Westport, the principal South Beach city, once called itself “The Salmon Capital of the World,” and charter services and commercial fishing and crabbing boats still line the waterfront. This is one of the most active ports in Washington, and chain-smoking fishermen drive beat-up old pickups through town. The town also has a crab cannery and several seafood markets, plus the expected waterfront shops offering kitschy gifts, saltwater taffy, and kites.

Ragged-at-the-edges Westport is quite unlike its upscale cross-bay twin, Ocean Shores.

Getting to Westport

Grays Harbor Transit (360/532-2770 or 800/562-9730, www.ghtransit.com) provides daily bus service throughout the county, including Grayland, Aberdeen, Lake Quinault, Ocean Shores, and even to Olympia.

The Westport-Ocean Shores Passenger Ferry, El Matador (360/268-0047) is a passenger ferry that runs between Ocean Shores and Westport for $8 round-trip (free for kids under 5). The ferry leaves six times a day, with daily service mid-June–Labor Day, and weekend-only service early May–mid-June and in September. There’s no service the rest of the year. The ferry departs from Float 10 at the Westport marina.