Major Attractions in Tacoma + Pierce County

Mount Rainier National Park
[360] 569-2211; www.nps.gov/mora

• One of five most visited national parks in the U.S. – more than two million visitors a year
• 378 square miles, includes fourth highest peak in the U.S. [14,411 feet] with 26 named glaciers, 35 square miles of ice, 305 miles of hiking trails, three major visitor facilities

• Focus: the medium of glass within the context of contemporary art
• Three galleries for visiting exhibits, Hot Shop Amphitheater where visitors watch artisans work with molten glass, 180-seat theater, museum gift store and café
• 144-seat Hot Shop Amphitheater housed in a landmark, 90-foot-tall cone with 100-foot diameter base

• A unique piece of public art in the form of a 500-foot pedestrian bridge
• Created by world-renowned artist and Tacoma native son Dale Chihuly and architect Arthur Andersson
• One of the largest outdoor installations of Chihuly's glass, valued at $12 million
• Connects the Museum of Glass to the Washington State History Museum across Interstate 705

• State-of-the-art facility designed by famous architect Antoine Predock
• Steel and glass architecture wraps around a central "stone garden" containing a "wave" of ancient pavers
• Sculptured glass art, including early works, by internationally-known native son Dale Chihuly
• Northwest artists, impressionists, classics, special quarterly exhibits from around the world

• Interactive and multimedia exhibits on the state, its people, places and industries that shaped it
• Permanent exhibit, Hall of Washington State History, plus traveling exhibits, History Lab for kids
• Home of the largest collection of pioneer, Indian and Alaskan artifacts on the Pacific Coast

• Landmark 1911 railway station with Romanesque architecture and striking copper dome
• Rotunda exhibit of extraordinary glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly; free to the public

• The first Scottish links-style, championship course in Pierce County – and Washington State
• 250-acre, $21-million, 18-hole, Scottish links-style golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II
• Selected to host the prestigious U.S. Open Championship in 2015 by the U.S. Golf Association
• Spectacular waterfront location with panoramic views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains
• Clubhouse complex includes pro shop, restaurant and 2,800-square-foot event pavilion

• 400 classic cars on display from Harold E. LeMay's astounding collection of nearly 3,000 vehicles dating from 1916 to present [world's largest private collection!]
• Makes include Chevrolet, Cadillac, Lincoln, Packard, Hudson, Deusenberg, Cord and Rolls-Royce, plus rarities such as a 1916 Pierce Arrow, air-cooled 1918 Franklin touring car and 1948 Tucker Torpedo

• Original handwritten drafts, letters and documents of historical significance, many written by some of the world's most famous individuals [e.g. Napoleon, Ben Franklin]
• One of nine Karpeles Manuscript Library Museums in the U.S.; free admission

• Reconstruction of the first settler's 1864 dwelling in "Old Town" area of Tacoma          
• Commemorates Tacoma's birthplace with original artifacts, photos, historical displays from Carr family

• Pantages Theater – opened 1918, restored to its original Greco-Roman elegance in 1983, featuring 1,182 seats for nationally-known drama, dance and comedy performances
• Rialto Theater – opened 1918, renovated 1991, Beaux Arts decor with 742 seats, home of the Tacoma Youth Symphony, two ballet companies, chamber orchestra
• Theatre on the Square – 302-seat theater for plays and live productions

• Among the 20 largest urban parks in the nation [698 acres]; includes a scenic drive, saltwater beach, hiking trails, picnic areas, Japanese and rose gardens, ferry to Vashon Island, plus:
• Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
  [253] 591-5337; www.pdza.org
• Internationally-acclaimed facility with Pacific Rim theme and new Asian Forest Sanctuary,
• Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater and Kids' Zone attractions
  
• Fort Nisqually Living History Museum
  [253] 591-5339; www.fortnisqually.org
• Restored Hudson Bay Company fur trading post where costumed docents reenact life in 1855
  
• Camp 6 Logging Exhibit
  [253] 752-0047; www.camp-6-museum.org/c6.html
• Vintage equipment and photos of Washington's history of steam logging [1880-1950]

• One of only three Victorian-style conservatories on the West Coast, constructed 1908
• More than 200 species of exotic tropical foliage, flowers and exotic plants, plus seasonal floral displays

• 54-acre wooded wildlife preserve with interpretive center and wetlands display designed for kids
• Two-mile nature trail around Snake Lake with wildlife observation points

• 10 acres of spectacular gardens on a former private estate overlooking Gravelly Lake
• One of the largest rhododendron and Japanese maple collections in the Northwest

• Oldest incorporated town in Washington [1854] featuring the 1857 Nathaniel Orr Home, Steilacoom Historical  Museum, and Steilacoom Tribal Cultural Center and Museum

• U.S. Army history in the Pacific Northwest from the 1803 Lewis & Clark Expedition to present
• Four major galleries including large collection of World War I uniforms, weapons and equipment from Camp Lewis' beginnings in 1917; outdoor military vehicle display of tanks

• Historic 17-room Victorian mansion built in 1890 by Puyallup's founder, first mayor and "hop king"
• Docent tours offered Wednesday-Sunday, April-December
• Meeker Days Festival every June and special Victorian Christmas festivities every December
  

• 715-acre sanctuary for native wildlife, unique in the Northwest
• One-hour, naturalist-guided tram tour through area with free-roaming herds of bison, caribou
• Wolves, grizzlies, cougars, birds of prey, wetland dwellers viewed in moat-separated habitats
• Children's Discovery Center, nature trails, picnic meadow, gift shop, cafe
  

• 1-1/2-hour "hands on" living history guided tour of 1880's homestead and trading post
• More than 100 activities for kids: churning butter, grinding flour, horse-drawn wagon rides, etc.
• 1-hour Native American Seasons Tour [Fri.-Sat.-Sun. only Father's Day – Labor Day]