About Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a city in the state of Washington, which also serves as the county seat for the Pierce County. It is situated on the state’s Puget Sound region around 32 miles from Seattle and 31 miles from the state of Washington’s capital city Olympia. The city of Tacoma has the distinction of being the 2nd biggest city in the Puget Sound area and the 3rd biggest city in the state of Washington. Tacoma as well serves as the main hub for business for the South Puget Sound area that boasts of a population of roughly 1 million.
The city of Tacoma was named after the close by Mt. Rainier, which was formerly known as Mt. Takhoma. Tacoma earned the nickname of the ‘City of Destiny,’ since it was picked to serve as the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad at the end of the 19th century. This choice was primarily determined by Tacoma’s strategic location close to a deep water harbor that is known as Commencement Bay. At the moment, Commencement Bay serves as the Port of Tacoma, which is a key hub for global trade on the Pacific Coast. The Port of Tacoma has the distinction of been the biggest port in the state of Washington.
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Top attractions
The parks and recreation attractions of the city of Tacoma are managed by Metro Parks Tacoma that is a municipal corporation, which was established in 1907. As such, Metro Parks operates and maintains more than 50 parks and open spaces in this Washington city. One of the most prominent of which is Point Defiance Park that has the distinction of been one of the biggest urban parks in the United States. There is as well the Scenic Five Mile Drive, which provides access to numerous attractions in the Point Defiance Park. This includes Owen Beach, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Fort Nisqually to name just but a few. There are also many historic structures in the Point Defiance Park such as the Pagoda that was first constructed to serve as a streetcar waiting room.
There is as well Ruston Way, which is a waterfront area along Commencement Bay, in the northern direction of the downtown area. Ruston Way is home to a number of public parks that are linked with a multi use trail. Some of the most popular public parks along Ruston Way include Jack Hyde Park, Hamilton Park, Old Town Dock, Marine Park, Cummings Park to mention just but a few. There are also a number of beaches dotted along Ruston Way including some that are popular spots for scuba diving. The city of Tacoma is as well home to the Wright Park that was designed in the late 19th century by Edward Schwagen and Ebenezer Roberts. The Wright Park comes complete with the Wright Park Arboretum and the W.W Seymour Botanical Conservatory. The Wright Park is also used to host several of Tacoma’s most popular festivals. This includes the Ethnic Fest, Out in the Park Tacoma’s Pride Festival and the Tacoma Hempfest.
The city of Tacoma is as well home to a wide variety of regionally and nationally acclaimed museums. One of the most notable of which is the Museum of Glass that features an iconic structure close by to the Thea Foss Waterway, and its steel cone of its hot shop is one of the easiest recognizable landmarks of Tacoma. There is also the America’s Car Museum, which was first opened in 2012, and showcases over 300 automobiles including exhibits on vintage to modern cars. The America’s Car Museum as well comes complete with the Harold LeMay collection that has the distinction of been one of the planet’s biggest vehicle collection.
The city of Tacoma is also home to the Tacoma Art Museum that was established in the early 20th century and was reopened in a new facility in the early 2000s. the Tacoma Art Museum along with the Museum of Glass and the Washington State History Museum form the city of Tacoma’s Museum District. There is as well the Broadway Center for Performing Arts, which boasts of 3 different theatres, 2 of which are listed on the National Register for Historic Places. The Broadway Center for Performing Arts is the main venue for the Tacoma Opera, the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, the Tacoma City Ballet and the Tacoma Philharmonic. Yet another popular attraction of Tacoma is without doubt the Tacoma Farmer’s Market that is opened to the public on each Thursday from the month of May to the month of September. Also, the city of Tacoma boasts of the very 1st legal American marijuana farmer’s market.
Tacoma Art Museum
The Tacoma Art Museum was established in 1935, but moved to its present site in 2003. This city of Tacoma museum for the arts is devoted to collect and showcase northwestern art, and currently has a holding of more than 4,500 items. This includes the biggest collection of Dale Chihuly’s glass art and the biggest collection of jewelry crafted by northwestern artisans. The Tacoma Art Museum also possesses remarkable works of art by renowned European masters including Renoir, Degal and Pissarro. It as well holds many Japanese woodblock prints dating to the 17th century and the 19th century. There is also the Haub Family collection of western art that includes artworks by Frederic Remington and Georgia O’Keefe. The Tacoma Art Museum has also put in place educational programs for all school grades and a professional development workshop for art educators.4
Foss Waterway Seaport
The Foss Waterway Seaport commemorates the city of Tacoma’s marine history and heritage. To which end, it enables visitors to get a breathtaking look at a pertinent aspect of the city’s history; boat building and ship building. The Foss Waterway Seaport is housed within a 100 year old wheat warehouse, which was formerly supplied by a railway link. This city of Tacoma museum boasts of a number of fascinating exhibits that can amaze most history buffs and boat lovers. Some of the most popular of which include models of commercial vessels constructed by the city’s ship builders, canoes, early scuba diving equipment, vintage fishing lures and sculptures. The Foss Waterway Seaport also comes complete with a children’s craft zone and knowledgeable and courteous docents.
Tacoma Nature Center
The Tacoma Nature Center is a 71 acre nature preserve that features the Snake Lake and its wetlands at its center. This forested park is particularly renowned for its trail walks and wildlife spotting opportunities. Some of the inhabitants of the Tacoma Nature Center include rabbits, raccoons, red foxes, black tailed deer to name just but a few. On the other hand, Snake Lake boasts of wood ducks, mallards, Canadian geese along with western painted turtles. Within the interpretative center of the Tacoma Nature Center are to be found interesting displays on the ecosystems and animals living in this nature preserve.
Five Mile Drive
The Five Mile Drive and its trails are located within the Point Defiance Park. Visitors can drive through the inner loop of the park, but the outer loop is only accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. There are a number of well marked trails along the Five Mile Drive which vary in distance from ¼ mile to 4 ½ miles. These trails meander through old growth forests, beaches, steep cliffs and a garden of rhododendrons. Hikers in the Five Mile Drive can get scenic views of Puget Sound, Vashon Island and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Visitors to this city of Tacoma attraction can also get the opportunity to spot wildlife including bald eagles, red foxes, raccoons, squirrels, mule deer to mention just but a few.