Port Townsend’s main attractions are its historic late 19th-century homes and businesses, along with impressive Fort Worden State Park. Downtown’s main boulevard, Water St., consists of stout brick buildings filled with fine galleries, restaurants, and shops selling antiques, books, clothing, wines, and gifts.

One of the more distinctive town sights is the Haller Fountain, which features a bronze, scantily clad maiden emerging from a shell that is supported by water-spraying cherubs and fish. Theodore N. Haller donated the fountain to the city “in memory of early pioneers.”

Port Townsend is still very much a seafaring town. Its Port Hudson Harbor is jammed with yachts, and quite a few boatbuilding businesses are based nearby. Of particular note is the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding (42 N. Water St., 360/385-4948, www.nwboatschool.org, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Mon.–Fri.), where several-day classes and six- and nine-month programs develop skills through intensive classes and hands-on projects. The facility is also open for self-guided tours.