Tacoma Heritage Self-guided Tour

Discover the intriguing city of Tacoma via its historic downtown. Start at the north end of Pacific Ave. to see the 1886 Old City Hall in all its Italianate glory, the 1888 Northern Pacific Railroad Headquarters with its octagonal turret, 1918 Pantages and Rialto Theaters and many other notable buildings. One block parallel is Tacoma’s Antique Row on Broadway St., where many collectibles from the past are for sale. Continue down Pacific Ave. to the 1911 Union Station, Tacoma’s historic railway depot built by the same architects as Grand Central Station in New York City. Today Union Station’s restored rotunda displays outstanding Chihuly glass art – created by world renowned artist and Tacoma native Dale Chihuly. And it’s free to the public!

Across the street are many facades of old warehouses, once the hub of Tacoma’s bustling railroad and maritime industries. Today the brick facades have been preserved, and the University of Washington Tacoma campus occupies the restored buildings behind them.

Next explore the impressive Washington State History Museum, just a half-block down Pacific Ave. from Union Station. It is filled with fascinating multimedia and interactive exhibits which highlight all the industries, people and places that helped develop the state. It also houses the largest collection of pioneer, Indian and Alaskan artifacts on the Pacific Coast.

The Washington State History Museum is one of three major facilities that form Tacoma’s Museum District. While the other two do not involve history, they are equally intriguing in their own right. The Museum of Glass features three galleries and a Hot Shop Amphitheater where viewers can watch artisans create with molten glass. It is linked to the plaza of the Washington State History Museum by the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, a 500-foot, pedestrian-only bridge that contains three major exhibits of Chihuly’s work on it. The third facility is the Tacoma Art Museum, which showcases Northwest artists, European and American impressionists, early Chihuly glass art and traveling exhibitions. (Tip: go on a Wednesday and take advantage of the “Midweek at the Museums” promotion – one greatly discounted ticket provides entrance to all three museums!)

This evening enjoy a relaxing dinner at a top restaurant with a dazzling view of downtown Tacoma. Take in a play or symphony at the Broadway Center for Performing Arts, which includes the Pantages Theater and Rialto Theater. Overnight in Tacoma.

Visit Tacoma’s “Old Town” section, where an exact replica of the 1864 Job Carr Cabin Museum commemorates the city’s birthplace. Inside are original artifacts, photos and historical items, many donated by Carr’s descendents who still live in Tacoma.

Continue to the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum in Point Defiance Park, where docents in period garb illustrate life in 1855 at this restored Hudson Bay fur trading post. Also see the Camp 6 Logging Exhibit, which documents the history of Washington State’s steam logging industry from 1880 to 1950.

Enjoy lunch at one of the waterfront restaurants overlooking Commencement Bay. This afternoon visit the 1908 W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory – one of only three Victorian-style conservatories on the West Coast – and fascinating Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, containing original letters and documents penned by some of history’s greatest individuals.

Then experience history in a different mode at the LeMay: America's Car Museum at Marymount, where 400 of Harold E. LeMay’s nearly 3,000 vintage vehicles can be seen on scheduled tours. LeMay amassed the largest private car collection in the world, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, with vehicles ranging from a 1916 Pierce Arrow to a 1948 Tucker Torpedo (one of only 51 built) to the infamous DeLorean.

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