens are utterly charming. This is one town I would love to walk around.
One house reminded me of the verandah and double storey of my best friend’s home. They have restored all the exterior and painted it the traditional colours of the era in which is was built, just like in your post.
Must be wonderful to be in your friends home. It is so wonderful to see so many of them so beautifully restored & you are right, the gardens were just scrumptious.
Beautiful in every way!
Thank you Rosaliene & cheers!
Love Victorian homes! We’re just across the water in Victoria, Canada. There are many old beauties like that here 🙂
There certainly. Victoria is truly beautiful.
Beautiful.
Lovely place to live!
What an amazing place!
I wonder why I had never visited before!
🙂
Love them all! <3
I do too and the setting is so beautiful too!
Amazing place
They are dream houses. Its beauty can be seen at first sight by how well taken care of they are. The photos are impressive. You have captured the colors brilliantly. A visit that is worth doing. Greetings.
What a lovely and kind comment. You make me glad I posted. Thank you.
How wonderful that these treasures have been restored and kept up! Looks like paradise to me.
Yes, and it has this feeling of safety, which is sorely needed in our country these days.
It is great.
You can apply for free membership to get good chances and free eBook [ MY HEART NOT MY EYES]. More information is on GCBA GLOBAL GROUP post.
You are welcome in London at any time.
Best wishes.
Thanks much & cheers to you!
Idyllic and nostalgically wonderful, these beautiful pics by you make me envious of the past.
TY, Cindy, great shots of a sweet place!
Awww, thank you Resa. I am envious of the past too. I can so easily imagine living here in the 1890’s and it is sooo appealing <3
Agree!
Love to you Resa.
My sister lived in Port Hadlock for about a year right outside Port Townsend and she took me around a little but I do NOT remember seeing those beautiful homes! I also didn’t get to any lovely restaurants but there are lots of arts and creative things going on. Thank you for showing me the lovelier side of this. Perspective.
The weird thing is, I have explored some of the nearby areas several times, but PT was never on my radar. Just goes to show my radar isn’t worth much. It also may indicate, the more you travel, the more humble you get, for good reason. There is always so much more in this world that we can ever see, no matter how hard we try. Lots of travel makes me recognize I am kinda dumb, comparatively. And I like this. Love to you Marlene, and to your wonderful son, and be well my friend.
We loved this town and will go back again! Thanks for sharing these gorgeous photos, Cindy!
I am home now, and my husband and I both want to go back. Port Townsend is sort of like quintestial good America, absent our current stress and strife.
We’ve been exploring the greater area up there and will move in that direction eventually. Still trying to figure out where we would fit in with kindred spirits. We’ll see!
The church looks AMAZING. 🙂
It is! Just simple, humble, old and beautiful.
Yep.🙂
When I saw the photograph, I immediately thought it looked like an Episcopal church–and sure enough, it was!
Yep, it has that unique Episcopalianess!! 😉
WHAT a treat it is to see these beautiful homes and gardens. They must require a lot of ongoing maintenance, so hats off to their owners!
So happy you enjoyed them Anne and you are right, these homes are maintained with lots of love, talent and TLC. <3
Such character. I’m living in a town that has homes dating back to the 1700s.
I am envious. I would love to visit. I love the sensation of going back to an earlier time.
I intend to start posting these old homes. Some are on registries. This area was the breeding ground for The Revolution.
I look forward to seeing what you post.
😁
Gorgeous homes!!! My favourite is the one with the Mansard roof, for I love all those big windows! I am a creature of light … I cannot stand to have the blinds closed during the day, and the bigger the windows the better! Thanks for adding a bit of beauty to this day!
I feel exactly the same as you. All my houses have lots of windows most of which are uncovered. I love the light. The house you mention had the entire back enclosed in an open glass patio running the entire length of the house and looking directly down at the sea. Gorgeous. Thank you so much for taking the time to post such a thoughtful comment Jill & cheers to you~
das gefällt mir sehr, da ist er, der Sommer 2019, passe auf dich auf und genieße ihn, Klaus
Frohen Sommer, lieber Freund Klaus!
vielen dank, alles Gute
<3 <3
How beautiful! Thank you for this fabulous tour, Cindy. Stunning photos, as always!
Awww, so nice of you Jennie & so appreciated too. Thank you!
You are welcome, Cindy. 🙂
<3
All so tastefully done
Thank you Derrick. There is lots of love and care put into these beauties & it shows.
Absolutely gorgeous!
Thank you & so happy you enjoyed!
All are beautiful but the church is special. Very few details yet stands out in crowd. Hope life is treating you kind. Where are you off to next?
The church is special isn’t it. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments. We are going to Santa Ynez wine country soon, en famille, to spend time with our new twin grandsons. Happy Sunday & cheers to you~
You post a lot of your photos on Pintrest…right? I’ve missed so many trips I wondered if you’ve been to New Zealand, Amterdam or Sweden. I bet the landscape is nice in all three. I have an affection for those mean little taz devils, I wouldn’t want to be stuck in a cage with them. 🙂
I have been to all those places, and you are absolutely correct, beautiful lush gardens and flowers in all three places. We are going back to Tasmania in 2020, so tune in. I have already scheduled a visit to a Tasmanian Devil rescue and sanctuary organization.
Those little devils are so cute and so vicious! I look forward to your upcoming trip to Tazmania. Are you scheduled for another trip this year?
Yes, we are going to spend time with polar bears, and belugas, and other arctic critters in Churchill Canada, and then will rent a cabin in Kicking Mountain National Park which is outside of Winnipeg. I hear that are terrible fires in Canada now and I hope they subside soon.
I would love to see the Carabu migration, it looks like a once in a lifetime experience. I also love belugas they seem so interested in us but I’m sure in the deep see they are different. 🙂
You can swim with them if you wish, in a dry suit, and there are said to be thousands of them converging there at the same time. The caribou migration would be quite a thrill to see, but I hear the mosquitos are fierce.
Forget mosquitos!
Yep. One must get a few nibbles to see the wonder.
They can carry Lyme too.
They can.
they can bite an infected animal the same as a tick can.
<3 <3