The entrance of the Manor House Restaurant prepares you for a feast for the senses. Beautifully designed and maintained garden beds surround the parking area and building, while a water feature made from vintage musical instruments sings happily next to the walk. Massive, … read more

School is out — which means kids will be looking for things to do. A great thing about living in West Sound is that there are a number of ways to enjoy summer vacation close to home, and most of them are free. … read more

Long before American ports became a major part of a burgeoning transportation industry — and before roads became as common as Northwest rain — Puget Sound was a bustling maritime throughway. The gateway to Puget Sound for all the ships too large to … read more

In 2005, Hansville Master Gardeners Roland Malan, Susan Harrington and Sheri Kiley, along with landscape architects Mary Booth and Patrick Leuner, met with county parks staff and presented a plan to steward and beautify a very neglected, weed-infested, abandoned motocross dirt bike track … read more

From 2002 through 2007, after decades of benign neglect, Bremerton’s downtown waterfront received an extreme makeover, an astonishing achievement and a credit to the city’s leaders and citizenry. Bremerton, the grand-old dame of the Kitsap Peninsula and its historic center of commerce and … read more

When longtime Bainbridge Island resident Cynthia Sears had a vision a decade ago to build an arts museum on the island, she met a lot of skepticism. Start with a collection, many advised her, and then explore the feasibility of a building. But … read more

Although Bremerton is not a major shopping destination on the peninsula, it makes up for it with other unique attractions. The large number of performing arts organizations and venues that call Bremerton home, the mix of public art and galleries, and the highest … read more

Once called “the liveliest town on Puget Sound,” Seabeck is much quieter these days — but still a wonderful place to visit and take in the sights and sounds of life away from the urban rush. The former mill town has some of … read more

Old timers like me wouldn’t believe it either if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. Bremerton, a tourist magnet — really? Many of the old Navy town natives who watched the demise haven’t been back for years. When they do make … read more