Going Car-Free
Bainbridge is wonderfully easy for walk-on passengers. The ferry terminal sits a short stroll from Winslow Way, and the main museums cluster within a few blocks of each other. Bring a car or bike only if you want to reach the trails, beaches and memorial spread across the rest of the island.
Driving In
The only land route is State Route 305, which crosses the Agate Pass Bridge at the island's northwest corner and continues toward Poulsbo. The steel bridge opened in 1950 and stretches 1,229 feet over the tidal channel. Parking near it is scarce, so save your photos for somewhere else.
Spend an Afternoon Strolling Winslow
Winslow is the island's downtown, and longtime residents still use that name for the area around the dock. Its walkable main street has collected several awards, and in summer a hanging basket program spills flowers along the sidewalks.
Winslow Way belongs to the Bainbridge Island Creative District, a state arts program designation that links places to live, work and enjoy culture. Browse galleries and boutiques, settle into a coffeehouse or small cafe, and poke through shops selling unusual gifts from the Northwest and beyond.
Bainbridge Island Museum of Art
Your first big stop off the ferry is the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, at the corner of Highway 305 and Winslow Way. Since opening in 2013, it has built its permanent collection around artists from the Puget Sound region, which makes it a fine introduction to the area's creative life.
Wander through the galleries, then step into the auditorium, bistro, store or outdoor plaza. Major exhibitions rotate three times a year, and the calendar includes classes, films, lectures and concerts. Admission has been free, but confirm current hours and any gallery closures before you go.
Kids Discovery Museum
Traveling with children? Head right behind the art museum to the Kids Discovery Museum. Together the two buildings form a cultural cluster that is an easy walk from the terminal.
History Museum and Self-Guided Tours
A couple of blocks away on Ericksen Street, the Bainbridge Island History Museum offers four walking tours and a driving tour, so pick the one that suits your interests and your time. Along the way, cross the footbridge over green Winslow Ravine, where a sign tells the ravine's story.
Venture Beyond Downtown
The island measures about 5 miles wide and 10 miles long, with roughly 53 miles of irregular coastline. Leave Winslow behind and you will find woods, bays and viewpoints that reward a slower pace.
Find the Troll in the Woods
One of the island's most playful sights is a giant troll sculpture tucked into the forest, part of the well-known series by artist Thomas Dambo. Called Pia the Peacekeeper, it draws families and photographers alike. Ask locally or check official visitor resources for directions.
Beaches and Road Ends
Explore a coast of spits, bluffs, lagoons, tide flats and rocky outcrops, where quiet beaches are easy to find. Look too for the island's numerous public water access points, officially called Road Ends, where streets run right down to the shoreline.
Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial
Japanese immigrants first arrived on the island in 1883. During World War II, Japanese American residents of Bainbridge Island were the first to be sent to internment camps, where they were held for the rest of the war, and the memorial that opened in 2011 honors that history.
Play Pickleball Where It Began
Pickleball was invented on Bainbridge, so grab a paddle and play a few points where the sport got its start. It makes a fun stop for anyone who has taken up the game back home.
Local Wine and Dinner
Sample local wine and linger at restaurants worth staying for. Many day-trippers finish with an evening meal in Winslow before catching a later boat back to Seattle.
The Stories Behind the Landscape
For thousands of years this was home to the Suquamish people, who kept nine villages around the island at places such as Port Blakely, Eagle Harbor and Port Madison. In 1855, the Point Elliott Treaty ceded the island to the United States in exchange for a reservation and fishing rights.
Captain George Vancouver anchored off Restoration Point, the southern tip, in 1792, but he missed Agate Passage and mapped the island as a peninsula. The point itself was once seabed, lifted 23 feet by an earthquake about 1,100 years ago.
Later the island grew into a logging and shipbuilding center, prized for tall cedars used as ship masts. Its high point, Toe Jam Hill, rises to 425 feet, a good hint at how hilly the roads can be.
Pick Your Season
Those hills host the Chilly Hilly bicycle ride every February, a popular reason for cyclists to cross the water in winter. Come in summer instead for the hanging baskets and longer evenings on the water.
A single day gives you the ferry, lunch in Winslow and an afternoon of exploring, while an overnight stay lets you reach more of the island at an unhurried pace. For current events, parking and visitor information, visit the City of Bainbridge Island visiting page.
Once you are back on the Seattle side, round out the trip with more things to do in Seattle, browse our guide to Seattle neighborhoods, or seek out notable Seattle landmarks near the waterfront.
