Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Triple Tuesdays
With the Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Art Museum, and the Washington
State History Museum all within 3 blocks of one another, Tacoma is an
even better museum town than Seattle. You can save a little on the cost
of visiting these three museums by visiting on a Tuesday when you can
get into all three museums for $17 ($14 for seniors and $12 for students
and children). For adults, this is a savings of $6.50, or, put another way,
you get to visit the art museum for free!
Tips
POINT DEFIANCE PARK
Point Defiance Park,
on the north side of town at the end of Pearl Street, is
Tacoma's center of activity and one of the largest urban parks in the country. In
the park are several of the city's top attractions, including the Point Defiance
Zoo & Aquarium, Fort Nisqually Historic Site, and the Camp 6 Logging
Museum. Founded in 1888, this park preserved one of the region's most scenic
points of land. Winding through the wooded park is
Five Mile Drive,
which
connects all the park's main attractions as well as the picnic areas, and hiking and
biking trails. Also in the park are a rose garden, a Japanese garden, a rhododen-
dron garden, a dahlia test garden, and a native-plant garden. You can reach the
park by following Ruston Way or Pearl Street north.
Camp 6 Logging Museum
This museum focuses on the days of
steam power in Washington's logging history. Exhibits include plenty of steam
equipment as well as old bunkhouses and a rail-car camp. The latter was a rolling
logging camp with bunkhouses built on railroad cars. Although the indoor
exhibits are closed November through January, outdoor exhibits can be viewed
throughout the year. On weekends in spring and summer and again in Decem-
ber, Camp 6 offers rides on an old logging train.
5400 N. Pearl St.
&
253/752-0047.
Free admission to museum; logging train rides $1. Feb to Memorial Day
and Oct Wed-Sun (and holidays) 10am-4pm; Memorial Day to Sept 30 Wed-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat-Sun 10am-
7pm. Closed Nov-Jan.
Fort Nisqually Living History Museum
Fort Nisqually was a trading
post founded in 1833 by the Hudson's Bay Company for the purpose of acquir-
ing beaver pelts. However, it was established at a time when the fur trade was in
decline and was soon moved to a new location and converted to a commercial
farming business. This reconstruction, built in the 1930s, is based on the design
of that second fort. Inside the stockade walls are two original buildings and sev-
eral reconstructed buildings. Throughout the summer (and on weekends in
other months), costumed interpreters are on hand. Numerous living-history
events are staged throughout the year.
5400 N. Pearl St.
&
253/591-5339.
www.fortnisqually.org. Admission Mar-Oct $3 adults, $2 seniors and
students, $1 children 5-12, free for children under 5; Nov-Feb $2 adults, $1.50 seniors and students, $1 chil-
dren 5-12, free for children under 5 (weekend after Labor Day to Mar, admission charged on weekends only).
Memorial Day to Labor Day daily 11am-6pm; Labor Day to Mar Wed-Sun 11am-4pm; Apr to Memorial Day
Wed-Sun 11am-5pm.
Kids
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
As the name implies, this is both
a zoo and an aquarium, and both facilities are outstanding. The focus here is on
the wildlife of the Pacific Rim countries, and to that end you'll find animals
from such far-flung locations as the Arctic tundra, Southeast Asia, and the Andes
Kids
