About Bremerton's Manette

Want to go out for a nice dinner, but don't want to spend a lot? Want a view but don't want to pay for it? Consider The Boat Shed restaurant in Manette in East Bremerton!

The restaurant sits almost underneath the Manette Bridge, and if you aren't looking for it you could miss it! The unassuming entrance will leave many doubting the quality, right until they open the front door and smell the tantalizing food from inside.

Get a table by the window. From your seat, you will have a view of the bridge, the USS Turner Joy, and the Seattle-Bremerton ferry arriving and departing every hour or so. On summer days, count the pleasure boats that whiz past under the bridge.

The Boat Shed has been open since 1979. The restaurant serves a nice blend of steaks, seafood, salads and pastas for dinner. At lunch, they also have many unique and classic sandwiches, with cool names like the Spinnaker and the Clipper. Dungeness crab and crab cakes are almost always on the menu. The restaurant is well-known for its clam chowder, and the nachos and margaritas are great for an after-work happy hour.

A nice wine list includes such local favorites as Chateau St. Michelle and 14 Hands. And don't forget to leave room for dessert!

On a nice day, ask to sit outside on the deck. The restaurant is actually perched over the water, and there is a boat dock connected to it, with room for several smaller boats.

The service is usually very good, and the food is excellent! They also have a kids menu. It is one of my family's favorite places to dine in Bremerton, and has been for many years.

Each year, the people and businesses of the charming Manette neighborhood of Bremerton celebrate their community culture and spirit in a fantastic one-day festival.

This year, join us for Manette Fest 2008 on Saturday, September 6!

The festival starts with a Fun Run for all ages and athletic abilities, continues with a pancake breakfast, then features Manette's Tiniest Parade, which is open to anyone and everyone. Have the kids decorate their bikes, or dress up their strollers and bring them out!

Spend the afternoon listening to the music and entertainment and watching the street dancers. Don't forget to check out all the vendors and artisans at the many booths lining the streets of Manette's downtown area!

The schedule is as follows:

9:00am : Fun Run Begins
9:30am : Pancake Breakfast @ The Manette
9:45 am : Stage Performances Begin
11:00am : BBQ Lunch
1:00pm : Manette's Tiniest Parade
1:45pm : Kids Raffle
5:00pm : Close of Event

The kids can jump in the free bouncy house, get their faces painted and try their luck at the dunking booth. Big kids can cool off at the beer garden. Loads of food can be purchased at the event.

Best part of the event? It's all FREE!

What a great way to spend a Saturday in Bremerton! For more information, go to the Manette Fest website, designed by Bremerton's Rival Vision.

The neighborhood of Manette is located on the east side of Bremerton on the hill of Point Herron. Many of the Manette homes have a fantastic view of the water as well as the mountains. Residents can often see the ferry coming in from Seattle as the sun sets over the Olympic Mountains. Manette real estate has not seen as broad of a price adjustment as other areas of Kitsap County.

Manette was founded as a city in 1891, but was annexed by the city of Bremerton just a few decades later. It is now a unique and very desireable Bremerton community.

Manette is connected to West Bremerton, the ferry terminal, Naval Base Kitsap and the shipyard by the Manette Bridge. For more information on the Manette Bridge, see my article "Old-Fashioned Bridge in Manette".

Manette is different from many other neighborhoods in Bremerton due to the atmosphere of the downtown area and the attitude of its residents. People are proud to be in Manette. They are proud of the history of the area, and they support neighborhood businesses.

I lived in Manette for many years before getting married and moving to Ridgetop. During my time there, I never felt uncomfortable or unwelcome. Walking down the street always took longer than it should have because so many people stopped to say hello. A neighbor brought my trash cans in from the curb when I was sick. Manette is just, well, home-y.

Many of the homes in Manette were built in the 1930's and 40's, and many of the new homes currently being built have the look and charm that was evident in the homes of that era. Most yards are pristine, with green grass and flowers all spring and summer. At the holidays, many of those same homes have beautiful light displays decorating the eaves, roofs and yards.

Manette is home to many churches, including the Manette Community Church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church and West Sound Unity Church. The Bremerton Senior Center, located in Manette at 1140 Nipsic, provides opportunities for seniors to get out and share enriching education sessions or exercise classes, among many other things. The Senior Center also allows non-profit groups to utilize their facility as space is available. Bremerton Girl Scouts used the space many times.

Manette is also home to the Bremerton Community Theatre, located just under the Wheaton Way Bridge at 599 Lebo Boulevard. The theater is a fun local theater group offering plays and musicals throughout the season. Bremerton Community Theatre also sponsors BCT JR, whose volunteers teach young children with stars in their eyes everything they need to know to be a success on stage.

The Sheridan Park Community Center offers programs for both children and adults. It is located at 680 Lebo Boulevard. My son has attended soccer lessons there, at the age of three, and will start t-ball next month, at age 4. They also provide an indoor playground during cooler months two days a week for children under 6, which the Kitsap Moms Meetup group frequently attends.

Manette has everything you need in a neighborhood either in the area or a very short drive away. Realty Station's office has been in Manette for more than 10 years, the oldest existing Manette real estate company. If you are looking for a home in Manette, call Realty Station at 360-377-5699, or visit our website.

The Manette Bridge played a significant role in the building and expansion of Bremerton. Built during the Great Depression, the Manette Bridge is the oldest of two bridges that connect East Bremerton to West Bremerton.

In this photo, Manette is to the right, West Bremerton on the left side. The Port Washington Narrows goes north toward Silverdale. The Olympic Mountains are in the distance. (Much appreciation to Capt. Alan R. Beam, USN, ret., for the photo. Thanks, Dad!)

Prior to the building of the bridge, Mosquito Fleet ferries made the crossing each day to allow families from East Bremerton to go to their jobs in West Bremerton. If a laborer missed the last ferry, he would have to make an extremely long commute around the north end of the inlet, through Chico, Silverdale, and Tracyton.

Construction on the bridge began in October 1929, and continued until opening day in June of 1930. The bridge was originally a toll bridge, charging $.25 per car and $.05 a passenger. The toll continued until 1939.

Shortly after the toll was lifted, it became clear that the little two-lane bridge would not support the growing traffic burden, and talk of a second bridge began. This resulted in the building of the Port Washington Narrows Bridge, commonly known as the Wheaton Way Bridge, in 1958 as a toll bridge.

At that time, the toll was placed back on the Manete Bridge. Why pay the toll on the Wheaton Way Bridge if you could cross the Manette Bridge for free? The tolls were lifted in 1972 when both bridges were paid for.

Today, residents of the charming neighborhood of Manette use the bridge to cross to West Bremerton, Naval Base Kitsap - Bremerton, and the Washington State Ferry Terminal to commute to Seattle. Unfortunately, the charming Manette Bridge is currently considered unsafe. The bridge is scheduled for demolition when a new bridge is constructed, beginning in 2010.

For more information on the neighborhood of Manette, including a list of homes for sale in Manette, Bremerton, stop by Realty Station. Or visit our website for more on Bremerton and Kitsap County real estate.