Summer Festivals and Fun in Port Angeles, WA

The Port Angeles festival with the most tradition and history is without a doubt the Juan De Fuca festival of the Arts held every memorial day. Jammed into a four day event - you will never run out of things to do with 125 performances of music, dance and theater. There will also be special events for children as well. One day passes are $14 with four day passes costing $45. Among those scheduled to perform are Brothers from Different Mothers, the Eclestons, and Ivonne Hernandez.

The summers in Port Angeles are some of the nicest in the Northwest, reaching the high 70's. And if you're in town during the summer, every week you can go to the pier at the end of Lincoln street that features a tower where you can gaze across the Strait of Juan De Fuca and see Victoria, Canada and enjoy a live concert. The concerts happen every Wednesday from 6-8 pm and are free. You can lay out on the grass or bring your own lounge chairs to take in a wide variety of live music.

The Arts in Action Festival, which happens July 26th and 27th, causes people to line up to spend sunny afternoons admiring stunningly crafted sand sculptures and some of the finest northwest related artwork you can ever see. There's also plenty of great food with a bevy of vendors and also a chance to participate in the event by voting for the best sand castle and entering a raffle to win a sporty car.

Without a doubt the greatest treasure of the Olympic Peninsula is its natural beauty, which can be breathtaking on a summer day. For a good taste of the outdoors you might want to consider taking a 20 minute drive to the west to Lake Crescent, which is 8.5-mile long, 624-ft deep and was formed during the last ice age. You can also enjoy rustic, but cozy amenities in Log Cabins or stay in the upscale Resort and Lodge.

After a long day of hiking the nature trails to Marymere Falls, the Spruce Railroad Trail, or the Storm King lookout that rests high above the lake, you can enjoy a night of elegant dining at the Lodge's fine restaurant.

If the beach is more your thing, all it takes is about a 15 minute drive north of the lake to arrive at the Salt Creek Recreation Area where you can camp and walk barefoot on sandy beaches as well as play marine biologist at rocky tide pools.

Another natural wonder is the Sol Duc Hot Springs which is a resort and campground featuring swimming pools fed by the natural occurring hot springs.

If you're a Twilight enthusiast, and who isn't, you can pick up the best Twilight memorabilia at Dazzled By Twilight in downtown Port Angeles, or eat at the Mia Bella Cafe Italian restaurant where the two young vampires in the film enjoyed their first date. If you're a serious devotee you may want to consider traveling down Highway 101 to Forks to check out the storied setting for the bestselling love story, including the high school where the two main characters met. The Forks chamber of commerce can direct you to all the locations related to the film for photographs as well as where to find the best souvenirs.