If you are looking for a destination spot in the Pacific Northwest, I can't think of a lovelier place than the little town of Gig Harbor, Washington.
What makes Gig Harbor so special? It must be due to a combination of its location far inland from the Pacific Ocean — close to both Seattle and Tacoma if you are looking for "big city" action — as well as the history and actual cuteness of the town.
We spent a week at an RV park in the area, and I don't think I have ever encountered such a wonderful community-oriented place. There was always something going on in the town and at all the many parks. Whether walking, jogging or biking, people were everywhere — all enjoying everything Gig Harbor had to offer.
Around town you will find the friendliest people. Your choice of restaurants is only limited by the number of days you are visiting as well as your choice of food.
We enjoyed taking a harbor cruise out into Puget Sound, which took us under the modern Tacoma Narrows bridges. (I can't recommend this two-hour cruise enough!) Not only will you learn the history of Gig Harbor, but you never know what you will see along the shoreline (wildlife including eagles, herons and more) or in the water (we saw a real Italian gondola along with an unexpected, and very large, freighter).
The Tacoma Narrows bridges connect the city Tacoma with the Kitsap Peninsula.
During our harbor cruise, we spotted an Italian gondola.
Another enjoyable "must see" in the area is the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park near Eatonville — well worth the 40-minute drive from Gig Harbor. Walking around the park is a pleasure as well because of the many displays and paths.
Where else can you see a large variety of wild animals grazing close enough to the tram you could reach out and touch? Literally! Where else can you see a sleeping beaver or watch otters swimming and playing under the water?
If you are interested in cars, you have a choice of going to Pacific Raceways near Kent and enjoying the thrills of drag racing at its finest during the season.
Stop by Pacific Raceways near Kent if you'd like to enjoy some drag racing.
If you want a quieter pursuit of cars, you can drive to Tacoma and spend a long afternoon viewing the beautifully restored automobiles of many ages at the LeMay-America's Car Museum. You will find many levels of cars along with a café and store. (The only negative I can mention about the LeMay Museum is their parking lot charges even though you pay for admission to the museum.)
The LeMay-America's Car Museum has 165,000 square feet of exhibit space and contains a 350-car gallery showing cars notable for their speed, technology and design, as well as their importance to car culture.
If you are looking for something different, Tacoma also has a large museum dedicated to glass blowing, and just down the street you can do your own glass blowing at the Tacoma Glass Blowing Studio.
Sadly, there are not many RV parks to choose from in and around Gig Harbor. We stayed at Gig Harbor RV Resort, right down the road from "downtown" Gig Harbor. This RV park is located on a hilly area, so you need to take care when pulling in/out and getting your rig level.
Down the road from this RV park are restaurants and access to one of Washington's highways, while in the other direction you will find another highway, a fairly modern and nice size mall as well as Gig Harbor itself.
We are looking forward to planning another journey to this area and know it will be enjoyable.
