Suquamish

I'd never visited the small town of Suquamish on Puget Sound until last summer, but there's so much to do! 

We took the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island. It was then a quick 15 minute drive north up to Suquamish. Perfect for a day trip!

This town is most famously known as the burial place of Chief Seattle, so our first order of business was to visit his well tended grave.

When the hunger pangs set in, we found a table at Sully's Bistro and Bar in Suquamish. The patio has incredible water views across the sound to Seattle. My kids enjoyed a Sully's Fat Burger, while my husband and I chowed down on crab cakes, local oysters, and coconut prawns.

Our afternoon was spent visiting the excellent Suquamish Museum which opened in 2012 at a cost of $7.5m. It's an impressive building, designed like a longhouse.

We wanted to learn more about Chief Seattle's connection to this area, and so visited his nearby winter village at Old Man House Park. This is the sacred site of a 2,000 year old village, where tribal chiefs sheltered with their families over winter. Unfortunately the magnificent 790-foot longhouse burned down in 1870.

Where can we stay?

There's loads of lodging on Bainbridge Island. However, an even closer option is 10 minutes away at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino. Kids will love the indoor swimming pool with a wall of windows that overlooks the waterfront. There are also plenty of waterfront rooms.

What's the history of Suquamish?

Suquamish is located on the Port Madison Indian Reservation. This reservation was established as part of the 1855 Point Elliot Treaty. The Suquamish Tribe are now re-developing a 36-acre parcel of land known as Suquamish Shore on the waterfront. This is after the 50 year leasing agreement with a developer ended in 2018. It will be exciting to see what happens here.

5 best things to do at Suquamish

1. Eat at Sully's Bistro & Bar

This might be the only restaurant in town, but it's not to be missed. Savor delicious seafood and cocktails for lunch or dinner at Sully's Bistro & Bar (check hours).

2. Suquamish Museum

We were really impressed by the Suquamish Museum and spent 2 hours visiting it (check hours).

The first thing we noticed was the amazing 9,000 square foot building that's designed like a traditional longhouse. The museum opened in 2012 and cost $7.5m. Obviously this building pays homage to the original longhouse that burned down at Chief Seattle's winter village.

The highlight is the excellent exhibition in the large gallery, "Ancient Shores - Changing Tides". This stunning exhibition features a traditional bark dress, 300 year old carved canoe, stone tools, and handwoven baskets. There is literally thousands of years of history here, with lots of original artifacts.

Once we covered off the exhibition, we then browsed the great gift shop.

3. Visit Chief Seattle Grave.

Every Seattleite should make the trip to Chief Seattle's grave, the namesake for our beautiful city. Chief Seattle is revered in these parts and was an effective diplomat. He's most widely known for signing the Point Elliot Treaty in 1855.

The cemetery is super easy to get to, just 0.2 miles up the hill from the Suquamish waterfront with a decent sized parking lot.

I was also intrigued by the beautiful church on the edge of the cemetery, known as the Saint Peter Mission church. It burned down at some point, but was rebuilt in 1906.

4. Hang out in Suquamish Park 

Famlies will love the playground at Suquamish Park next to the museum. There's swings, slides and a water feature. It's also the ideal place for picnics and BBQs, with sheltered picnic tables and grills.

5. Walk the Suquamish Waterfront

We then headed back to the Suquamish waterfront to soak in the sunshine and awesome views of Puget Sound.

There's a large lawned area with a basketball court and a community center. The only way to access the beach is by walking down the boat ramp.

The community center was built in 2009 and is known as the House of Awakened Culture. It's the cultural heart of the Suquamish Tribe, with regular programs on things like basket weaving. One of the biggest events of the year is the Suquamish Canoe Journey in late July, attracting thousands of visitors. During the week long event, over a hundred canoes paddle from tribe to tribe.

6. Visit the Suquamish Veterans Memorial 

It's easy to find the Suquamish Veterans Memorial constructed in 2010, just across the road from the community center.

7. See Old Man House Park

Set aside some time to drive 1-mile south of Suquamish to the winter home of Chief Seattle at Old Man House Park. It's just a vacant lot of land on Agate Passage, so we had to try and imagine the 790-foot longhouse that once stood here and could shelter up to 800 people. It would be great if they could put build a replica!