Blake Walsh

15 Best Things to Do in Silverdale, WA

  • Published 2022/01/12

Nature awaits you in Silverdale, WA, where you can catch rays and check out stunning views of the mountains and the sea.

Otherwise, you can also sit back and tip back a few glasses of ice-cold beer from the city’s award-winning breweries.

Its location on the Kitsap Peninsula makes Silverdale an ideal attraction for tourists who want to visit the sea and the forests.

For example, you can just look out the window of your beachfront hotel and see fantastic views of the Dyes Inlet.

You can also leave the beach and go inland, where you can lose yourself in the majesty of Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains.

Then, you can hang around in the late afternoon to catch magnificent sunsets.

Do you want to know more about Silverdale, WA?

Here’s a list of the best things to do in town:

Get Your Feet Wet at the Silverdale Waterfront Park

Silverdale Waterfront Park

refrina / Shutterstock.com

Take advantage of Silverdale’s location by going to the Silverdale Waterfront Park and taking a dip in its saltwater beach.

Bring your family and friends and spend the day hanging out or joining waterfront activities.

You can leave them at the playground while you rent a boat and go out on the water if you have kids.

Silverdale Waterfront Park

refrina / Shutterstock.com

The park is also terrific for kayaking, though you can only go during calm weather.

If you want to rent boats or paddle-boards, head to the Olympic Outdoor Center to rent them.

After that, explore the gorgeous Dyes Inlet to your hearts’ content.

Silverdale Waterfront Park

refrina / shutterstock.com

Grab Unique Items at Silverdale Antiques

If you’re tired of buying the same old trinkets as souvenirs, why not visit Silverdale Antiques?

They offer various unique antique items of the highest quality, which you can use to decorate your home or give friends or family.

This hidden gem in Silverdale sells a wide variety of antiques to make your head spin.

Of course, if you want the classics, you’ll also find the usual stuff like mugs, clocks, and furniture.

Go Hiking along the Clear Creek Trail

Clear Creek Trail

The Old Major / Shutterstock.com

If you’re a landlubber, you could just stick to hiking along the Clear Creek Trail.

This eight-mile trail starts from the Silverdale Waterfront Park, then through Dyes Inlet, until it reaches Trigger Avenue to the north.

During your hike, you’ll see nature in all its wooded glory.

Clear Creek Trail

The Old Major / shutterstock.com

You’ll come across wetlands, riparian areas, and remnant forests.

Don’t forget to snap all the photos you need.

Despite its location in the heart of a developed urban area, the trail still provides you with enough nature views you’ll think you stepped into another dimension.

Experience Nature at the Newberry Hill Heritage Park

This 13-mile trail offers tourists of any stripe a perfect way to spend a day in the company of nature.

If you’re a hiker, a cyclist, or an equestrian, you can experience the wonders of nature all the same at the Newberry Hill Heritage Park.

During your hike, you’ll get the chance to observe local wildlife.

Likewise, you’ll get treated to the serene atmosphere of an undisturbed forest.

This park reminds the mystery and wonder of exploring a forest.

Learn Local History at the Pioneer Building

On the other hand, you can visit historic Silverdale sites instead if you prefer to stay downtown.

For example, you can check out the Pioneer Building, one of the important historical buildings in Seattle.

Why is this building significant?

It traces the history of business and commercial development in Seattle.

Firstly, the building stands on the spot of Seattle’s first sawmill, which Henry Yesler built in 1853.

In 1892, after the 1889 Great Seattle Fire, the Pioneer Building stood as one of the best “fireproof” buildings in the Richardsonian-Romanesque styles.

The renowned architect Elmer H. Fisher designed the building, among 60 others.

In 1978, the Pioneer Building received the National Historic Landmark status, cementing it as one of the 20th century’s iconic structures.

See the Whales at Dyes Inlet

Dyes Inlet

The Old Major / shutterstock.com

Named after the noted taxidermist John W. W. Dyes, the Dyes Inlet is one of Silverdale’s premier natural attractions.

It receives freshwater from Chico Creek and Clear Creek, which sees heavy salmon runs during the autumn.

Dyes Inlet

The Old Major / shutterstock.com

When you visit the inlet, you’ll find a waterfront park, a marina, a boardwalk, and a boat ramp.

You can take a stroll along the shoreline or go out on the water on a rented boat.

You might even see a pod of killer whales beside your boat if you’re lucky!

Dyes Inlet

The Old Major / shutterstock.com

Step into the Forest at Old Mill Park

At the northern end of the Dyes Inlet, outside Silverdale, sits Old Mill Park, where you can venture into the forest through a wide trail network.

These trails will lead you through the forest and two loops that form a figure-eight.

Otherwise, follow the side trails if you want to stroll along the shoreline.

You can also use the Old Mill Park as a starting point for another hike through the Clear Creek Trail if you want more adventure.

Shop Like Crazy at the Kitsap Mall

Of course, if you want the thrill of shopping in the mall, your next place to visit should be the Kitsap Mall in Silverdale.

You’ll find various popular shops, such as JCPenney, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Barnes & Noble, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

The mall offers 110 retail stores, so you won’t run out of places to shop or things to buy.

Spend the afternoon with your friends or family in the heart of downtown Silverdale.

Let Your Pup Play at the Silverdale Dog Park

Silverdale Dog Park

The Old Major / Shutterstock.com

Many dog owners have recognized Silverdale Dog Park as the best dog park in Kitsap County.

If you’re looking for a place to bring your dog to Silverdale, you might as well take their word for it.

What makes the Silverdale Dog Park great?

It’s a safe and spacious area where you can ditch the leash and let your dogs play with other dogs.

Likewise, you can make friends with other dog owners or introduce yourself to the regulars.

You can also bring them to the separate puppy play area if you’ve got a puppy.

Get Your Thrills at the Kitsap Great Escape

Did you get assigned to develop a plan for your next company team-building activity?

Are you running out of ideas?

Don’t worry.

The Kitsap Great Escape is the answer to your problems.

Escape rooms are great for team-building activities because you need to cooperate with your teammates if you want to win.

You’ll have to gather clues together, decipher puzzles, and solve mysteries, all under 60 minutes.

The Kitsap Great Escape will give you all the thrills of the usual escape room, and you’ll also get immersed in truly interesting scenarios and stories.

Other Things to Do Nearby

Spend the Day at the Illahee State Park

Fifteen minutes away from Silverdale lies the city of Bremerton, where you can find the Illahee State Park.

This park sits on prime beachfront property on Port Orchard Bay, making it a perfect place for a beach hangout.

Besides the beach, the 86-acre park also features a lush forest.

You can collect shells along the beach, or you can go fishing.

View of Illahee State Park

Dyknowsore at the English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Likewise, crabbing and shellfish harvesting are also terrific activities you can do with friends.

Otherwise, you can play softball, volleyball, or horseshoe at the park’s designated fields.

The park also features two large naval guns, serving as a memorial to the park’s founder, Earl Henry Harkins.

Moreover, these guns honor the memory of Bremerton’s young men who paid the ultimate price in World War I.

Get to Know the US Navy at the US Naval Undersea Museum

This museum is special because it’s the only official museum of the US Navy that teaches the public about their undersea operations.

So, if you’re curious about Navy submarines, you’re headed to the right place.

You’ll also find the country’s biggest collection of historical Navy artifacts during your visit.

For instance, you’ll find documents and reference materials about undersea matters.

Likewise, the specialty collections also feature Navy matters such as torpedoes, diving, salvage, underwater mines, and submarines.

If you want to visit this museum, just drive 15 minutes from Silverdale to the city of Keyport.

See Unspoiled Nature at the Illahee Forest Preserve

If you want another chance to visit pristine nature, head to Bremerton and visit the Illahee Forest Preserve, with 570 acres of preserved land.

It also has five miles of trail open to the public, so feel free to explore.

What can you see at this preserve? You’ll find the Illahee Creek here, which is a salmon-bearing stream.

You can see salmon splashing about there, especially during salmon runs.

Likewise, you can observe other local wildlife.

However, you’ll need to keep your distance from these animals because the land is a protected area.

Smell the Flowers at the Albers Marcovina Vista Gardens

This garden gets its name from its founders, John Albers and Santica Marcovina, the couple who began working on the garden in the summer of 1998.

Back then, they were touring the Olympic Peninsula, where they saw a house in East Bremerton that overlooked the Port Washington Narrows.

They decided to buy the house, whose lawn caught Albers’ eye.

As a serious gardener, John Albers transformed the lawn into the lush and gorgeous garden you see today.

Every step you take in this place presents new angles and ways of appreciating the plants growing there.

John created paths of granite steppingstones, dividing the garden into sections.

He planted various conifers in these areas to serve as the garden’s backbone, adding in trees, shrubs, and perennials later.

Watch a Salmon Run at the Chico Salmon Viewing Park

Bremerton also features this unique attraction for people curious about the Northwest United States.

This place is the Chico Salmon Viewing Park, where you can watch schools of spawning salmon, a testament to the miracle of life.

If you want to see this yourself, visit the place from the middle of October through November.

Witness this spectacular event with a guided tour, or you could just go there yourself.

Remember to follow the park’s rules for respectful salmon viewing so that you won’t disrupt this miraculous process.

Final Thoughts

In a word, visiting Silverdale is a blast.

You can do so many things there that you’ll feel like you’ve stayed there forever.

Who knows?

Maybe you’ll enjoy your trip there so much, and you’ll decide to do so.

Book your Silverdale trip today!

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