Maybe your kids will have a sports game at Ballard High School from Seattle one day too or maybe you just need an excuse to visit Bainbridge Island. It’s so incredibly close to Seattle-only a 30 minute ferry ride and it even has a bridge that attaches it to the mainland so you’re less likely to get ‘stuck’ here than on most other islands you can visit from our city. That said we don’t visit often enough even though we used to bike there with the guys at least once a summer and it does feel like it’s a whole other world away so it was really good one of our kids had a soccer game there that made us day trip to Bainbridge Island.
The Bainbridge Island ferry schedule can be confusing
Just like any traffic pattern in our city once you think you understand the ferry schedule something new will come up, like you might end up trying to get on the ferry in the wrong spot-we found recently that the approach to the ferry in Seattle has changed so getting to the terminal from our house takes about 5 minutes more than before. We also never know when to arrive for the ferry-usually it feels like an hour would be enough but if everyone in Seattle decides to go to or from Bainbridge Island at the same time, sometimes the wait can be quite long. And sometimes you get there and the ferry is off schedule. So just give yourself lots and lots of time. If you get to the ferry terminal early on the Seattle side and have to wait it’s the closest parking you’ll get to the piers and Ivar’s Fish and Chips is nearby and very delicious.
We typically take our car or bikes to the island, but if you are visiting Seattle and want to just leave your car where it is, you can walk on the ferry as well. The main shopping/eating area in Bainbridge Island is about a 10-15 minute walk from the ferry so it’s pretty easy to get around if you don’t have a car.
Did you know that kids ride the ferry for free?
This is new-ish for us and it’s pretty fabulous. Kids riding the ferry for free is part of kids riding transit for free in Seattle. One of my guys needed to take the ferry on his own to meet friends and had to show his Orca card so you might need that but in the car we did not need to show the kids’ Orca cards at all for their free ride.
There is a troll on Bainbridge Island
If you’ve been following along with the Thomas Dambo trolls popping up in the Pacific Northwest, one of the trolls lives on Bainbridge Island. This troll is actually about a 15 minute walk from Bainbridge High School in Sakai Park and she is Pia the Peacekeeper.
You get coffee at Pegasus Coffee when you visit Bainbridge Island
We go to Pegasus Coffee every time we go to Bainbridge Island and I think most Seattleites do too-they also have Macrina Bakery Pastries, a bakery we go to often near our home. I go to Pegasus Coffee because they include a bit of history about the incarceration of the Japanese Americans from Bainbridge Island on their front window and I think it’s important for my kids and I to learn about this and I’m thankful that they share this. If you want to know more about this history you can drive about 10 minutes and visit the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial. We have to learn about things like this even though it might be uncomfortable so that they don’t happen again.
And you’ll want to check if the farms are open while you’re there
There are lots of farms and farm stands all around the island. Most recently I stopped at Suyematsu farms and found out you can pick dahlias there and I’ll have to remember they have this next summer. You can also find out more about the Bloedel Reserve and other Bainbridge Island farms on the Bainbridge Island Tourism website as well.
As for places to eat on Bainbridge Island?
The last time we went we grabbed fancy fruit sandwiches from Hi-Life right near the ferry terminal. We only had time for grab and go or I would have wanted to stop and try their poke bowls. We also wanted to stop at Proper Fish but we really needed to get to the ferry. We tried Coquette Bakeshop because we were looking for a quick stop of the main area and I think I remember visiting it when it was only a stand. Their sandwiches are crusty and fantastic. Hitchcock Cafe, Bruciato, Ba Sa and Blackbird Bakery are all places we try to go when we’re on Bainbridge Island too.
How far in advance do you need to look for accommodation?
While many people travel to Bainbridge Island for the day, you can also stay overnight but we’ve never booked in advance soon enough to make sure we get accommodations. One time we ended up staying on nearby Bremerton to avoid the ferry back and forth from Seattle because our soccer tournament was more than one day. If you are looking for places to stay on Bainbridge Island there is list on the tourism site and you should look well in advance of your trip, especially if your trip is in summer. Maybe one of these days we’ll stay overnight on Bainbridge Island too.
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
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