A classic holiday escape: Port Townsend

Port Townsend is a small but sophisticated town, an ideal place to relax before the holidays hit. Stay in a cozy Victorian-style inn. Browse the shops in the old-fashioned downtown, get a taste of the town's seagoing heritage and join in a community tree lighting.

Shopping tips

• Port Townsend is an artsy place; galleries and craft stores cluster along Water Street, including Ancestral Spirits Gallery (701 Water St., 360-385-0078 or www.ancestralspirits.com/), which offers original works by Northwest native artists. Art cards, including by the late Haida artist Bill Reid, make good budget gifts/alternative greeting cards ($4.95 each).

• Don't miss the Port Townsend Antique Mall, two stories of goodies from household knickknacks to vintage jewelry and furniture. Spend a few dollars — or hundreds. 802 Washington St., 360-379-8069.

• Find a good read at William James Bookseller, an old-fashioned bookstore with everything from secondhand mysteries for a couple of bucks to rare, and costly, antiquarian books. 829 Water St, 888-385-7313.

Cozying up

• Choose from more than a dozen inns and B&Bs, including the 19th-century James House with sweeping views of Puget Sound (10 rooms plus two separate bungalow-style suites). In December rates start at about $125 and include a generous breakfast. www.jameshouse.com or 800-385-1238.

• Not a B&B fan? Manresa Castle is like a Victorian motel, a sprawling 19th-century turreted mansion that has 41 rooms on three floors. December rates start at $109 for a non-view room. A continental breakfast is included. www.manresacastle.com or 800-732-1281.

• Want lots of space? Fort Worden State Park rents Victorian-style military officers' homes, with two to six bedrooms plus kitchens and living rooms. Rates start at $125 a night in December; www.parks.wa.gov/fortworden/accommodations or 360-344-4434.

Ho, ho, ho time

The Merchants' Holiday Open House on Saturday features shopping, carriage rides and caroling in the streets. Or enjoy a community Christmas-tree lighting and caroling on Dec. 6, with Santa arriving in a horse-drawn carriage at 4:30 p.m. www.ptmainstreet.org (click on "Victorian Holidays").

Budget bliss

See local history at the Jefferson County Historical Society Museum ($4, 540 Water St., www.jchsmuseum.org, 360-385-1003). Find nautical gifts for boating fans at the Wooden Boat Foundation's Chandlery store, and free cider and snacks at the foundation's open house on Dec. 6 from 2 to 4 p.m. (before the town tree lighting); www.woodenboat.org or 360-385-3628. For art and lectures, head to the Wildlife Nature and Art Exposition at Fort Worden park on Dec. 13-14, www.wildartexpo.org

More info: www.enjoypt.com or 888-365-6978.

— Kristin Jackson