Itinerary
A Day at Heronswood
Fifteen acres of one of the country's great plant collections, tended by the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe — and you can reach it without a car.
- 9:00 AM
First, check the day — this one is not a Monday plan
Heronswood opens Wednesday through Sunday, 9 AM to 3 PM, from April 1 to October 11, with last entry at 2:30. From October 12 through the end of March it's weekends only, same hours. Come on a Monday or Tuesday in summer and the gate is shut, so build the rest of the day around the garden rather than the other way round.
Map ↗ - 9:40 AM
Walk off the ferry — and decide about the shuttle
You do not need a car for this. The Point Casino & Hotel runs a complimentary shuttle from the Kingston ferry terminal to the casino and on to Heronswood, then back to the boat. Check the casino's current schedule before you travel, and call (360) 655-5471 when you're ready to be collected from the garden. Driving instead? The garden is north of town, off NE 288th Street.
Map ↗ - 9:55 AM
Coffee first at Over the Moon Coffee Roasters
House-roasted coffee a couple of minutes from the ferry lanes, roasting in Kingston since 2020, with a brunch menu made in house. They're closed Tuesdays — which lines up neatly, because so is the garden.
Map ↗ - 10:45 AM
Into the garden
Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for ages 7 to 17, free for children 6 and under, and free for members and Port Gamble S'Klallam tribal members. Heronswood was founded in 1987 by Dan Hinkley and Robert Jones and grew into a plant collection with a worldwide reputation — some 8,000 varieties across fifteen acres. The Tribe bought it in 2012 and runs it through the Port Gamble S'Klallam Foundation.
Map ↗ - 11:15 AM
Start with the S'Klallam Connections Garden
The part of Heronswood you will not find at any other botanical garden: a planting of species that matter to the S'Klallam people — camas, sweetgrass, cedar. Read the signs slowly. It reframes everything you walk through afterwards as a place people have used, not just admired.
Map ↗ - 12:00 PM
The woodland, the rock garden, and the old lumber camp
The Woodland Garden shelters the hydrangea, barberry, aralia, begonia and lily collections under big trees. The Renaissance Garden fills a reclaimed lumber-camp clearing with ferns and cedars. In the Formal Gardens, the Potager is a boxwood parterre that was once the vegetable and herb plot and is now replanted seasonally with flowers. Give it two hours and you'll still be finding things.
Map ↗ - 1:45 PM
Late lunch back in Kingston
The garden has no restaurant, so eat afterwards. Back in town, The Saucy Sailor does gourmet fast-casual with serious vegan and gluten-free options, and Sourdough Willy's is open daily from noon. If you took the shuttle, The Point Casino has food on site — ring (360) 655-5471 when you want collecting from the garden, and check with them how the return leg runs.
Map ↗ - 3:00 PM
Plants you can take home, and a bookshop
Heronswood runs plant sales through the season — a spring sale in May and an autumn one in September are the big ones, plus classes and the Hydrangea Festival in August. Check their events page before you come if you want to buy. Otherwise, Saltwater Bookshop up at Kingston Center has a good gardening shelf and is a fine way to spend the last hour — it keeps its own hours and doesn't post them widely, so ring ahead on (360) 638-6136 if it's late in the day.
Map ↗ - 4:15 PM
Back to the boat
Walk-ons never miss the ferry the way cars do, and your ride home is already paid — WSF collects the walk-on fare on the Edmonds side only. Check the Ferry page for tonight's sailings before you settle onto a bench.
Map ↗
Before you head back
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