Port Hadlock: A Great Escape
Sometimes the best daytrips are the ones where you don't have much of a plan. You just point the car toward somewhere you haven't explored, make a few stops along the way, and see what happens.
That was pretty much our strategy for a little overnight getaway to Port Hadlock — and, as usual, the road provided some excellent excuses to stop.
First Stop: Fort Flagler
Our first detour wa6 the huge Fort Flagler Historical State Park, way up at the northern end of Marrowstone Island.
And when we say huge, we mean bring your walking shoes and perhaps a picnic.
The park covers more than 1,400 acres and preserves the remains of a turn-of-the-century coastal defense fort. Built beginning in the late 1890s, Fort Flagler was part of a trio of forts designed to protect the entrance to Puget Sound. It eventually included enormous disappearing guns, mortar batteries, military housing, a hospital and all the other infrastructure required to support a military community.
The really fun part is wandering around and discovering the old batteries and buildings tucked into the landscape. And then there are the views.
From the high bluff, you can look out across Puget Sound toward the Olympic and Cascade mountains — which makes it rather difficult to concentrate on military history when Mother Nature keeps showing off.
One fun fact: Fort Flagler's guns were never actually fired in combat.
The fort was permanently deactivated in 1953 and eventually became a Washington State Park. Today, you can explore the historic structures, hike, camp, picnic, and launch a boat.
Then We Found a General Store
After leaving Fort Flagler, we continued down Marrowstone Island and made another completely worthwhile stop at the Nordland General Store.
We're so glad we did. What a gem!
The store dates back to the early 1920s and has been a gathering place for island residents for more than a century. It originally operated as a trading post and was connected to the ferry service that carried island goods — including eggs, produce and strawberries — to Port Townsend and Seattle.
Today, it's a community-owned cooperative, and you can still feel that small-town, everybody-knows-everybody atmosphere when you walk through the door. There are groceries, local products, gifts, snacks and all sorts of things that make you want to wander around just a little longer than you intended. We were fortunate to meet Sam, the general manager, and a great ambassador for the store!
And because apparently every good general store needs a little bit of drama, the store was robbed of its safe during Prohibition. The papers from the safe were later found floating in Mystery Bay. When the replacement store was built, the owners reportedly built the building around the new safe — making sure it could never be stolen again.
That's the kind of practical island thinking we appreciate.
The store was severely damaged by fire in 2020, but the community rallied, raising money and eventually reopening it as a community cooperative in 2024.
Clearly, this is more than a grocery store. It's part of the island's personality.
Checking Into the Old Alcohol Plant
From there, we headed to Port Hadlock and checked into the wonderfully quirky Old Alcohol Plant Hotel.
And yes, there really was an alcohol plant here.
The historic building was constructed in 1911 by Charles H. Adams, father of famed photographer Ansel Adams, as a plant that manufactured alcohol from sawdust. The operation didn't last long — it closed in 1913 — and the building spent decades sitting largely unused before eventually being transformed into the hotel it is today.
Our room had a balcony overlooking the harbor and marina, which meant we could sit outside and watch the boats while convincing ourselves that this was a perfectly reasonable use of our time.
The hotel itself is wonderfully quirky. It's the sort of place where you want to wander around just to see what's around the next corner. And wander we did.
We explored the grounds, admired the gardens, and struck up some nice conversations with staff we happened to meet along the way. The property has an incredible edible garden where vegetables, herbs and other produce are grown for use in the restaurant.
It is beautiful — and slightly humbling for someone who wishes they had a garden like that!
There's also a farm stand where you can buy some of the produce grown right there on the property.
Fresh vegetables, historic buildings, harbor views — what a show off!
Dinner With a Side of Doing Some Good
That evening we ate at The Spirits Bar & Grill, right at the hotel.
The food was good, but one of the things we especially liked about the Old Alcohol Plant is that there's a much bigger story behind the place.
The hotel is part of a unique model supporting Bayside Housing & Services, a nonprofit that provides temporary housing and support for people experiencing homelessness in Jefferson County.
Some hotel rooms are used for transitional housing, while revenue from the hotel, restaurant, farm stand, events, gift shop and other businesses helps support Bayside's programs. The gardens also provide food for the restaurant and for Bayside residents.
So, in a rather wonderful twist, staying at a quirky historic hotel, eating dinner and buying vegetables can all help support the local community.
We like a vacation where our dinner is doing some good work after we finish eating it.
Breakfast With Airplanes
The next morning, we packed up and headed home — but not before making one more stop. Breakfast at the Spruce Goose Café, tucked beside the runway at Jefferson County International Airport. It's been a local favorite and community gathering place since the 1960s, and it's exactly the kind of airport café we love: casual, friendly, good food and the added entertainment of watching airplanes come and go.
Because apparently, every good getaway needs breakfast and a little aviation.
The Long Way Home
After breakfast, we did what we do best: We took the long way home.
Instead of heading straight back, we wandered along the back roads, taking our time and enjoying the coastline between Port Hadlock and home.
There were no major destinations left on the itinerary. Just roads, water, scenery and the occasional "Ooh, what's down that road?"
And really, that's the whole point of a Daytrip Northwest adventure.
Fortifications, a 100-year-old general store, a quirky historic hotel, harbor views, gardens, good food, airplanes and a scenic drive home.
Not bad for one night away.
Sometimes you don't need to go far to feel like you've been somewhere. You just need to take the next interesting turn.
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