Eat Your Way Through Kitsap History logo over a vintage map of Kitsap County

EAT YOUR WAY THROUGH KITSAP HISTORY

 

NOW IN ITS 24th YEAR!

The 2026 series has wrapped up. Thank you to everyone who joined us! Watch for next year’s tours.

This popular program allows us to share some of the rich history of Kitsap County that we cannot tell within the confines of the museum. Meet up at places of historical significance throughout the county, hear the stories and learn their history, then follow it up with a meal at a nearby establishment. Each year features different locations and different culinary experiences—see below for this year’s events.

This year’s series is also part of the nationwide America250 celebration, commemorating 250 years of American history. Through these local stories, we explore how Kitsap’s people, places, and landscapes are part of the larger American story.

Our Eat Your Way Through Kitsap History tours take place in a variety of historic locations across Kitsap County. Because each location is different, the amount of walking, standing, or uneven terrain can vary. To help you plan ahead, we’ve included a mobility rating for each tour. Please refer to the mobility scale at the bottom of the page for definitions so you can choose the experience that’s most comfortable for you.

Museum members receive discounted tickets to Eat Your Way Through Kitsap History tours. Join today to save on your ticket and enjoy special perks throughout the year, including discounts on programs and events. Patron-level memberships and above also include membership in the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association, which provides free admission to hundreds of museums across the country. Details are available on our membership page.

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America 250 logo over a vintage map of Kitsap County

Menu

1st Course

Historic view of houses and a store at the head of a long wooden wharf, with a wooded hillside behind

Discover Hidden Holly

Thursday, May 21

11:00 AM

$55 PER PERSON ($45 KHM MEMBERS)

*Price includes meal

 

Tucked along the quiet shores of Hood Canal, Holly is one of Kitsap County’s lesser-known historic communities—peaceful today but once connected to the wider region through fishing, logging, and the Mosquito Fleet steamers that served this remote shoreline. On this Eat Your Way Through Kitsap History outing, we’ll explore Holly’s past with a guided visit to the historic cemetery and learn about the restoration efforts underway there, stop at the site of the beloved schoolhouse and community center that was lost to fire in 2022, and walk through the beachfront vacation area (for those able). After our exploration, we’ll gather for lunch at the beachfront community center, where we’ll hear more stories about Holly’s vibrant past while enjoying the beautiful Hood Canal setting.

mobility scale: 2

*Sponsored by: Bonnie & Sig Chrey and Rich & Taffy Satter

2nd Course

Painted canoes lined up in front of a large cedar-and-log building in Suquamish as people gather

From Treaty to Today: The Suquamish Journey

Saturday, June 13

11:00 AM

$55 PER PERSON ($45 KHM MEMBERS)

*Price includes meal

 

On this Eat Your Way Through Kitsap History experience, held at the House of Awakened Culture, Suquamish Tribal Councilmember Luther Mills and Fisheries Director Rob Purser will guide us through the Tribe’s 150-year fight to uphold treaty rights—culminating in the landmark Boldt decision—and what came after.

They’ll explore how enforcing those rights required not just legal victories, but the development of strong tribal governance, resource management, and law enforcement in the face of long-standing discrimination.

Out of that fight came a renewed commitment to cultural identity, sovereignty, and self-determination. Today, the Suquamish Tribe continues that work through economic development, cultural programs, and the ongoing effort to reclaim reservation lands that were unlawfully taken beginning in the late 1800s.

mobility scale: 1

*Sponsored by: Cindy DuVall & Joan Garrow

3rd Course

Manchester's waterfront today, with tall ornamental grasses in front and Puget Sound beyond

Manchester’s Waterfront Story

Friday, July 24

11:00 AM

$55 per person ($45 KHM Members)

*Price includes Meal

 

Once a bustling Mosquito Fleet stop where steamers connected Kitsap residents to Seattle—long before highways and bridges—Manchester grew around its busy waterfront dock and ferry landing. Join us in scenic Manchester as lifelong resident Eric Cisney shares stories of his hometown’s history. We’ll also stroll the waterfront and take a tour of Manchester’s award-winning state-of-the-art qaqad Stormwater Park led by Zack Pattek, Stormwater Education and Outreach Coordinator for Kitsap County Public Works. We’ll learn about today’s efforts to protect Puget Sound, and enjoy lunch while reflecting on stories of the people and activities that once made this small harbor a lively gateway to the region.

 mobility scale: 2

*Sponsored by: Bill & Chris Slach

4th Course

Historic photo of three young people standing with hoes between rows of plants in a farm field

Bainbridge’s Historic Suyematsu Farm

Saturday, August 15th

11:00 am

$55 per person ($45 KHM Members)

*Price includes meal

 

Founded in 1928, the Suyematsu Farm is the oldest continuously farmed land on Bainbridge Island and possibly in the Puget Sound region. Theirs was one of the farms that helped make the area the strawberry capital of the Northwest. In 1942 the family was forced to leave their bumper crop of Marshall strawberries unpicked as they were taken from the island and interned. Upon their return, Akio Suyematsu, the eldest son of the original owners, eventually took over the farm and helped make it a thriving agricultural enterprise. He was the first to embrace organic, sustainable practices. Jonathan Garfunkel, a director of the Suyematsu Farm Legacy Alliance, will lead us on a tour of the farm and heritage site. Lunch at Bainbridge Vineyards, which exists on land purchased from the Suyematsus, will follow.

mobility scale: 2

*Sponsored by: Nina Hallett

5th Course

Point No Point Lighthouse with dune grass in the foreground

Point No Point – Light & Legacy

Thursday, September 10

11:00 AM

$55 Per Person ($45 KHM Members)

*Price Includes Meal

At the northeastern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula, where Admiralty Inlet meets Puget Sound, Hahd-skus/Point No Point has been a place of fishing and trade, a thriving Coast Salish community, a passage for commerce and travel, and a popular recreation destination. It is the site of the 1855 Treaty of Point No Point signing, and also home to the region’s oldest lighthouse. Join us to explore the significance of this storied place with guest presenters Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Dr. Juanita Holtyn, Administrative Director Gina Stevens, and other cultural ambassadors of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe. Lighthouse keeper and historian Lew Noah will lead a tour of the Point No Point Lighthouse and share stories of its history. During lunch, the learning continues with PNW poet, journalist, author, and mariner Richard Walker.

mobility scale: 2 (optional part 3)

*Sponsored by: Peggy Iverson & Sue Reimer

6th Course

Gilberton logging crew, 1892: men seated on logs and standing by a log building, one holding a small child

Logger’s Breakfast at Seabeck

Thursday, October 22nd

9:30 am

$55 Per person ($45 KHM Members)

*Price Includes Meal
We’ll enjoy a hearty logger-style breakfast at the historic Seabeck Conference Center, which dates all the way back to 1869! Executive Director Chuck Kraining will share his extensive knowledge of this longstanding site and the lifestyle it offered when the Washington Mill Company, a thriving lumber mill and shipbuilding center, had Seabeck humming until its mill burned in 1886. 
mobility scale: 1

*Sponsored By: Susan Daniel &

Gary Beanland

Mobility scale chart, from 1 Easy to 4 Hard; the definitions are written out below

1 Easy: Very little walking on flat, even ground. Routes are short and generally accessible. Suitable for most mobility levels.

2 Moderate Easy: Some walking required on mostly flat ground. May include longer distances between stops or occasional mild slopes, but no significant stairs or obstacles.

3 Moderate Hard: A fair amount of walking and standing. Routes may include uneven surfaces, noticeable hills, or multiple flights of stairs. Not recommended for those with limited mobility.

4 Hard: Significant walking that may include steep inclines, multiple stairways, uneven terrain, and locations without elevators, ramps, or escalators.