If you're curious about the general history of this area, you may want to check out exhibits at the Clallam County Historical Society's Museum at the Carnegie, 207 S. Lincoln St. (tel. 360/452-6779; www.clallamhistoricalsociety.com), which is housed in a former Carnegie Library. It's open Wednesday through Saturday from 1 to 4pm and admission is free.
The Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, 1203 E. Lauridsen Blvd. (tel. 360/417-4590 or 360/457-3532; www.pafac.org), is the town's only other museum and hosts changing exhibits of contemporary art. The museum also maintains an unusual sculpture park in the woods surrounding the center. Sculptures within the park are often barely discernible from natural objects and are often quite fascinating. Between March and November, the gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm; from December through February, it closes at 4pm. Admission is free.
If you'd like to get a close-up look at some of the peninsula's aquatic inhabitants, stop by the Arthur D. Feiro Marine Life Center, Port Angeles City Pier, 315 N. Lincoln St. (tel. 360/417-6254; www.olypen.com/feirolab). In the center's tanks, you may spot a wolf eel or octopus, and at a touch tank, you can pick up a starfish or sea cucumber. Memorial Day through Labor Day, the center is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors, $1 for children ages 3 to 17, and free for children 2 and under.
Next door to the Marine Life Center, the small Olympic Coast Discovery Center, 115 E. Railroad Ave. (tel. 360/457-6622; www.olympiccoast.noaa.gov), serves as the interpretive center for the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. You can learn about the sanctuary's wide diversity of life forms and watch underwater videos in the small theater here. Memorial Day to Labor Day, this center is open daily from 11am to 5pm; spring and fall, it's open Thursday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm; and in winter, it's open Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm.
If you'd like to taste some local wine, stop by Black Diamond Winery, 2976 Black Diamond Rd. (tel. 360/457-0748), which produces both fruit and grape wines and is open February through December, Thursday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm, and Sunday and Monday from 11am to 4pm (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas). To reach the winery, drive south from U.S. 101 on Pine Street, which becomes Black Diamond Road. It's 3 miles to the winery. You can also visit Camaraderie Cellars, 334 Benson Rd. (tel. 360/417-3564; www.camaraderiecellars.com). The winery's tasting room is open May to October Friday to Sunday from 11am to 5pm. This winery gets its grapes from eastern Washington and makes a range of red and white wines. To reach this winery, follow U.S. 101 to the west side of Port Angeles, and drive south on Benson Road. The turnoff is 2 miles from the Lincoln Street section of U.S. 101. Continuing west on U.S. 101, you will come to Harbinger Winery, 2358 U.S. 101 W. (tel. 360/452-4262; www.harbingerwinery.com), which is the area's newest winery and produces a wide range of wines from grapes brought in from eastern Washington. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the tasting room is open daily from 11am to 6pm; call for hours in other months.
Lose Yourself in a Labyrinth
At the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center, you can lose yourself in a labyrinth hidden in a little glade in the art center's sculpture-filled woods. Mind you, this is not a maze, and the objective isn't to get physically lost. A labyrinth is a convoluted pathway that is meant to be used as a path for walking meditations. So, go on, get lost.
