Kids love the thrill of a summer ferry ride, and the Kitsap Peninsula offers a couple of free, fun kid-friendly day trip destinations.
The town of Poulsbo also known at "Little Norway" is a great place for kids to frolic, climb on rocks or an anchor, and look for seals swimming in Liberty Bay. The scenic town, which is about a 20-minute drive from the Kingston ferry terminal and about 30 minutes from the Bremerton terminal, was settled in 1892 by Norwegian loggers, farmers and fishermen. The beautiful area reminded them of the fjords in their homeland.
The SEA Discovery Center, now run by Western Washington University, located at one end of town gives youngsters a glimpse below the water's surface. Trained volunteers at this cute little aquarium are eager to teach kids all about marine life and introduce them to occupants of various tanks including Wolf eels, kelp crabs, and Moon jellies.
Their large touch tank invites visitors to feel sea stars and anemones. The skeleton of Slick, a baby gray whale that washed ashore in Liberty Bay a few years ago, hangs overhead. The staff showed my girls what a whale's ear looks like and explained how their bones were similar to Slick's.
If you need to relax, parents and kids can sack out on giant pillows in their movie room and watch videos taken by local divers. My girls enjoyed creating their own ocean scenes in the craft room that is stocked with coloring pages, stamps and various ocean related projects.
If you have a sweet tooth, don't miss Sluys bakery. Just follow your nose down Front Street to the pastry-filled window and drool. My kids love the Viking donuts and happy face cookies.
Just 7 miles south along the bay, you will find the Naval Undersea Museum, which offers a different underwater experience. This official U.S. Navy museum strives to preserve, collect and interpret naval undersea history. You'll learn about life on a nuclear submarine and see torpedoes, early diving suits and deep sea submersibles.
My girls had a blast trying on Navy uniforms and locating our car in the parking lot using a real periscope. They loved pushing buttons and flipping switches in the simulation control room of a fast attack submarine and climbing in and out of submarine doors.
Starting in July, the museum will host "Summer STEAM Wednesdays" with hands-on undersea activities for kids and their parents from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Topics include deep sea diving, fish prints and locomotion in the ocean.
