Things to Do in Tacoma, WA

The Tacoma Art Museum was founded in 1935 and moved to its present location in 2003. Dedicated to collecting and showing Northwestern art, the museum owns over 4,500 items, including the largest collection of Dale Chihuly glass art and the largest collection of jewelry by Northwestern artists.

It holds impressive works by 19th-century European artists, such as Renoir, Degas, and Pissarro, and numerous amounts of Japanese woodblock prints from the 17th to the late 19th centuries. The Haub Family Collection of Western Art is particularly fine and contains works by Frederic Remington and Georgia O'Keefe. The museum offers programs for all school grades as well as professional development workshops for art educators.

Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98402, Phone: 253-272-4258

Spend an afternoon exploring the exhibits at the Foss Waterway Seaport.

For Nature Enthusiasts

Visit the Tacoma Nature Center with a lake and wetlands at its heart.

Enjoy the scenic Five Mile Drive and Trails.

Swim and fish in American Lake just south of Tacoma.

Attractions for Couples

Harold LeMay was a Tacoma businessman who, at the time of his death, owned the largest private car collection in the world; he had over 3,500 cars. The LeMay - America's Car Museum has 350 of his cars from a wide range of car manufacturers and eras. Here visitors can see race cars from Lotus and Ferrari as well as a 1953 Citroen, a 1913 Daimler, a 1926 Ford Model T pickup, a 1929 Cadillac, a 1932 Packard, and a 1966 Ford Mustang.

The museum also has exhibits showcasing Harold LeMay, British cars, alternative fuels, classic cars, and BMWs. Guided tours are available. For hands-on fun, there is a Formula 1 racing simulator and a family zone where kids can relax and play. The museum, which is located next to the Tacoma Dome, offers guided tours, a full-service café, and a gift shop selling Route 66 souvenirs, model cars, car care products, and Ford collectibles.

2702 E D Street, Tacoma, WA 98421, Phone: 253-779-8490

The Broadway Center for the Performing Arts comprises the Pantages Theater and the Rialto Theater, both completed in 1918, and the much newer Theater on the Square, which opened in 1993. Set in Tacoma's downtown theater district, the Broadway Center is the home of the Tacoma Opera, Tacoma Symphony, Tacoma Youth Symphony, Tacoma Concert Band, Northwest Sinfonietta, and the Tacoma City Ballet.

Over the nearly hundred years of its history, the complex has hosted great performers including Mae West, the Marx Brothers, Harry Houdini, Babe Ruth, Dave Barry, Bob Newhart, Victor Borge, and Jack Benny. All seats are good seats in the three theaters, and marvelous acoustics add to the on-stage acts.

901 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402, Phone: 253-591-5890

Dale Chihuly is a Tacoma native who is world-renowned for his unique glass creations. The 500-foot bridge spans Interstate 705 and the Foss Waterway; it is a pedestrian bridge and is partially covered. It links the Museum of Glass to Museum Row and Tacoma's downtown. The covered section of the bridge has a ceiling installment called the Seaform Pavilion, on which hang over 2,000 glass objects, giving the viewer the perspective of looking at a coral reef from below.

Further along the bridge are towers made of blue translucent crystal, which capture and refract the daylight and which are illuminated from below at night. The final installation on the bridge is Venetian Row, an 80-foot wall filled with 109 glass sculptures, all of them museum quality. From the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, visitors have an excellent view of Mount Rainier and the city of Tacoma; there is no charge to cross the bridge.

Recommended Activities for Families

The Children's Museum of Tacoma believes that it is while playing that children learn the most. This museum was designed for infants up to the age of 8 and has several different playscapes for youngsters to explore. The Woods section of the museum has logs, elevated platforms, pulleys, and fort-building material, while the Water area supplies rubber aprons so that kids can use their hands to play in the running water and the waterfall.

The Voyager is a ship with ropes to climb, wheels to turn, and a child's imagination to foster. In Becka's Studio, there is plenty of equipment for messy, creative art projects, and the Invention Studio has blocks, boards, fabrics, and tubes for building, learning gross motor skills, and early math learning. The museum has a small snack bar, lockers for rent, and a strict no-stroller policy.

1501 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98402, Phone: 253-627-6031

When the Hudson's Bay Company expanded to the west coast of North America, it was at Fort Nisqually that it based its fur trading and farming operations. Over the next few decades, local turmoil saw the fort fall into disrepair and finally close in 1869 as the fur trade waned. As part of Roosevelt's New Deal employment initiatives in the 1930s, the fort was restored; two of its original buildings, the keeper's house and the granary, are still standing.

A trade store, a dwelling house, a kitchen, a kitchen garden, and a working blacksmith's shop have been added and, with the addition of costumed docents, the museum is now a great way to learn Washington history. There are many hands-on activities for both adults and children, including churning butter and baking bread. School groups are welcome. The museum has a small gift shop.

Point Defiance Park, 5400 North Pearl Street, Tacoma, WA 98407, Phone: 253-591-5339