LOVE: 5 Reasons to Love Port Orchard
Miles of shoreline and forests - port orchard is a quiet cluster of waterfront and inland neighborhoods with a keen sense of community.
South kitsap pride is alive and well in the land of wolves.
Shoreline for Days
We love exploring Port Orchard’s miles of shoreline. Whether we’re riding our bike along the gentle surf of Beach Drive along the west-facing waterfront or exploring the tide pools in Manchester State Park - some of our favorite adventures involve the many, many miles of waterfront that PO offers. Sitting opposite Bremerton on Sinclair Inlet the waterfront access in downtown Port Orchard is plentiful - public piers, water access, and pocket parks dot the waterfront along Bay St and Beach Dr. The Port Orchard Marina, Annapolis, and Waterman Pier are all good places to put a kayak in the water and follow along the shore. Sinclair Inlet is usually very calm and makes for pleasant kayaking with great views of the Olympic Mountains, especially at sunset.
Still Affordable
Of all of the cities on the Kitsap Peninsula, Port Orchard has the lowest average home price and many families find it to be more affordable than some surrounding areas - certainly more affordable than nearby Gig Harbor and Bainbridge Island. Up and down Kitsap home values and cost of living have been increasing but so far Port Orchard has not quite kept pace with the rest of the Peninsula…but that may change. In Summer 2020 when the Southworth Fast Ferry begins its 25 minute direct route to downtown Seattle. The new passenger only boat will surely entice a new crop of King County residents tired of the traffic and expenses, looking across the water for affordable homes and land.
a Sense of Community
You can see them fluttering from businesses throughout South Kitsap…crisp maroon flags bearing the image of a snarling wolf - the mascot of South Kitsap High School. Bistros and barbershops alike fly the SK flag with pride…dozens can be spotted on any given drive through town. Community pride snapping and flapping in the wind. Of course flags don’t make a community, people do…the people that hang those flags. They say that humans are wired to be in tribes of about 200…well, Port Orchard has a few more than that but it doesn’t always feel like it. Because PO knows that it doesn’t have the money of Gig Harbor, the status of Bainbridge, the industry of Bremerton, the identity of Poulsbo or the quaintness of Kingston…it falls back on what it does best - community. And boy are we glad it does!
well Connected
Port Orchard is connected via the ferry system like no other Kitsap Community is. Historic foot ferries that ferry passengers across Sinclair inlet to Bremerton, relics from the 100+ year old mosquito fleet that buzzed along the waters in bygone days. **Experience the magic of the Mosquito Fleet during Mosquito Fleet Fest, an annual event in May. The ferries leave from the Port Orchard waterfront regularly with limited service to the Annapolis Pier in the small neighboring community of Annapolis. Across Port Orchard in the eastern-facing shores, the community of Southworth is home to the Washington State Ferry System’s Southworth- Fauntleroy-Vashon route, a 30 minute crossing to West Seattle with a stop on Vashon Island. Port Orchard, having ferries that link to 3 cities, is the most ferry connected community in a place known for its maritime history.
all the Comfort Food
While Port Orchard doesn’t boast the regions best farm-to-table restaurant, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t grubbin food to be found. As far as pure comfort food goes, Spiro’s is a top hit - their Club Sub sandwich is the perfect combo of toasty and gooey and melty and the chocolate peanut butter pie is cry-on-your-plate good. Locals know that the tiny Uncle Dave’s Cafe has the best biscuits and gravy this side of heaven and when all else fails, Phad Thai from Khao Soi is always a good idea.
COME HUNGRY!
learn more about Port Orchard
Stay in Kitsap
Scroll through to see some of our favorite options for your overnight stay in Port ORchard.
Coreen Haydock, Port Orchard’s Citizen of the Year and co-owner of Waterman Mitigation Partners, gives you the ‘Secret Summer’ scoop on the restaurants, shops, parks, and places to explore during the sunny months in Kitsap.