Reviews of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site - Visitor Center (Tourist Attraction)

Regan Weeks

The knowledgeable volunteers helped the history come alive for us. The air museum was also fantastic.

Leah Miller

A great place to walk. Full of history. I enjoy the many events that take place.

kristinahanks

Would like to explore more

Ray Ray

Officers row is free. Entry into the fort is $20. Go for a walk at the park. Historic homes with beautiful views.

Californian Refugee

Found this place on accident but wow is it cool... never seen a real fort before... totally worth checking out... nice park as a whole

Alice Scott

Here for the 4th were jim.caman. Gene. Fir the Memorial Day Observance Program.

Ved B Sood

Good interesting history. Well maintained and informative

Christopher Quintanilla

Not too much happening the day we went. Nice to walk around and there were several places with period dressed reenactments. Very friendly and easy to access for both children and Wheelchair or older people. Educational and several children's classes visiting the weekday we went. Enjoyable but would have liked more sections open. During the summer this is a live museum with period dressed people adding color and education to the experience.

Andrew Hansen

There are many reasons to check out FT. Vancouver National Historic Site. You can learn a lot of history there and go into some really amazing buildings and learn some more things. There is quite a bit to do here and most if not all of it is free. And there is a bunch Of Pokémon Go stuff around too if you're into that which makes it even better. Overall great experience would highly recommend.

Landon Cooper

Great experience, and fun for the whole family.

LILLY CRAVER

A great place for a nice stroll... super awesome place for people that play pokemon go.. lots of stops , gyms, and raids! Nice community of cool people :)

Janel Thompson

Amazing place for PoGo! We met up with a lot of great people here!

Caleb May

Great historical site. The kids absolutely loved seeing all the old stuff and hearing the stories behind them. They have a fun Junior Ranger program that if completed, the kids get a ranger badge and a certificate. Had a great time.

OhSylviaaah Grace

I love walking this area. There is so much history to read on & the sunsets are gorgeous.

Eleni O'Neill

This place is so much fun to visit, especially with kids. Try to go when most of the buildings are open and have volunteers in them--you will learn a lot about this unusual fort. Pick up a junior ranger badge booklet for kids when you first go in--there are desks in the counting house you can work on them at, like an old-timey clerk. Bathrooms are modern and relatively clean. Stairs in the tower are a bit much if you are afraid of heights. Watch for their special events, like the kids archaeological digs. They are really fun!

Ede Marshall

Beautiful setting. Lots to see.b

Nathan Skaggs

Beautiful park and wonderful to walk around... Lots of Pokemon go stops

Bryce Caster

I was expecting a simple recreated fort, but the site has a lot more than that. Yes the fort is there and is staffed by volunteers in period costume! There also is an air museum, home tour museum on officer's row and an abandoned US military post! You can easily spend 3-4 hours here.

Ryan Surface

Fun place to visit. Saw the blacksmith, but the hard tack wasn't baking. The demo garden is always cool. The air museum next door was free and had some nice old planes

Flash In Your Pan

The Fort Vancouver visitor center was really nice with friendly park rangers and staff.

Joe Stone

Fantastic crew working here!

Katherine Willadsen

Beautiful and so much to see.

Alfredo Cororna

Great place for a walk and lots of poke stops and gyms

FRANK RYAN

Although this is a must see for any history buff, I found the Fort and the visitor center a little underwhelming. While impressive dimensionally, the Fort and its naked grounds don't have the gravitas you would expect for something so old. Still worth a visit if you're in the neighborhood.

Michael Smith

Very well maintained park that's quite informative. Volunteers and the rangers were very nice and the blacksmith was not only informative and funny, but also very well engaging with a crowd!

Richard Marlatt

Nice big park. They have an excellent 4th of July firework show.

Carola Hornbach

Life history. Very interesting. Learned a lot about the settlement of the Pacific Northwest.

Ed Smith

For one it's part of US history, the men and women who are dressed in character and know all there is to know about the Hudson Bay Co make this place a great visit and history lesson.

E S

Great historic fort built out of authentic materials from the time period. They offer tours and other fun activities to engage/immerse oneself in the history of the location. Hopefully the blacksmith is open when you visit as they produce really interesting products that are used around the property to maintain historical accuracy. The property also has great walking trails around it with orchards, gardens etc.

Michele Pearson

The garden was pretty dope, but we were not going g to pay $10 to walk around a grass field.

Dante Wallen

I come here annually for their Memorial Day ceremony. It is a wonderful place to be in. The National Parks service has done an excellent job in transforming this monumental site from Army Reserve/National Guard base into a monument park. Alot of history was created on these grounds. At the same time the pride in military spirit is high in Vancouver. Alot of retired military, as well as current soldiers serve in the community.

Kimberly Taylor

What a great place to visit. So beautiful and has a lot of interesting exhibits about how life was back in the days of the fort.

Richard Alvarez

Pokemon go players rejoice. This is the ultimate community day destination. Please do NOT drive on the grass

Tami Hastings

Was disappointed to learn none of the buildings are original. All are replicas. Still a good way to kill 40-60 minutes.

Staci prichard

Breathe taking beautiful... and very memorable.

Melissa Amaranthus

Take a few hrs and check out for vanvouver the volunteers are very knowledgeable. Rake a stroll through the beautiful gardens, stop by the kitchen and take in the warm food smells, ask questions and transport yourself to the 1800 where fur was king and people worked together to ingeniously creating this welcoming community.

William Hussey

A place of historical significance.

Gregory Chandler

I live close by to this site, and it really is just beautiful! It's great for many reasons, and I usually incorporate it into my daily walk just for the beauty of the park. There is a trail that will take you downtown, or even to the waterfront, and it's always well-kept. There is a place for great Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner along officer's row. There are many learning opportunities in the visitor center, or just by walking the same land as the settlers from long ago and seeing the incredible reconstructed fort, or the many tours and events hosted here by the park service. If you want to picnic, this is your area. If you want to sit under a big, beautiful tree and read, this is your area. Vancouver has an incredible treasure in this park! The only issue would be the amount of people playing Pokemon Go along the walking paths and just standing in the way, but at least they have a beautiful park to do it in - and if that's your jam, then this park is also your area to be. Just be sure to pick up after yourself so we can keep this place just as wonderful.

Chris Smith

Lots of History. A strong spiritual energy.

Rog H.

A very important landmark in the history of the Pacific NW & America. A great reproduction of Fort Vancouver is on sight. Lots of military barracks are being converted to office space. Great gift shop too. Very helpful staff.

Jason Gregory

Very informative.

samuel mcmullen

This is a great asset to our community, the park is huge and the scenery is fantastic! Officers row is a wonderful place to go for a walk or run and see some history. Plus if you play pokemon go, there are like a hundred stops there and all kinds of pokemon appear

Suzanne Funesti

As a retired history teacher, I give my stamp of approval! The re-enactors are friendly & informative - I learned much from them about every day life in the mid-1800s on the frontier. Each building has a purpose & has been constructed as true-to-life as possible. It was an entertaining look into the past!

Brent Richards

Small facility with friendly staff. Not much going on today so we were actually cautioned against paying the fee to visit the fort. We were invited back on a day we would get more bang for our buck. Really appreciated the honesty. Enjoyed our visit to the Airfield and Marshall House.

Ronald de Roo

Great historical place... and Hudson bay still exists.

LEONARDO BALDERAS

Historic 4th of July, the best fireworks show I've ever seen.

Leslie Motschman

Always a fun beautiful place to visit. This day was the Vancouver schools parade. :)

Jr Pena

Would love to see more of it but what I saw was really awesome and interesting

Mehira Lozano

Nice area for walking or going for a run. There are plenty of paths to explore. Check out the restaurant in Officer's Row. Visit the historical structures of the fort, in the summer you can even walk around the garden. It's an enjoyable place, that even connects you to the Vancouver Waterfront by crossing a bridge over the highway. If you want to visit inside the fort, it's $7 but the pass will last you a couple of days. Enjoy a free stroll, walk your dog, or have a picnic on the lawns. Or experience some history inside the fort.

Clinton Thomas

Beautiful place to relax and have lunch.

Kevin Kalmbach

The fireworks were free but pushing a wheelchair. They could have made an easier route.

Kathy Brayer

A beautiful place with history. A wonderful place to walk.

Amanda Fisher

A great experience for our whole family! The blacksmiths were particularly personable and friendly.

Michael Dishman

Awesome place to go for walks, to watch airplanes take off and land, learn local history and just all around fun place to be. If you ever get the chance to go to the Memorial Day service here it is amazing, Fort Vancouver is one of my favorite places.

Bruce Calkins

Excellent, small museum. Can see most in a couple of hours. Very informative displays.

Trish Huddleston

Very spacious, nice grass. Perfect for our egg hunt today!

Cynder Jones

Love this awesome place for the entire family!

Joelene Christiansen

Fun for Pokemon go but not great for fireworks on the 4th of July

Allen Babikoff

It's the biggest part of the Northwests history starting with Lewis and Clark along with Sacagawea

Edward Hahn

We'll maintained. Some lectures. Informative. Good signage. Nearby restaurant in Grant House was good.

Cecilia Two Bulls

It is a beautiful park, I enjoy going for walks here.

Big Chicken

Beautiful garden, interesting history of the fort. On hot days no other people are in the fort. You could have it all to yourself.

jeremiah mertens

Fun experience. Very peaceful place to spend a few hours. Well worth the entrance fee if you are in to history. Blacksmithing shop is cool to visit too.

carlos camacho

Cool place to go with family and friends to walk

JESSI J WAY

Great park to watch planes and see the river. Very relaxing to step back in time for a moment.

Andrew Carlson

Very informative place, lot of history about the fort Vancouver and the Hudson bay company also the surrounding area is a nice place for a walk to pokemon go or just to relax with a land bridge leading over to the water front with sever restaurants near by

Kevin Woods

This is a great place to visit to learn the history of the Pacific Northwest. Most of the exhibits are free but some of the special exhibits cost money. The cost of the exhibits are inexpensive when they do charge. The staff is nice and there is a huge private parking lot that has space for buses.

Jean Curtis

2019 fireworks display was everything I hoped it would be. Once again they've done a great job and all the people that are at the Ford or just wonderful people. I thank them very much for 56 years of great fourth of July's.

Finally Alive38

Fun & informative! A bit expensive for what there is to see, tho

diane j

It was a favorite inspirational informative place I wish I had more time to spend

James H

Great spot to explore it just enjoy a beautiful walk around the grounds

Amy Guimond

Decent place to visit if you're into history or the national parks... But be aware that this is a recreation of the original fort that sat on this site. They have some scenes recreated, they have some staff in period Costumes explaining how things work, they do a really great job of explaining how we know what we know about history through arciogical evidence... but this is a recreation Fort. You probably don't need much more than two to two and a half hours for a visit here. Worth of visit if you have time, skip it if you're only in town for 2 or 3 days.

Nicole Draws

The place is beautiful. It's well maintained and there's a gorgeous garden that you can view the mountain from. It's a great place to take a walk.

Jennifer Holland

Lots of wide open spaces to let the kids run. Plus there is a well maintained playground too. For the adults there are various historical sights to see.

James Walls

This is a beautiful open space for walking. It is also a very historical place.

Tv Charger

Best pokemon go spot shhhhh don't tell everyone else jk they already know

Keith Wellborn

This place is so awesome. Huge grassy fields for the kids to run around. There is a decent size play structure as well. The location is close to everything making picnicking a breeze. While I don't take my family here often, this is one place we are going to visit more often. The historical military value and lessons here are absolutely over the top with old. Barracks and officer housing, which now house businesses and over the top amazing restaurants. This place is all around a 10 on must see's in Vancouver.

thx jrp

Excellent old fort. Must see. Garden is gorgeous. An excellent way to enjoy an afternoon with a friend.

Barbara Bolich

Fabulous historical site. Not a battlesite...important part of local history. Reenactors are top notch, esp the blacksmiths. Listen long enough and you can come away with an item they make on the spot. The day we went the fur trading gal roughly told our 3 kids NOT TO TOUCH the furs...then stood there stroking the furs over and over. Weirdst spot. Carpenter was interesting, and our 8 yr old boy did not want to leave the cannons in the tower. Well done, fun, beautifully kept.

TiloH CrYpTic

We have gone 2 times so far for the 4th of july fireworks, it's been great. Crowded but to be expected, the area is nice to sit out on the big field, the old buildings and historical history in the area is interesting to see and hear about

Joseph Russ

In my experience Ft Vancouver is the nexus of everything great. I have 3 separate experiences with them all throu different programes. My first experience was with Fur and Fossils. Ft Vancouver was the gathering place for the Portland/Vancouver area students for a tour of John Day Fossil Beds. When I dropped my son off I got free entry. When I got inside I was amazed at what the recreated. About a year later, my son was offered a volunteer position as an actor. Again at got a free entry was well as a guided tour. I was amazed at the detail and history they had to offer. The third time was with my daughters school field trip. I got another tour, but this time was more touristy, less "behind the scenes." I kind of wish I had this tour first. Each time was great

mathew carnahan

Awesome! Great learning experience! So cool, the blacksmith made a leaf! Real cannons, actual historical objects, so much history and it comes to life!

Allen M

Rare point in history, you can see how people lived many years ago. It really is a must see to anyone who is new to town. There are not many places as athentic as this museum. Many things in this area are also free to see, to drive your stupid car, walk.

Alma Spaude

Love Fort Vancouver. Best place for a great relaxing run.

Stacy Gildersleeve

This is a large area with plenty of history and things to do. I like just hanging out and relaxing in the large park area.

Jessica Onthank

Love this place during fall

Derik Ogata

I wasnt actually at fort Vancouver we were near there for a parade for my daughters school. That being said the area that we were in was well maintained and easily accessible.

Benjamin Phelps

Impressive and well staffed site with many faithfully recreated structures.

Amy Olsen

There are tons of events happening at Fort Vancouver. The grounds themselves are nice but it's the events such as nighttime lantern tours, Christmas at the Fort, and more that really make this place special. Friends of Fort Vancouver has a website and mailing list that keeps everyone up to date on cool things to do each month.

Cam Kay

This National Monument was established in 1948 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. This place is amazing with very cool Park Rangers.

Jon Niehaus

Great visit! All the reenactors were very friendly. The different displays were very well done. Thoroughly enjoyable and as usual I learned a thing or two that I hadn't known before.

Franklin Walker

My family and I drove up to Fort Vancouver for the afternoon. We spent the day exploring everything the grounds had to offer and loved each moment. My children enjoyed running and giggling in the wide open fields and of course taking a break to play on the playground. My husband and I were so impressed with the way the grounds are maintained. It is all so beautiful. My son loved all the cannons spread out within the fort and the different buildings to explore and read about were so neat. We were lucky enough to watch the blacksmith make a horse shoe. So fun! We will definitely be coming back.

Bonnie Etson

Beautiful grounds, wonderful walking paths and history all around you.

Catherine smith

20th century section as beautiful as the original fort area.

EARL Wolfe

Many things were going on at the old fort established for the Hudson Bay Company. You can check out the old Canon's. Climb up and check out the watch tower. They even have some old outhouses you can view. But don't worry there is no foul smell here. The garden that you walk through going into the Fort has a big selection of the veggies that they grew in the day. While there check out the hospital and blacksmith shop. Verry interesting!

Joe Cipale

A very entertaining and enlightening bit of history. Of course it still tells the story from the White settlers point of view, but they do a better service to NW tribes then they have to the plains Indians.

-gunnar-

I love going to this place on Pokemon Go community days. A lot of stops, and people go as well.

Kerry Dyer

We loved visiting the Victorian Home, took the tour which is free. The tour for Fort Vancouver, there is a small fee. You can tour the gardens for free and also the Pearson Air Museum. Didn't have time to tour the barracks and many other buildings. This is a wonderful place to stop. So beautiful and so full of history. Could have spent more than an afternoon, but unfortunately that was all the time we had. Would definitely like to return if we ever visit again.

Feryne Wooldridge

Great place to walk and visit. Small area for kids too!

Zack Fransen

Kinda white, but very nice and well kept

Marley

The memorial ceremony was very special! It was a little long for kids to sit through but had great speakers and my kids did learn the meaning of Memorial Day beyond a 3 day weekend.

allie komarek

Very beautiful, very large, scenic park. The visitor center is awesome, friendly staff there. The air museum is very cool too, and it's free! My son whom is 3 and a half just loved the air museum, as well as my 11 year old daughter. Can't wait to see the other attractions the park has to offer! I bet they'll be just as awesome as the air museum!

Zeroless

Right after the entrance of the fort there is a visitor center where you can get gifts and watch a 30 minute movie about the history of the fort. After you finish this you can walk across a small field to get to the fort. There is a fairly large garden that is maintained by the park service. Once you get past this you get into the fort! Immediately after you enter there is an 1800's kitchen to your left and a woodworking shop right next to it. Near the center of the grounds there is a house which represents what the owners would live in. Off in the corner behind the restrooms there is a bakery which has two large ovens. In the opposite corner there is a blacksmith shop where they work on real metal! Close to this there is a trading post where a person will show you the kinds of things you could get for animal pelts. Finally there is a tower where cannons watch over the grounds. Overall, it was a great experience!

Jonathan Marshall

Love the fort and the row. Fireworks and parades. Weddings of friends. Marshall house is awesome.

Addie Padilla

Beautiful piece of land with much of it used as a public park for locals. There’s a visitors’ center and historic fort, with blacksmith, bakery, English garden... worth a trip, especially with kids on a nice day. Not much covered area in the fort, so it can be VERY hot on a bright, sunny day.

Gene Jackson

A wonderful place in history.

Mardell Davidson

Very well restored and maintained. Beautiful grounds!

debra shockome

Spent 4th of July here. Great day, fantastic fireworks show!!!

John Mashek

Interesting view into the past. Great for all ages.

Adam Fox

Always evolving, open to the public and expansive. An icon of Vancouver.

frank mata

Excellent place to walk with the kids and play Pokemon go and see all the sites.

Shawn Roselli

Great place to stroll around and then head downtown for a lunch or coffee.

Patricia Kelly

Very interesting. Worth a visit.

Cara Wilson

The park itself is lovely, with lots of grass and trees as well as informational plaques and the restored homes of 21 officers, now used for both commercial and residential purposes. If you play pokemon go, this is a place with lots of pokestops and makes a great area for community day if you're trying to collect lots of shiny pokemon, join a raid party, or make new friends.

Anthony Truax

A lovely piece of history that's also great for playing pokemon Go, as long as you respect the site.

Samantha Will

Beautiful place. Full of strange people walking around on their phones. Pokemon Go community day can be confusing for non geeks

Elizabeth G

Lots of things to do and see. The visitor's center is free and has displays, restrooms, water fountains, and a gift shop. Outside there are picnic tables and a play ground. The Historic Fort Vancouver has an entrance fee, but you may return for 7 days on the same receipt.

ruth pacheco

I love this place because it's very sereneyou can have picnics down here with your kids or grandkids it's just a place to get away from all the camaraderie that's going on in town it's very refreshing

Robert Leary

Great place to visit and take a walk or have a picnic. Lawn is always nice and there are plenty of trees.

tory snow

I love coming here. Such a beautiful scenic view all the way around in the heart of Vancouver. The nature bridge is as special feature that is something i really adore about this place.

Vernon L. Black

This is a place you do not want to miss. Very educational.

Diane Howerton

I like to just pull into the park and visitor's centor as a break before heading into Portland or down the Gorge. It's a beautiful area for a walk or picnic or a rest and read. If you're off on adventures, the Ranger is an excellent source of advice.

Christina Camacho

Went on the lantern led tour at night and it was an amazing experiance. The guides and volunteers were wonderful and you can tell they really enjoyed bringing history back to life. Very immersive experience and I highly recommend it.

Brittany Cawood

Beautiful area, great place to walk around too.

Evan Johnson

Excellent, intimate site with some excellent era actors. Every time I’ve visited, I always leave wanting to come back more often.

Austine King

I was here for a veterans events at while I'm driving around the entirety of what seemed to be the post, I noticed the very clear distinction of clean well cut grass in addition to that the grounds were impeccably taken care of. Not only was the community of veterans welcomed with open arms but there was also small collaborations of people celebrating events of whatever sort all seem to be very welcomed and taken care of in their event needs.

XXXdepressedfox

Great place to walk around and look around the fort. The rangers are nice and it’s not that expensive to get in.

Anthony Kalnins

It was beautiful to walk around in. The birds in the morning were swirling around me in beautiful patterns looking for food. I caught sight of two rabbits that were chasing one another for about two minutes and the restaurant was open.

Frank Stowe

Great exhibit, volenteers are top notch.Great history class For all interested.

Donald Scott

This location is full of history as well as a very nice safe place to relax/play.

Debbie Gipe

Awesome historical landmark! Totally worth the money and time. Give yourself a couple hours so you have time to see all everything. This was my 3rd time going with our school and the kids love it!

R.J. Sherman

Very helpful and knowledgeable volunteers. Kids and I learned a lot and had a great time.

Michael Heywood

The restored for has lots of demonstrations on the days they are running. I was particularly fascinated by the blacksmithing. Even more fun with the rendezvous going.

David McMullin

Well done, very informative. Put some more of those artifacts you have stored on display please.

Martin Parrao

This place is amazing. It was way better than we thought. We spent many hours going from building to building learning things about the Hudson's Bay Company. My favorite part are the volunteers/workers who dress in 1800s attire and answer questions.

Neil Butler

The improvements made to the area by the NPS and the city of Vancouver have been tremendous. A beautiful day and a great experience

martin hagbery

If you're anywhere near the fort you got to go an get a guided tour the history is amazing

Rhoda Kandoll

Always have I loved history.

Dr.Daniel

Awesome cute little place. Worth it

Herbert Lincoln

Wonderful for children lots of history,knowledge and fun. Hands on experience

Bert Gildart

A combination park and historic site, Fort Vancouver is one place to visit. Places to relax. Enjoy history and one of the best Poke-man sites around.

Liliya Mosh

Great historical place. You can go with your kids or by self for hiking around.

Kim Thomas

Well worth a visit!

Jesse Pierson

Great place to visit with family very SECURE and FRIENDLY environment

Bill Baxter

Loved it! The park is very well kept. Very interesting piece of history.

Jessica Laughlin

I enjoy walking around the Fort. It's pretty, full of Pokestops and Pokemon Go gyms, and has an interesting history.

Devon Genson

Firework show was absolutely awesome and breathtaking best firework show I've been to

Aussie Allen

I am very excited to see that this place is going to be restored! I can not wait to see what they do! History can be so much fun when you can see it first hand!

Deanna Kay

It a great picnic area with all of the trimmings n plush environment a person can enjoy if they slow down enough.

Susan Putra

Interesting, wish we could have seen the house.

Tom Mooney

We were there for the fireworks show. The fireworks were great, the other part of the event was a let down. Only five food vendors and no other vendors to be seen. Not the Ft Vancouver festival I can remember.

Judith Westbrook

Awesome place to visit, a lot of history, very clear and great personel

Pat B

Nice open green space, plenty to see and do

William Miller

My 4th grader loved it, and she's not super big on the learning on vacation activities. She took us around and explained what she learned during history class. The staff was friendly and helpful as well.

Lisa Bartus

Beautiful, lots of history to absorb and knowledgeable/friendly staff. The blacksmith demo run by Matt is awesome and fun!

Luciana Heng

If you're a Pokemon Go nerd, you're in the right place!!!! A really nice park to hangout with friends and family. Also this is Historic place.

Phelim Boler

I had a really good time! It's like walking in the past!!

Jason McClure

Great for the whole family! And the kids love earning Junior Ranger badges.