Beyond the Museum District, Tacoma has numerous special interest museums. LeMay: America’s Car Museum at Marymount features more than 400 vintage vehicles from Harold LeMay’s nearly 3,000-car collection dating from 1916 to the present. The Guinness Book of World Records has documented it as the largest private collection!
The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, one of nine in the nation, shows changing exhibits of original handwritten drafts, letters and documents of historical significance – written by some of history’s most famous people.
Tacoma’s birthplace is the Old Town District, where it was founded in 1864. Step back in time at the Job Carr Cabin Museum, the reconstructed home of Tacoma’s first settler and mayor.
Bordering Old Town is the Ruston Way Waterfront, a two-mile promenade perfect for jogging, biking or simply enjoying an unobstructed view of Commencement Bay and Puget Sound. Ruston Way also boasts “Restaurant Row’ with waterfront dining ranging from casual to upscale.
At nearly 700 acres, Point Defiance Park is one of the top 20 largest urban parks in the United States. The park celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005; it encompasses several major attractions, a tranquil Japanese Garden, rose and other specialty gardens, a scenic drive, 14 miles of hiking trails, picnic areas, saltwater beaches and a marina.
The largest attraction is the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, which showcases animals of the Pacific Rim ranging from polar bears and Beluga whales to rare Sumatran tigers and elephants. Sharks, stingrays and tropical fish swim past visitors in the circular aquarium; side aquariums feature smaller exotics such as sea horses.
A special treat is the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater where visitors watch animals such as clouded leopards, sloths, aardvarks, beavers and bald eagles display typical behavior. The Kids Zone introduces children to animals using touch, exploration and movement in many fun exhibits.
Also in Point Defiance Park is the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, a restored Hudson Bay Company fur trading post where docents in period clothing reenact life in 1855. Nearby, the Camp 6 Logging Exhibit features vintage equipment and photos of Washington's history of steam logging from 1880 to 1950.
A free outdoor experience right in the city is the Tacoma Nature Center, a 54-acre wetland habitat with nature education center ideal for kids. It features a walking trail around Snake Lake [named for its shape]. Watch for many species of birds and small mammals.
Located in downtown Tacoma, Wright Park boasts an unusual collection of mature trees from around the world and the W. W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory, a 1908 Victorian conservatory featuring 500 species of exotic tropical foliage and flowers. Free and open year-round, it is one of only three such historical conservatories on the West Coast.
You can’t miss the landmark Tacoma Dome, standing 15 stories tall and 530 feet in diameter as you exit I-5 into Tacoma. The dome hosts major concerts, trade shows, performance events and professional sports. Nearby, Freighthouse Square Public Market is a three-block-long, historic railroad warehouse now filled with specialty shops and ethnic eateries.
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