bremerton historic ships association

The tour of the USS Turner Joy really helps to give a hands on experience of what our navy personnel have gone thru to protect our great country. This should not be missed.

We were visiting family in the Spanaway area and were looking for a good family outing. The Turner Joy destroyer museum was a great choice. We had two 5 year olds and a 2 1/2 year old in our group and everyone enjoyed exploring and climbing around the ship. We arrived a little late to see and take in everything before closing. It'll take between one and two hours for a not-too-rushed look at the inside and out. For history enthusiasts longer. Check their website for seasonal hours. It's so wonderful that a few of our history making items like this are on put on display so we can learn and teach our little ones via "hands on" experiences. Anyone who loves the freedom we are privileged with should take a look at what our servicemen do to ensure it. THANKS servicmen/women!I wouldn't bother with the one negative review here. I'm not sure what the expectations of Bremerton were, but if you understand the nature of the town there isn't anything disappointing here. It's not a tourist resort area, just part of true blue US of A. Bridge tolls/ferries aren't a hindrance, just a way to make it possible to give visitors the best bridges and transportation.Our whole group heartily recommends this visit to everyone who resides in the real world. Also check the reviews at the alternate Trip Advisor entry: "USS Turner Joy Museum Ship"

This is a great place to take kids to learn about history of the ships and their roles in our society. Great town, friendly people, interesting places to explore.

The USS Turner Joy is an interesting experience if you are in the area. I likely wouldn't go out of my way for it. This is the ship from the "Gulf on Tonkin incident" that propelled US involvement in Vietnam. The tour is self guidedand fairly informative. I was lucky to be behind a family that included a vet who served aboard in the late 60's and he was a fountain of stories and knowledge. While I would like to see guided tours, I understand that the non-profit doesn't have the money or volunteers. In response to the one negative pist on here. Yes, the ship is small and not for the claustrophobic. It is a Navy destroyer and you will definitely find a new level of respect for our service members who serve and have served. You were onboard for about an hour, try it for 6 months or more. As for Bremerton itself, it is a "blue collar" town and a Navy town. Don't expect the sidewalks to marble clad. It does cost to get there either by ferry from Seattle or if you leaves the Kitsap Peninsula (not an island)via the Tacoma Narriws Bridge. Yiu can get off the peninsula for free via Shelton, but that is likely way out of the way. I would reccomend travellers leaving Seattle take the ferry (fun experience) which drops you off right next to the ship, then go North and leave the peninsula across the Hood Canal to Sequim, Port Angeles, and the Olympic peninsula.Coming to Bremerton just for the ship? Only if you area history and/or ship nut.

What a great place to visit. Great people here. Very friendly and clean. Probably one of the cleanest cities I've ever visited. Hotels are priced just right. Wonderful selection of dinning choices. Plenty of attractions for the family.

This place is a long way off the main highway to visit and be disappointed. Ship is very small, if you want to see great Navy Ships go to either San Diego or Hawaii. Bremerton is a dirty town. The highway coming into town is littered with rubbish and 90% of the homes are grubby and messy. Obviously not house proud in this town. We stopped at the local Safeway to grab a Star bucks and use the toilets - what a mistake.. the toilets (restrooms) were filthy. The worse thing is because Bremerton is on an island you are forced to pay a $5 toll to leave and you don't know this until its too late. Trust me keep driving and don't bother with this town.

Accessible from Bremerton's boardwalk, USS Turner Joy is an entertaining addition to the city's reviving downtown. It's been a number of years since we visited, but it was fun clambering up and down ladders and exploring around the ship. There's also a very pleasant gift shop (where you buy tickets for the tour) which has items for all ages and all pocketbooks.

Nice, casual tour of a historic US Navy ship. While on board visitors can learn of the Turner Joy's role in the Vietnam War and get a feel of a Navy Warship underfoot.

We tend to enjoy military history, so we could not pass up a chance to check out the real Turner Joy, the destroyer made famous by being the first and last ship in the Vietnam War. Decommissioned now, it sits in the Bremerton dock waiting for visitors. We went in the off-season, so it was chilly and not too many other people were around. It cost $8 to go in, and you can spend as much time looking around the ship as you like. Usually the tour is self-guided, but for us a retired Navy Sailor/current volunteer with the Historical society offered to give us a guided tour. What a treat! He told us all about life on board a ship for a sailor then and today, and explained what all the pipes and big mechanical things on board the ship did. It took about two hours and was one of the best tours we have ever had. If you are going to check it out, in case you can't get a guided tour you might want to read up on Turner Joy history at Wikipedia: [----]