Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
Tacoma is on I-5 south of Seattle at the junction of
Wash. 16, which is the main route north through the Kitsap Peninsula to Port
Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula. Wash. 7 from the Mount Rainier area
leads into downtown Tacoma from the south. Tacoma's city center is accessed by
I-705, a short spur that leads from I-5 into the middle of downtown.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is located 22 miles north of Tacoma.
ShuttleExpress
(
&
800/487-7433
or 425/981-7000; www.shuttleexpress.com)
operates an airport shuttle service; the fare is $24 one-way to downtown Tacoma.
Amtrak
has service to Tacoma. The station is at 1001 Puyallup Ave.
VISITOR INFORMATION
For more information on this area, contact the
Tacoma Regional Visitor & Convention Bureau,
1119 Pacific Ave., Fifth
Floor, Tacoma, WA 98402 (
&
800/272-2662
or 253/627-2836; www.travel
tacoma.com), which has an information desk inside the gift shop at the Wash-
ington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Ave.
GETTING AROUND
See “Getting Around” in chapter 4 for information on
renting cars at Sea-Tac International Airport. If you need a taxi, contact
Yellow
Cab
(
&
253/472-3303
). Public bus service is provided by
Pierce Transit
(
&
800/562-8109
or 253/581-8000; www.piercetransit.org).
WHAT TO SEE & DO
MUSEUMS
Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum
Housed in an imposing build-
ing across the street from Wright Park, and one of eight such manuscript
libraries across the country, this museum is dedicated to the preservation of orig-
inal handwritten documents and letters. The founder of the libraries has
amassed an astounding collection of original manuscripts ranging from original
musical scores by Beethoven to ancient papyrus texts to the cover letter for the
Declaration of Independence.
407 South G St.
&
253/383-2575.
Free admission. Tues-Sun 10am-4pm.
Museum of Glass
Although it was Chihuly's work that inspired the
construction of this museum here in Tacoma, the Museum of Glass travels far
and wide to bring the very best of art glass to Tacoma. Art glass in all its myriad
forms finds its way into the galleries of this high-style building on the Tacoma
waterfront. Whether it is stained glass in the style of Tiffany, a traveling exhibit
from a European museum, or the latest thought-provoking installation by a
cutting-edge glass artist, you'll find it here. The museum highlight is the hot
shop, a huge cone-shaped studio space where visitors can watch glass artists work
at several kilns. Connecting the museum to the rest of the city is the 500-foot-
long Chihuly Bridge of Glass, which spans the I-705 freeway. Adjacent to this
museum, you'll find
Vetri International Glass,
1821 E. Dock St. (
&
253/383-
3692;
www.vetriglass.com), which is an affiliate of the Northwest's premier art-
glass gallery.
1801 Dock St.
&
800/4-MUSEUM
or 253/396-1768. www.museumofglass.org. Admission $10 adults,
$8 seniors, $4 children 6-12, free for children under 6. Free 3rd Thurs of each month. Tues-Sat 10am-5pm
(until 8pm on 3rd Thurs of each month); Sun noon-5pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Tacoma Art Museum
In May of 2003, the Tacoma Art Museum moved
into a spacious new home designed by noted architect Antoine Predock. This
new building has given the museum lots of beautiful new galleries in which to
display both its collections and traveling exhibitions. Although perhaps best
