Before we get to the gardens and sunset cruise, I have to pay tribute to this little bird. Each morning, I’d see the little guy or gal perched on a sign outside the window. I was honored she or he posed for me instead of flying away.

Wilkinson Farm Park and Community Garden

The City of Gig Harbor acquired the Wilkinson Farm property in 2001 and officially named it Helen Independence Wilkinson Farm City Park. The park links Gig Harbor to its agricultural past and to the perseverance of one pioneer family. Washington State added the 1914 Wilkinson Barn to its list of historic barns in 2008. Along with the dairy barn, the property includes three original outbuildings, an orchard, meadows, and large wetlands.

While we didn’t get to see the barn and homestead, the community garden allowed us to walk around and look at what folks were growing. From a lady who was tending her plot, we learned there was a waiting list to rent an individual plot for a small fee. An automatic watering system provides water to the 45 raised beds, relieving growers from having to haul water in.

The garden also supports those in need by dedicating space for volunteers to grow and harvest organic vegetables. Through their efforts, each year they deliver nearly 1,000 pounds of produce to various food banks in the area.

Rosedale Gardens

Rosedale Gardens in Gig Harbor is a full service gardening center and gift shop. We weren’t in the market to purchase plants to take home, but we did enjoy walking the paths that wound through beautiful foliage.

For me, the highlight had to be the bronze statuary. I saw a few pieces I would have brought home if I lived closer. Alas, the limited space in our RV didn’t allow for hauling something so heavy and cumbersome. Here are but a few pieces that spoke to me.

We soaked up the atmosphere, surrounded by a variety of plants and trees. It’s a place I would visit every season if I lived nearby.

Tides Tavern

We stopped in at Tides Tavern for an early dinner before catching our Riviera Cruise at 6:00 pm. The building housing Tides Tavern started out as the West Side Mercantile next the “People’s Dock,” the only public ferry landing at the time. At the end of prohibition, the owners added a tavern.

Several ownerships of the business occurred between 1930 and 1973 when Peter Stanley bought the property. Stanley commenced a two-month renovation before reopening, and some months later enlarged the kitchen. The Tides offer a selection of tavern food and drinks, a view of the harbor, and live music on the weekends.

Riviera Sunset Cruise

Our narrated 3-hour sunset cruise began at the Maritime Pier next to Tides Tavern. We enjoyed warm weather as we motored out of Gig Harbor, toward the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Point Fosdick, Cromwell, Wollochet Bay, Fox Island, and Henderson Bay, staying mostly right of center down the waterway. Then we cruised back to the harbor, hugging the opposite side.

The captain and narrator had lived in Gig Harbor most of his life, so he had plenty of stories to tell about the businesses, boats, and homes along the shore. I wish I could have remembered all of them.

As we passed by the homes, I pictured myself on the porches, wrapped in a sweater with a cup of tea and watching the boats float in and out of the harbor. Alas, I had to be content with viewing them from afar.

Tanglewood Island, off the northern shore of Fox Island, has an interesting history. The first known use of the island was as a graveyard. The Nisqually Indians honored their dead by burying them in dugout canoes suspended in the island’s fir trees.

The reason I remember the story about this island must be because I like visiting graveyards. They are such a peaceful place to wander and I get lost in reading the inscriptions and dates and imagining what the person’s life must have been like. I don’t know what I would think about burials in dugouts in trees, though. I guess it would be better than being loaded on a raft or in a dugout and shoved out to sea. Or maybe not.

Anyway, the island became the summer home of Conrad L. Hosca, a Tacoma pioneer. The Smithsonian supposedly removed all relics by 1891, but my research did not reveal where any human remains may have been reburied. A rabbit hole to crawl into on another day.

Dr. Alfred Schultz purchased the island in 1933 and operated Camp Ta-Ha-Do-Wa for boys from 1945 until the 1970s. I bet plenty of ghost stories told around the campfires at night led to a few nightmares. In 1979, The Schultz family sold the island to a group of people who subdivided it for their private personal use. They have had confidence no spirits remained to haunt the island and the residents. Hmm! Sounds like the island sounds like a perfect setting for a mystery or horror story.

The camp included the lighthouse (which may or may not have been sanctioned), a pavilion, and a salt-water pool. These facilities subsequently fell into disrepair. The owners demolished the pavilion a few years ago and in 2021 began a renovation of the lighthouse.

As we turned back toward Gig Harbor, and the sun fell lower in the sky, I pulled my jacket from my backpack. A few minutes later, the crew passed out blankets, for which I was grateful.

We found the Riviera Sunset Cruise a perfect way to soak up the history and stories about Gig Harbor and the surrounding area. Special thanks to the captain for an informative and pleasurable three hours.

Next up: We leave Gig Harbor behind and head to Leavenworth, Washington.

Safe Travels