Goddard College offers two of our low-residency graduate degree programs at our Port Townsend, WA site: the MFA in Creative Writing and the MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts. The residencies take place at the Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, Washington.
Goddard College programs operating in the State of Washington are authorized by the Washington Student Achievement Council. For more information, please refer to Accreditation and Approvals.
About the Port Townsend Residency Site
Campus Map
Driving Directions
Transportation Options
Fort Worden State Park is located on a bluff overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Admiralty Inlet. A former 19th-century army base, much of the Fort has been renovated and turned into a year-round, multi-use facility offering miles of beach walking, wooded trails, swimming, biking, canoeing, kayaking, in-line skating, camping, tennis courts, a Marine Science Center, a Natural History Museum, and two historic military museums. As one of the founding partners of the Fort Worden, Goddard benefits from collaborations with resident organizations that include, Centrum Arts, Peninsula College, Copper Canyon Press, Madrona Mind Body Institute, Port Townsend Marine Science Center, the Port Townsend School of Arts, and the Port Townsend School of Woodworking and Historic Preservation.
Meeting and workshop rooms, faculty offices, and gathering spaces are located in a variety of renovated historic buildings across the Fort, including The Commons, Fort Worden’s multi-use dining facility. Meals at The Commons are offered by prepared in-house by an accomplished chef committed to providing fresh, locally grown food, and socially responsible practices. Located within The Commons is Reveille at the Commons, offering a full-service coffee bar and café for breakfast and lunch in the summer months. Taps at the Guardhouse is a local favorite for lunch, dinner and live music, and located only a few steps from our meeting spaces, inside the park. The 434-acre park grounds provide ample places to find solitude or gather in groups, including the beach and extensive trail system.
Downtown Port Townsend offers bookstores, restaurants, a food co-op, two movie theaters, coffee shops, cultural events, a public swimming pool, fitness centers, and much more. Port Townsend is approximately 2 miles from the Fort and is accessible by public transportation, taxi, and on foot.
Housing consists of two-story duplexes with 3 to 6 bedrooms each, and dormitory style housing. Both the houses and the dorms offer simply furnished, single occupancy rooms. The houses also have furnished common areas and working kitchens. The houses and dorms are designated as 24-hour quiet spaces. All buildings used for Goddard residencies are fragrance-free and non-smoking. There is ample parking, however, all cars must display a parking pass Goddard provides to you upon arrival at Fort Worden.
The computer lab includes Internet and wireless access, PCs, and connections to the various online systems used by the College, including the college’s intranet, library services, and student information system. Library research assistance is available remotely during the residency and throughout the semester. Students and faculty are strongly encouraged to bring their own laptops to residencies.
Administrative staff offices are located in the Schoolhouse building, which is shared with HR and Facility Offices of Fort Worden PDA (Public Development Authority) and is staffed year round by the Goddard Staff. Visitors are welcome! An appointment is recommended to avoid a wait. College services provided by our Port Townsend staff include:
- Student services
- Referrals for community resources
- Access to library services and technology support
- Student and faculty housing
- Assistance with ground transportation
- Residency logistics
All college policies and procedures apply in Port Townsend as they do in Plainfield. Additionally, the Port Townsend site abides by all policies and procedures resulting from the College’s lease and contractual arrangements with Fort Worden, as well as any requirements imposed by the State of Washington Parks and Recreation Commission (such as emergency planning).
Goddard College programs operating in the State of Washington are authorized by the Washington Student Achievement Council. For more information, please refer to Accreditation and Approvals.
Driving Directions
Residency Check-in is located in Building 204, first floor. Administrative year-round offices and the library are located in Building 298, the old ‘School’ building, to the North of The Commons.
There are a number of ways to travel to the Goddard residency site in Port Townsend, Washington. Driving is one of the most convenient methods, as it gives you more flexibility over your travel schedule. We encourage those attending to carpool.
To Port Townsend Via Downtown Seattle and Bainbridge Island Ferry:
(Travel time: Ferry crossing 35 min., Driving 90 min.)
A current ferry schedule is available online at: WSDOT. When you drive off the ferry onto Bainbridge Island it’s a direct route across the island on WA-305, you’ll cross Agate Pass Bridge and continue on through Poulsbo. Your first turn will be a right onto Rt. 3, follow signs to the Hood Canal Bridge (Hwy 104). You will make a left at a stoplight (from a turn lane) onto the bridge. Five miles past the Hood Canal Bridge, you will see signs for Port Townsend-Hwy 19. Turn right off Highway 104 onto Highway 19.
Stay on 19 north until it curves to the right (about 20 miles) and becomes Hwy 20 east at the traffic light. Stay on Hwy 20 east and it continues into Port Townsend. Hwy 20 becomes Sims Way at the outskirts of Port Townsend. Continue through a traffic light by the Safeway store. You will see a sign for Fort Worden before the next traffic light, where you turn left onto Kearney Street. At the next stop sign (at a T intersection) turn right onto Blaine. At the next intersection (another T) turn left onto Walker. Walker curves to the right and becomes Cherry Street. Follow Cherry straight through the 4-way stop at “F” Street. You will come to a ‘Y’ intersection. Stay on Cherry to the right and up the hill. At the bottom of the hill (“W” Street intersection) you will pass through the Fort Worden gate. At the first stop sign continue straight. Residency Check-in is located on your right in Building 204, first floor. Administrative offices are located in Building 298, the old ‘School’ building.
To Port Townsend Via I-5 South and Tacoma Narrows Bridge:
(Travel time: 2.5 hours)
Take the “exit to freeways” from the airport. Get on I-5 south. Take Rt. 16 west to Tacoma and the Narrows Bridge. Go across the Bridge. Now you are on Rt. 3 north. Signs will say “Bremerton-Hood Canal Bridge’, and then ‘Silverdale-Hood Canal Bridge”. Stay on Rt. 3 until you get to the Hood Canal Bridge. You will make a left at a stoplight (from a turn lane) onto the bridge. Five miles past the Hood Canal Bridge, you will see signs for Port Townsend-Hwy 19. Turn right off Highway 104 onto Highway 19.
Stay on 19 north until it curves to the right (about 20 miles) and becomes Hwy 20 east at the traffic light. Stay on Hwy 20 east and it continues into Port Townsend. Hwy 20 becomes Sims Way at the outskirts of Port Townsend. Continue through a traffic light by the Safeway store. You will see a sign for Fort Worden before the next traffic light, where you turn left onto Kearney Street. At the next stop sign (at a T intersection) turn right onto Blaine. At the next intersection (another T) turn left onto Walker. Walker curves to the right and becomes Cherry Street. Follow Cherry straight through the 4-way stop at “F” Street. You will come to a ‘Y’ intersection. Stay on Cherry to the right and up the hill. At the bottom of the hill (“W” Street intersection) you will pass through the Fort Worden gate. At the first stop sign continue straight. Residency Check-in is located on your right in Building 204, first floor. Administrative offices are located in Building 298, the old ‘School’ building.
Transportation Options
Arriving by Air:
Seattle Tacoma airport (Sea Tac) is a 2.5 to 3 hour drive to Port Townsend. If you need a shuttle, call Rocket Transportation at 1-877-697-6258 before you book your flight to make sure they serve your needs.
Airport Van Service:
Rocket Transportation is the only one door-to-door shuttle service from Sea Tac airport to Goddard’s Port Townsend site. Reservations are required 48 hours in advance. Call 1-877-697-6258. They offer 4-6 shuttles a day, based on customer needs. Usually the first shuttle leaves the airport between 8-10am, the last at 7:30pm. To arrive at the airport, the first shuttle leaves Port Townsend usually at about 7am, the last between 3 and 4pm.
Dungeness Lines offers daily trips to and from the airport. Reservations are recommended but not required.
Arriving by Car:
There is a ferry service from downtown Seattle to Bainbridge Island. The trip to Port Townsend from Bainbridge takes 1.5 hours. Ferry waits can be long in the summer months. Learn more at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.
Port Townsend may also be reached by driving from Sea Tac via the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and coming from north via the Edmonds – Kingston ferry. Google directions to 2004 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA, 98368.
Public Transit:
Public transit from Sea Tac to Port Townsend is possible but the schedule is limited and requires multiple transfers. Details here.
Taxi Service:
Chartered taxi service is available between Port Townsend and Bainbridge Island ferry. Cost is approximately $200 one way. Call Peninsula Taxi at 360-385-1872.
Address:
Goddard College at Fort Worden
200 Battery Way
Port Townsend, WA 98368