9 Most Charming Town Squares In Washington
Washington, the Evergreen State, is a stunning place with a ton of diverse natural beauty, like unique temperate rainforests, massive Cascade Mountain ranges, and rocky Pacific Ocean coastlines. It also has many culturally unique cities and small towns with thriving craft beer, live music, and art scenes. When you think of a town square, you might think of the kind that are popular in Europe and the Middle East. That type of town square, while less common in the USA, does exist in the sense of a downtown area which is densely packed with shops, dining spaces, and other attractions, plus a publicly accessible outdoor space in the city center. Washington does have many towns whose downtowns meet this criterion.
Issaquah
Like many cities in Washington, Issaquah is surrounded by mountains, most notably the Issaquah Alps. It is the largest city on this list with a population of just under forty thousand, and it is very close to the popular city of Seattle. One of the city's trademarks is the annual Salmon Days Festival, a commemoration of the seasonal return of the fish to the Issaquah Creek, assisted by the local Issaquah Hatchery.
The downtown, nicknamed "Olde Town" because of its historic buildings, is much like a traditional town square. Its businesses are mainly concentrated around Front Street and the Issaquah Community Center. There is also a curated outdoor space called Depot Park, which features a train car from the 1880s, and is accompanied by the Rainier Multiple Use Trail, a paved, fully accessible, two-mile-long trail following an old railroad. A popular place downtown is Jak's Grill if you are craving American steakhouse vibes. For entertainment, The Village Theatre, a venue which has been on Front Street since 1979, is a hotspot for musical theater and other productions featuring local performers.
Bainbridge Island
Bainbridge Island is a unique city on this list, located in the Puget Sound region of Washington, entirely surrounded by water. The city of Seattle is just across the bay, and you can take a ferry back and forth between it and the island. While Bainbridge Island has many communities, the whole island is considered one city, with a total population of around 25,000, and it is packed with beautiful beaches, parks, and attractions. At the center of it all is a true town square, in a neighborhood called Winslow, which is considered the main downtown focal point of the island, located on Madison Avenue.
Bainbridge Island City Hall is right in the middle of the action, and beside it is Winslow Green, a business center and curated public outdoor space with all the things you can expect in a town square park. It has a gazebo and benches, and is surrounded by a variety of local businesses such as Coquette Bake Shop, an artisan bakery and coffee shop, and YoYo Poke, a Hawaiian-inspired restaurant. Walk off the after-dinner sluggishness at Bainbridge History Museum, only a few blocks away. They display a comprehensive history of the island through hands-on exhibits and primary sources.
Kenmore
Another city with a lengthy and visually stunning waterfront is Kenmore, which lies around the north end of Lake Washington. It is known for its charming downtown, the center of Kenmore Town Square, a uniquely curated gathering space. Its pavilion, The Hangar, is an architectural feat that has been noted for its water fountain with programmable color-changing lights and its movable walls, which create equal indoor and outdoor recreational space. The beautiful square is the location for many city events, like weekly farmers markets on Wednesdays, free summer concerts on Thursdays, and monthly family-friendly movie showings on projector screens.
Kenmore is a hotspot for food, with an abundance of options within walking distance of Kenmore Town Square. Asian cuisine is a favorite around the town, with several options located around the square. Two of the most popular are Ichiban Teriyaki for Japanese flavors and Toma Sushi for Thai flavors. If you are craving American-style food, try Kidd Valley for burgers and milkshakes.
Anacortes
In the northwest corner of Washington State, between the mainland and the San Juan Islands, you will find Anacortes, an incredibly scenic town fully immersed in natural beauty. The city itself is on an island called Fidalgo Island, and it is encircled by water, namely the Puget Sound and Swinomish Channel. Therefore, it is not surprising that Anacortes is known for its beaches, including the popular Rosario Beach and the various beaches in Cap Sante Park, which offer incredible views of the Pacific Ocean and even some whale watching, a popular tourist attraction in Washington.
While Anacortes does not have a typical town square by name, its downtown area has everything we would need to qualify it as one, including a concentrated area for gathering and socializing around Commercial Avenue. The aforementioned Cap Sante Park is right beside the area where many of the local businesses are concentrated, as well as the popular Anacortes Farmers Market and the town's visitors' center. Also in this very walkable area are some great attractions such as the waterfront Maritime Heritage Museum, which is in collaboration with the nearby Anacortes Museum to showcase local history, especially around shipbuilding and the city's naval history.
Anacortes is also known for being an artistic city. It has a ton of public art, including murals and sculptures, and the Anacortes Arts Festival, which has been held there for the last sixty consecutive years, making it one of the longest-running arts festivals in Washington's history. There are multiple venues for performance art, including the Heart of Anacortes, a locally owned venue for live music in a cozy setting, and the Anacortes Community Theatre.
Poulsbo
On the Kitsap Peninsula, huddled around Kitsap Bay, is the city of Poulsbo. Affectionately coined "Washington's Little Norway" due to its Scandinavian heritage, the town square of Poulsbo is not necessarily a designated square in the traditional sense. Instead, the strip of Front Street around the Muriel Iverson Williams Waterfront Park is considered the town center.
This area is packed with Viking-themed murals, shops where you can buy unique gifts, locally owned restaurants and breweries, and bakeries, which the town is known for. Some of these bakeries are Sluy's Poulsbo Bakery, an iconic Poulsbo staple serving bread and traditional Scandinavian treats. If you favor bagels as your treat of choice, have one plus a coffee at the highly recommended Poulsbohemian Coffeehouse and enjoy a view of Liberty Bay.
If you know anything about the Vikings of the past, drinking was big in their culture, particularly beer and mead. Consequently, Washington's Little Norway has several great watering holes, including long-time classics like the bayside Brass Kraken Pub and Valholl Brewing. Many of these businesses are inside buildings designed with Old World European architecture that is very unique to the US in general, which definitely contributes to Poulsbo's overall prettiness.
Port Townsend
This historic city is located on the Quimper Peninsula, and like many of the cities on this list, is also surrounded by the Puget Sound. Port Townsend has a long life, having been established way back when Washington was just a colonial territory. In those days, it was actually known as the "Key City" due to being a major port off the sound and onto the mainland.
Port Townsend is an old city with a historic district established as a US National Historic Landmark. The Victorian-era architecture that still composes the downtown is absolutely stunning and really adds to the city's old-world seaside charm. The gorgeous waterfront downtown area of this city, along Water Street following the beaches of Port Townsend Bay, fits the criteria for a town square in everything but the official name.
Many public town events are clustered around the Port Townsend Plaza, a shopping mall with a ton of cute local storefronts, and the Tyler Street Plaza, an outdoor space right beside it with benches, hanging lights, and a bay view. There are a lot of businesses that are good to explore in this area, and some favorites include Better Living Through Coffee, Owl Spirit Cafe, and Sirens Pub, a casual restaurant and bar which arguably has some of the best views in town from its dock.
Snohomish
Considering Washington has over one hundred islands under its name, it is not surprising that several of the towns listed here so far are either islands themselves or on one, but this next town is technically landlocked. That does not mean Snohomish is lacking in waterfront views, though, as it is positioned along the Snohomish River. This lovely inland town is known for its nostalgic charm and has been referred to as the "Antique Capital of the Northwest" because of its concentration of antique stores in and around its downtown.
The downtown here is a town square in every sense of the phrase, with a cluster of charming local businesses in a historic area, gathered around a lovely outdoor space called Kla Ha Ya Park. As Snohomish is the antique capital, of course, the park has the Antique Station in Victoria Village right within walking distance, offering multiple sellers in one location. Another antique complex, Star Center Antique Mall, is well within walking distance and offers five floors of shopping. Coffee and food are huge in Snohomish, too, with practically endless options available right around Kla Ha Ya Park and Snohomish City Hall. Proper Joe Coffeehouse and Grilla Bites Co-op Cafe are two locally recommended options for the former, which is within walking distance of the town center.
Ellensburg
Another inland city in central Washington, near the Cascade Mountain range, is Ellensburg, a small city of around 18,000 residents. If you did not know to look for it, this place might fall under the radar, since it is not necessarily near a body of water or a large urban center. However, it has so much to offer, being known as a creative and unique town. One of the trademarks of Ellensburg is its annual rodeo, which is not something you see too much in the Northwest, and this is the largest rodeo in that region.
Downtown Ellensburg is the city's cultural and entertainment hub. The main draw is its vintage charm, with lots of historic architecture, some dating back to the 1890s. Most events, such as the Ellensburg Night Market and the Ellensburg Music Fest, take place in and around Unity Park, a lovely outdoor plaza with plenty of seating, a water feature, and a stage. Unity Park serves as the outdoor space and center of town, and around it are many local businesses and attractions. With a historic district marked on the National Register of Historic Places, museums are essential when you visit Ellensburg. Two right downtown are the Kittitas County Museum for local history, and the Clymer Museum and Gallery for art.
Leavenworth
Also in the Cascade Mountains, you will find Leavenworth, a tiny town of only two thousand permanent residents, which is best known for being a German-style gem in the middle of the Pacific Northwest. In the 1960s, this town was in need of a tourism boost, so they looked to their German heritage and constructed a handful of Bavarian-inspired businesses in the downtown area. This venture proved to be very successful, and the town gets over a million visitors a year. They host festivals and events year-round, including Oktoberfest and Maifest, which draw in huge crowds. For the most part, though, Leavenworth maintains its small-town charm and provides great gathering spaces for the people who call it home.
Any good German town needs a town square, and so they created one in Leavenworth, which sits in the Bavarian Village. Surrounding Leavenworth Square, you will find unique shops like The Cheesemongers Shop. Christmas is huge in Leavenworth as well because of the enormous Christmas tree lighting event they hold annually, and so you will also find plenty of interesting Christmas-themed stores around the Square, such as Kris Kringl.
Of course, like any real German town, food and beer are essential. Munchen Haus is a Bavarian-themed restaurant serving homemade sausages and craft beer in a German-style decor. Bushel and Bee Taproom is a highly rated casual brewery that makes beer, cider, and even mead, selling its products on tap and by the bottle. It does not serve food, but it allows you to bring in takeout and provides plenty of entertainment options.
In Conclusion
Washington is a beautiful state with a strong sense of community that helps keep its central downtown areas thriving in every city. It has a very diverse food scene, so that you can find unique culinary options like German food in Leavenworth, Scandinavian food in Poulsbo, and anything else you might crave all across the state. The art scene in Washington is thriving as well, especially in cities like Anacortes. Visit any of the towns on this list to enjoy festivals, live performances, and more, usually in the town squares where people come to gather and have fun!
