Victoria Express

Nothing strikes a sense of adventure more than the sight of a tall ship in the harbor. Even the hardened landlubber can’t resist visions of journeys to exotic islands in uncharted seas the instant they view the lofty crow's nest sitting among the intricate rigging lacing the tall masts.

You will have your chance to live out your sailing dream this week to the 12^th of September.

The Lady Washington, owned by Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, and designated as the official ship of Washington State is in the City Pier of Port Angeles and she is quite the sight!

The Lady Washington will be in Port Townsend during the Wooden Boat Festival, which is Sept. 10-12.

Tours of the Lady Washington -- a full-size wooden replica of a brig that accompanied Capt. Robert Gray's expedition to the Pacific Northwest in 1788 – is planned to be available from noon to 4:30 p.m. Friday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday through Monday, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sept. 10 and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 11-12.

A $3 donation per person is requested for the walk-on tours. No reservation is required.

Battle & Adventure Sails begin Friday

Battle & Adventure Sails begin Friday. The three-hour battle sails -- with booming cannons and close-quarter maneuvers -- are scheduled in Port Angeles at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Tickets for the Battle & Adventure Sails are $60 for adults; $50 for students, seniors or active military; and $40 for children 12 and younger.

An evening adventure sail aboard the Lady Washington is planned at 5:30 p.m. Friday. It will cost $35.

Next Tuesday, the Lady Washington will leave for biennial maintenance, haul-out and Coast Guard safety inspection in Port Townsend. The Lady Washington will be one of the attractions at the Wooden Boat Festival.

The second tall ship is The Hawaiian Chieftain and it will also offer adventure sails and will remain at City Pier in Port Angeles to offer walk-on tours and weekend sailings through Sunday, Sept. 12.

The Hawaiian Chieftain is a replica of a typical 19th century merchant trader that was used for trade in the Hawaiian Islands.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the ships, click on www.historicalseaport.org or phone 800-200-5239.

$20 Round Trip Victoria to Port Angeles – 20^th Anniversary Special

We invite our neighbors from Victoria to come and visit these reminders of a bygone era. For only $20 round trip you can set your own high seas adventure and sail the Strait of Juan de Fuca to visit these beauties. From Victoria call 250-361-9144. Be sure to bring proper ID.

The 2010 Sequim Lavender Festival runs July 16 - 18. This is a lovely time to make your reservation for the Victoria Express Lavender Festival Day Cruise and visit the Olympic Peninsula's Rain Shadow, with sunshine, stunning views of the Olympic Mountains, and Mount Baker standing tall across the Straits of Juan de Fuca. The views are simply magnificent; and then there is the lavender.

Field after field of lavender in full bloom awaits attendees of the Sequim Lavender Festival. The subtle, pleasant fragrance of lavender fills the air. It's worth going simply to stroll through row after row of these picturesque plants. You'll think you've been transported to Provence, in the South of France.

Farms may offer lovely lavender lemonade or unforgettable lavender ice cream. Chefs demonstrate how to cook savory and sweet foods with lavender. Farm stores offer lavender satchels, soaps, creams, and a plethora of other interesting and useful lavender based items. Learn about the different varieties, from Royal Purple to Grosso; then walk the fields and pick your own, or choose lavender that has been harvested and bundled for you.

The streets of downtown Sequim fill with the Lavender Street Fair. Colorful booths are filled with handcrafted products, art, and, of course, lavender. Farms booths sell locally grown produce. A food court tempts the taste buds with such decadent items as bacon wrapped scallops on a tortilla, grilled salmon sandwiches, and pan seared lamb. A Wine and Beer Garden features wines from Olympic Peninsula Wineries and brews from Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Oregon. The Main Stage keeps toes tapping with Gypsy Jazz by Pearl D'Jango, Bluegrass by Crescent Blue, and Folk/Rock by Kevin Magner, among others.

The Victoria Express Lavender Festival Package provides travel to and from Victoria aboard the Victoria Express Ferry, shuttle transportation to the Lavender Street Fair (where you'll find shuttles to the farms), and admission into the seven participating lavender farms. Call 250-361-9144 today for additional information and to make your reservation.

Photo provided by Sequim Lavender Festival.

Consider exploring the gardens of Victoria the next time you ride the ferry to Victoria.

Butchart Gardens comes to mind right away when folks think about the Gardens of Victoria. Summer at Butchart Gardens is splendid. Everything is in bloom. Visit the Sunken Garden, the Mediterranean Garden, and the Rose Garden. Sit by a burbling fountain. Enjoy a meal or a drink at The Blue Poppy. Relax in the shade of a tree.

Night Illuminations start June 15. Each evening as the light fades, trees, shrubs and flower beds start to glow thanks to the magic and skill of lighting artists. Live music adds to the allure nightly, starting July 3. Butchart Gardens is a wonderful place to bring the whole family.

There is another garden in Victoria worth a peek. Abkhazi Garden is a mere 1-acre, but it is lush, colorful and romantic. Abkhazi Garden was the creation of Marjorie Pemberton-Carter and Russian Prince Nicholas Abkhazi, who fell in love, endured separation and imprisonment, rediscovered one another, married, and built a life together in Victoria. Their garden is their legacy.

A hornbeam hedge hides a garden fit for royalty from the street. The design works harmoniously with land that features dramatic rocky slopes, large Garry oaks and stunning views. The Abkhazis loving cultivated their garden together for more than forty years, and visitors today walk among mature Japanese maples and rhododendrons. The Abkhazi's former house is now a tearoom and gift shop.

Our ferry to Victoria is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2010 with $20 round trip tickets between Port Angeles, WA and Victoria, BC. This special lasts all season, making it easy to travel to Victoria again and again. Go for the day or pack a bag and stay the night.

We will happily make all travel arrangements for you, including lodging; call 360-452-8088 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.

Above photo is the Dahlia Walk at Butchart Gardens.

Washington's Olympic Peninsula is a wonderland full of craggy peaks, lush rainforests, and roaring waterfalls. The Victoria - Port Angeles ferry leads straight to the heart of the peninsula, and Budget Car Rentals is an easy walk from the ferry dock. Once settled in a car, your exploration of the Olympic Peninsula Waterfall Trail may begin.

There are so many waterfalls on the Olympic Peninsula you will have no trouble finding a few that meet your needs. If walking is difficult for you, look for falls close to the road, or those that have wheelchair accessible pathways. If you crave a lengthy hike with lots of elevation gain, you'll have no trouble finding remote waterfalls in the back country of the Olympic National Park. If you dream of gazing at waterfalls from a boat, the Olympic Peninsula Waterfall Trail can guide you to waterfalls accessible only by kayak or raft.

Victoria Express, the fastest ferry connecting Port Angeles, WA, and Victoria, BC, starts its 2010 sailing season on May 28, 2010. That's just in time for the folks of Vancouver Island to attend the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts in Port Angeles. Take advantage of our 20th anniversary $20 round trip tickets between Victoria and Port Angeles, and come to the Juan de Fuca Festival!

JFFA takes place each year on Memorial Day weekend. This year over 125 music, dance and theater performances from all over the world will make the streets of Port Angeles come alive. There will be fast step dancing and fiddling by the Gothard Sisters, outrageously talented jugglers, and amazing Louisiana music by Filé Gumbo. In addition to the live performances, there will be a street fair bursting with art and food, and many activities for children.

The Festival is located in the heart of Port Angeles, just steps away from the Victoria - Port Angeles ferry. There will be six venues between Peabody and Lincoln on 4th and 5th Streets: the Main Stage at the Vern Burton Center features music ensembles, dance music and children's show; the more intimate Chamber Stage houses small groups and solos; the KONP Stage at the Elks Lodge is the dancing venue; theater and acoustic music plays at the Port Angeles Community Playhouse; the Fine Arts Stage features solo and small ensemble acts in addition to art; and the Family Medicine Family Fun Zone Stage presents activities the whole family will enjoy, from juggling to storytelling (and kids under 12 attend the festival for free).

The Juan de Fuca Festival opens at noon on Friday May 28 and at 11am Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It runs until 10:30pm nightly except Monday night, when it closes at 7:30pm. While open, there is always something fun to do and something great to experience. In fact, your biggest problem will be deciding whether to watch Okaidja (music and dance from Ghana, West Africa) or dance to Pearl Django. Fortunately, most folks perform at least twice over the course of the festival.

The list of performers is packed with amazing entertainment and we encourage you to check out the Juan de Fuca Festival website. Then pack an overnight bag and get ready for too much music, dancing and fun - We can make all your travel arrangements!

For more information about travel and lodging, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 360-452-8088. Our ID Requirements provides details about identification requirements for travel between the United States and Canada.

The south end of Vancouver Island enjoys terrific views of Washington State's Olympic Mountains, on the Olympic Peninsula. Mount Olympus rises up nearly 8,000 feet, which is quite a dramatic height when compared with the surrounding sea-level. The Brothers, Mount Constance, and Mount Deception are a few of the other steep, often snow-covered peaks that rise out of the evergreen foothills. The sight of these glorious mountains is enough to inspire a person to take a passenger ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles, rent a car, and head for the mountains.

Hurricane Ridge, in the Olympic National Park, is a mere 45-minute drive from Port Angeles. The road curves and winds its way through forests until it runs along a ridge that affords stunning views. Hurricane Ridge is open daily during the summer months, and when skies are clear, the views are unmatched.

Stop by the Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center for general information and trail maps. A paved path leading up the ridge from the parking lot is wheelchair accessible. Several other hiking trails head steeply into the wilderness, where the intrepid hiker will find subalpine lakes, meadows, and of course, more great views. Keep an eye out for whistling marmot, residents of the park.

Take advantage of our 20th Anniversary Season Special, with $20 round trip tickets for the ferry between Port Angeles and Victoria. There is a Budget Rental Car across the street from our Port Angeles terminal offering hourly and daily rates. Leave your car at home and lighten your travel load. Budget can handle your transportation needs during your visit to Washington.

For more information about our Port Angeles - Victoria ferry, call 360-452-8088 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please see our ID page for information on identification required to travel between Canada and the United States.

Love that Sequim Lavender Festival

Ok, you can’t actually ride the passenger ferry to Sequim, but you can do the next best thing: ride the passenger ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles and let Victoria Express arrange the rest.

Sequim is considered the lavender capital of North America, and with good reason. Its dry, sunny climate is reminiscent of Provence, France, lavender capital of Europe. Let us take you around to the seven participating farms, where you may learn about cultivation and drying techniques from farmers, and stroll through lovely, fragrant lavender fields. At the Lavender Festival Street Fair in downtown Sequim you will see many products crafted from local lavender, from soaps to ice cream to wine (yes, wine).

The Sequim Lavender Festival runs July 17, 18, and 19, 2009. Our Lavender Festival Package Tour leaves Victoria at 9:45 am, upon arrival in Port Angeles we will shuttle you to and from Sequim and provide you with your own Lavender ‘Button’ for the Lavender Farm Tours. Your return ferry heads out of Port Angeles at 8 pm. This gives you a full day to immerse yourself in lavender.

Travel between Canada and the United States now requires a passport or an enhanced driver’s license.