Things To Do
Hales Barrel House
This outpost of the Hale's Ales Brewery is our neighborhood watering hole, an easy 1-mile walk from our house. They have live music on weekends, a light food menu, and of course Hale's Ales. Note their hours before making late night plans--at some point in the summer they extend but are closing pretty early these days.
Poulsbo
This is easily the cutest town on this side of Puget Sound. They're Norwegian and let you know it when their giant Viking statue greets you on the way into town. Poulsbo is just under a 30 minute drive from Bremerton and has lots of shops, restaurants, and the 'famous' Sluy's Bakery. Our favorite place is Tizley's Europub.
Viking Fest
So, just our luck. Viking Fest is going on in Poulsbo on our wedding weekend. We are hoping to get out to it just after brunch. Even if that falls through, it's going on from 4pm Friday to 4pm Sunday, so there is ample opportunity for everyone to make it out to Poulsbo. As we understand it (never been), they shut down the streets of downtown Poulsbo, and have a proper celebration with Viking dress-up highly encouraged. Not sure about the timing, but the fest includes a donut eating contest (yum!), a lutefisk eating contest (yikes!), a battle of the bands, a strongman competition, and lots of food and beverage vendors.
Anthony's at Sinclair Inlet | Bremerton
This is the nicest restaurant in Bremerton. It's literally the closest building to the ferry terminal. Check out their 4-6pm 'Sunset Dinner'--not exactly a happy hour, but it's a great deal.
Kama'Aina Grill | Bremerton
This was an easy choice for our caterer. This place is next to the ferry terminal in Bremerton. You know you're in for good eats when you step in and see the laughably small effort they put into their dining room. We'd say don't burn yourself out on Hawaiian food before you get to the wedding but it's probably not possible.
The Pink Door
Great restaurant in Seattle close to the Pike Market. They have a burlesque-ish theme and highly imaginative, Italian-leaning food. Don't look for a sign because they don't have one. It's just a pink door in an alley
Altstadt Bierhalle & Brathaus
One of our faves and possibly the best german food you will every find. At the very least, stop in for a pretzel and a liter of beer if your ferry to Bremerton doesn't leave for an hour.
Kedai Makan
Did you know Malaysians eat food? This place is mind-blowingly good with dishes we didn't know existed. It's extra tough to get a table, but worth the effort. Try stalking the first-come-first-serve bar if it's a long wait.
Pike Place Market
It's a tourist trap, but it's still fun and an easy walk through downtown from the ferry terminal.
Museum of Pop Culture
Fun place to nerd out. Some of the things that made Jacob's silly eyes well up with tears: THE Dread Pirate Roberts costume, Leelu's weird orange suspenders costume, the helmet John Cleese was wearing when he told King Arthur his mother was a hamster, and THE Greedo (you can clearly see that Han shot first).
Mt. Walker Lower Trailhead
If you're up for a taste of Olympic Peninsula hiking, this one is a 5-mile round trip and about a 1 1/2 hour drive from Bremerton. The end has two viewpoints, a north/west view of the Olympics and a south/east view of Seattle and Mt Rainier (on a clear day). It's a 2000-ft climb, so be ready to kick your lungs into low gear. If snows have melted enough, you can drive to the top, but no worries on snow gear--we did it in sneakers.