Fort Worden

I have always loved the movie, "An Officer and a Gentleman."  On Valentine's Day this year, my husband and I went to a yearly event held at one of the historic theaters in our area.  They feature a special "Dinner and a Movie" each year.  Every Valentine's Day, they pick an old romantic movie to play on the big screen that normally is not seen this way anymore.  This year, it was "An Officer and a Gentleman."  It was nice to see it like we did when it was first released on the silver screen.

This week on tv, I learned that there has been a recent poll for the best kisses in movies.  One of the top 5 movie kisses for all time was the kiss of Richard Gere and Debra Winger in the unforgetable romantic movie, An Officer and a Gentleman.  Did you know that this movie was filmed very near us in Port Townsend at Fort Worden?  Recently, my husband and I drove over to Fort Worden and I walked out in the same grassy area that Richard Gere stood in the movie. 

 

Here we are crossing over the Hood Canal Bridge heading towards Port Townsend in our beautiful State of Washington.

It doesn't take us but about 45 minutes to arrive at Fort Worden from our home.  We park our car, and I walk over to a familiar place.  

Remember the graduation scene in the movie?  It was filmed here at Fort Worden along with a few other scenes.  In the photo ABOVE, you could see houses past the grassy opening.  These were the homes of the Officers when they were in use.

Here is a closer look at the buildings...

Can't you just see Richard Gere dressed in his dress white uniform walking up these steps to give Louis Gossett, Jr., his silver dollar and get his first salute? 

We had some visitors on the grassy area with us while we were there...

Beautiful deer grazing in the grass...

Fort Worden is now part of our Washington State Parks and is open to the public.  You can tour some of the buildings and even stay in some of the houses.

Like many military bases, Fort Worden is near the water.   Here is a view of a distant lighthouse.







Watch for this lighthouse in one of the scenes of the movie.

In the next photos, you will see the homes of the enlisted military men and their families.  The "Officer Row" is located across from the grassy area in the earlier photos. 

Before leaving the base, we drive by the open grass area again.  I can just see Richard Gere and the graduating class throwing their hats up in the air...



I hope you have enjoyed the tour of Fort Worden.   Next time you see the movie, watch for some of the places I have shown you today.  You can say....I was there. 
Have a beautiful day today.  xoxo Kim

note:  if you would like to stay at one of the houses on this base for a few days during the spring or summertime, you can contact: Washington State Parks Vacation Homes or call 800-360-4240. The link I provided will also take you to some other interesting parks and places you can stay.

Comments

[Trish Rowley]

Hi Kim, Wow I'll have to go and hire "An Officer and a Gentleman" it's been a while since I've watched it. What a beautiful place and the beautiful deer not in the slightest worried about people I know that I keep saying it but I think it's amazing. Have a Blessed day Trish xox ;)

[Bluebirds and Butterflies]

Hi Trish,
I hope you had a delightful weekend. There are a couple of other spots at this base that were featured in the movie as well. We will add to the photos the next time we go there. We saw a total of about 8 deer grazing together in the grass at the base. It was really beautiful. I think they are quite used to people and must come there often. Sometimes, we see this same herd of deer in the town area coming into yards of homes. Some people have put up little fences to protect their flowers. They love to eat pretty things like roses, etc. Have a "bluebird day" today! xoxo Kim

[Lavender Dreams]

What a beautiful place to spend the day! The deer are beautiful grazing and it's fun to look at a movie again to see the scenes where you visited! We did that with Cross Creek and Doc Hollywood. Enjoy your afternoon! ♥

[Bluebirds and Butterflies]

Doc Hollywood! A fun movie. I love Michael J. Fox. As I have posted previously, my beloved Father had parkinsons so this cause is very near and dear to me. It would be fun to see some of the movie scene spots from your area, too! Thank you for the nice comment and you have a wonderful day, too! xoxo Kim