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South of Seattle is a rapidly developing region with equal parts natural beauty and urban sprawl, with some first-rate attractions.
Address: 9404 E Marginal Way S, Seattle, www.museumofflight.org
Tel: 206-764 5720
Opening Hrs: daily 10am–5pm
Entrance Fee: charge
For a fascinating dip into Seattle’s aviation history, consider setting aside an afternoon for the Museum of Flight ⁄ [map] at Boeing Field, just south of the city. The museum is a stalwart local favorite, predating the Future of Flight Aviation Center (for more information, click here) by several years. The impressive collection of aircraft and aviation ephemera represents the entire aerospace industry, not only Boeing’s contribution. It occupies the original 1909 Boeing building, known as the Red Barn, which was part of a shipyard along the Duwamish River, and the adjacent Great Gallery, added in the 1980s. Inside the Red Barn are restored early planes, as well as historical photographs and drawings. The main-hall gallery has appropriately high ceilings and an assortment of flying craft, ranging from hang-gliders to fighter jets, including an F-104 Starfighter and a Russian MiG 21.
Plane exhibits at the Museum of Flight.
nathaniel gonzales/APA publication
Other interesting exhibits include an airplane car that looks like (and in fact is) a shiny, red sports car with wings; a flight simulator (actually, a simulation of a simulator); and, just outside the gallery, the country’s first presidential jet, a Boeing 707, and a supersonic Concorde. The museum also offers a view of Boeing’s airfield.
Most visitors arrive in the Seattle area by air, touching down in one of Washington’s newer cities – aptly, if unpoetically, named SeaTac, after the Sea-Tac International Airport ¤ [map]. The cumbersome name is a combination of the names of the two cities the airport serves, Seattle and Tacoma.
The Museum of Flight charts aviation history.
nathaniel gonzales/APA publication
Renton and Beyond
Renton ‹ [map], a city of more than 90,000 residents at the southern end of Lake Washington, is home to the Boeing facilities where the 737 and 757 jets were produced, and has its own municipal airport. Attractions include Liberty Park by the Cedar River (the site of the annual Renton River Days) and Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park on the lake.
Tip
To visit the grave of a legend, make a trip to Greenwood Cemetery at 350 Monroe Avenue NE, in Renton, the final resting place of Jimi Hendrix. His tomb is permanently adorned with letters and flowers from fans.
Renton History Museum
Address: 235 Mill Avenue S, Renton, www.rentonhistory.org
Tel: 425-255 2330
Opening Hrs: Tue–Sat 10am–4pm
Entrance Fee: charge (suggested donation)
Not far from Liberty Park, this recounts the city’s beginnings as a coal-mining community called Black River Bridge. On view are more than 15,000 historical photographs, as well as thousands of objects, including mining equipment, newspapers, books, and fire-fighting equipment. Maps show the mining shafts that crisscross underneath the expensive homes that now perch on Renton Hill.
The valley around Kent › [map], south of Renton, formerly produced much of the Puget Sound area’s agriculture; now it sprouts manufacturing plants and warehouses. To the east are the waterfront communities of Normandy Park and Des Moines, named by a founder from Des Moines, Iowa, who persuaded friends in the Midwest to finance his venture in 1887.
Union Station’s historic restoration, turned into a Federal building, has spurred the growth of urban renewal in this previously depilated section of Tacoma.
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Federal Way fi [map], south of Seattle along Interstate 5 and named for the federally funded Highway 99, is home to Dash Point State Park and the Wild Waves Water Park and Enchanted Village, popular summer attractions for children.
Rhododendron Species Botanical Gardens
Address: 2525 S 336th St, Federal Way, www.rhodygarden.org
Tel: 253-838 4646
Opening Hrs: Tue–Sun 10am–4pm
Entrance Fee: charge
The world’s largest collection of rhododendrons is another Federal Way attraction. The 24-acre (10-hectare) gardens (at their best from March through April) feature more than 450 varieties of Washington’s state flower – from the 100ft (30-meter) -high trees of the lower Himalaya to the ground-hugging species of Tibet and China.
Just south of Federal Way and an hour’s drive south of Seattle, Tacoma fl [map] is the state’s third-largest city, with more than 200,000 people. Approaching the city with the bay in front and Mount Rainier behind, it’s easy to understand why the city founders had such high hopes for Tacoma. It is one of the few cities with a setting that rivals – surpasses, locals would argue – Seattle in beauty. In the quality and variety of its architecture, Tacoma also stands out; just about every major architectural style of the past 100 years is represented in the city.
It began as a 19th-century timber boomtown that in its 1890s heyday rivaled Seattle in importance, but the city went bust in the nationwide slump of 1893 and has been trying to catch up ever since. In the last couple of decades, quietly and without too much fuss, Tacoma has transformed itself from a blue-collar mill town with a gang problem to an economically diverse and environmentally aware city with a vibrant cultural life. Tacoma serves as a major port facility in the Pacific Northwest and as a gateway to two of the Northwest’s most popular attractions: the Olympic Peninsula (for more information, click here) and Mount Rainier National Park (for more information, click here).
Tacoma’s Union Station is now the federal courthouse.
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An effort to revive the downtown area has brought commerce and culture back to the city center. An energetic preservation movement is writing new leases on life for Tacoma’s old buildings. The movement began with the transformation of the long-vacant Beaux Arts Union Station A [map] into an elegant venue for the Federal Courthouse. Across the street, once-empty warehouses serve as the locale for a University of Washington campus.
Tacoma’s Names
The town was originally named ‘Commencement City,’ after its large bay of the same name, which itself was named after the starting point of an 1841 surveying expedition. The name ‘Tacoma’ comes from the Nisqually and Puyallup tribal name for Mount Rainier. In the heady, early days, Tacoma dubbed itself the ‘City of Destiny,’ but for much of the 20th century, this nickname seemed amusingly at odds with reality. The smelly ‘Tacoma Aroma’ caused by pulp-mill emissions wafted across Puget Sound, and the crime rate and defunct Downtown made it the butt of Seattle jokes. Nowadays environmental and social regeneration is even beckoning some Seattleites to move south.
On Broadway, at the entry to so-called Antique Row, the triangular-shaped Bostwick Building B [map], built in 1889 as a hotel, has turned its downstairs into a coffeehouse and jazz club. Antiques stores and specialty shops occupy the rest of the block. A brass plaque on the Bostwick makes a claim to fame: that here in 1893, Civil War veteran Russell O’Brien started the tradition of standing for the national anthem.
Art and glass
A lively arts scene has also contributed to the revival of Downtown. The excellent Broadway Center for the Performing Arts C [map] (901 Broadway; tel: 253-591 5894 for tickets) puts on dance, music, and stage productions at the restored Rialto Theater and Pantages Theater, and at the postmodernist Theatre On the Square. A 1,100-seat vaudeville palace dating back to 1916, Pantages was designed by B. Marcus Priteca, a European-trained architect known for his neoclassical style and the designer of more than 150 theaters throughout North America. Tacoma Art Museum, Washington State History Museum, and the Museum of Glass offer a joint admission ticket on Wednesday, called Midweek at the Museums.
Tacoma Art Museum
Address: 1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, www.tacomaartmuseum.org
Tel: 253-272 4258
Opening Hrs: Wed and Fri–Sun 10am–5pm, Thu 10am–8pm
Entrance Fee: charge
The Tacoma Art Museum D [map] was designed by architect Antoine Predock. It features major traveling exhibitions, TAM’s permanent collection, interactive activities, and a café. The museum is building a top collection of works by Northwest artists, and on permanent display is a collection of early glass works by world-renowned and Tacoma-born glass artist Dale Chihuly.
The Museum of Glass focuses on contemporary and Pacific Northwest glass art.
iStockphoto
Dale Chihuly has done much to raise the profile of the city. The dazzling Chihuly Bridge of Glass E [map] over the Thea Foss Waterway that connects the Museum of Glass with Union Station and the Art and State History museums is the most famous contribution. The sculptures nearest Union Station make up the Seaform Pavilion; the middle section has the glittering Crystal Towers; while the walkway nearest to the Museum of Glass is the breathtaking Venetian Wall, featuring 109 Chihuly sculptures.
At the Tacoma Museum of Glass.
Dreamstime
Address: 1801 Dock Street, Tacoma, www.museumofglass.org
Tel: 866-468 7386
Opening Hrs: Jun–Aug Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–5pm, third Thu of the month until 8pm, Sept–May Wed–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun noon–5pm, third Thu of the month until 8pm
Entrance Fee: charge
‘Hot glass. Cool art’ is the catchphrase of the Museum of Glass F [map]. This is one of the few museums in the country to concentrate on contemporary glass art. Glass-blowing techniques are demonstrated in the fascinating Hot Shop Amphitheater, housed in a 90ft (27-meter) -tall stainless steel cone with both hot- and cold-glass studios. Several cozy galleries show up-and-coming glass artists.
Tip
Walking tours of sites created by or which inspired glass artist Dale Chihuly are organized by the Tacoma Art Museum. It is also available by cellphone. Go to: www.tacomaartmuseum.org.
Washington State History Museum G [map]
Address: 1911 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, www.wshs.org
Tel: 888-238 4373 or 253-272 3500
Opening Hrs: Wed–Sun 10am–5pm, third Thu of the month until 8pm
Entrance Fee: charge
In a handsome brick building next to Union Station, this museum has a substantial collection of pioneer and Native American exhibits. Theatrical displays and hands-on exhibits – like the History Lab Learning Center – make this a fun spot for children.
Other Tacoma attractions
Popular culture and sports have a venue at the Tacoma Dome H [map]. Built in 1983, the 152ft (46-meter) -tall dome, one of the world’s largest wooden-domed structures, is well known for its acoustics. A popular venue for rock acts, the arena seats up to 23,000 people and has hosted events ranging from the Billy Graham Crusade to truck-and-tractor pulls, to Lady Gaga. Its first major concert was David Bowie in August 1983.
The three-block-long building Freighthouse Square (2501 D Street) has the distinction of being a mom-and-pop shopping mall. More precisely a mom-and-son enterprise – it is managed by the owner and his mother. This early 1900s former freight house for the Milwaukee/St Paul Railroad contains small specialty stores, New Age health services, and an international food court with everything from Korean barbecue to Greek salads.
The oldest residential neighborhood, North End, is evidence of Tacoma’s glory days when the new city on the hill held promise of becoming the West Coast’s center of industry and finance. Stroll along broad, tree-lined Yakima Avenue past colonnaded mansions built by Tacoma’s 19th-century industrial barons. The neighborhood’s best building (at 111 North E Street) is a French chateau lookalike, complete with towers and turrets.
The building was commissioned by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1891 as a hotel for its passengers after Tacoma became the terminus for the railroad. But before it was finished, the railroad went bankrupt and the hotel became (and still is) Stadium High School. Scenes were filmed at Stadium for the movie Ten Things I Hate About You, a 1990s teen take on The Taming of the Shrew.
Tip
Tacoma has a lovely stretch of waterfront along Ruston Way that acts as a magnet for joggers and walkers. A number of restaurants are located along here, too, with splendid views of Commencement Bay.
Below the North End, along the south shore of Commencement Bay, Ruston Way has trails, parks, and piers, as well as enough waterfront restaurants to earn it the nickname Restaurant Row. Follow Ruston Way inland a few miles, and plan to spend some time on one of Tacoma’s most engaging landmarks. At 700 acres (280 hectares) one of the largest urban parks in the United States, Point Defiance Park ‡ [map] (5400 N Pearl Street) occupies a finger of land jutting out into Puget Sound. It has formal gardens, a swimming beach, a replica of a 19th-century trading post, a children’s storybook park, a zoo and aquarium, and a logging camp, complete with a 1929 steam train.
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Address: Point Defiance Park, 5400 N Pearl Street, Tacoma, www.pdza.org
Tel: 253-404 3689
Opening Hrs: Jul–Sept daily 8.30am–6pm, hours and days vary at other times of year
Entrance Fee: charge
The zoo, founded in 1888, is both animal- and people-friendly; it isn’t unusual to encounter a llama, a pig, or even an elephant with its keeper on an afternoon walk. With a Pacific Rim focus, the zoo is known for its humane and innovative approach. Aquarium Encounters and polar bear talks are among the weekly offerings.
Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
Fotolia
Around Tacoma
On the west side of Tacoma, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge ° [map], a pair of twin suspension bridges, has a total length of nearly 6,000ft (1,828 meters). The first bridge, opened in 1940 across the Tacoma Narrows, was called ‘Galloping Gertie’ for the undulating winds that whip through the narrows. Gertie galloped too much, though, and just a few months after opening, collapsed. Pieces of the old bridge shelter marine life, and entice scuba divers into the waters. The first bridge was rebuilt in 1950, and due to a large increase in traffic, the second bridge was completed in 2007.
Just over the Narrows Bridge is Gig Harbor · [map], a pleasant harbor town with old-fashioned shops, restaurants, and bed-and-breakfasts.
The Puyallup Fair is a 17-day event held every September.
Dreamstime
Puyallup º [map]
Although much of the surrounding farmland has been lined with strip malls, Puyallup is still primarily a farming community. This is one of those Washington place names where the pronunciation separates locals from outsiders: it’s pronounced ‘pyew-all-up.’ The Native American tribe of the same name now has numerous casino interests in the area.
In the 1880s, this fertile valley was a huge producer of hops, used for brewing beer. Most were exported to Europe. Hop yards were later converted to berry and rhubarb farms. Today, the area produces daffodils, tulips, and Christmas trees. A revival of the downtown area has brought back some of the small-town ambiance, lost when a mall was built on the outskirts of town. Contributing to the effort is the Arts Downtown program, a changing exhibit of outdoor art by local and outside artists. Shown in parks, shops, and on public buildings, pieces range from a sculpture of a pet pig made from scrap metal to a Russian-born artist’s elegant bronze tribute to a mother’s love.
The 17-room Italianate Ezra Meeker Mansion (312 Spring Street; tel: 253-848 1770; www.meekermansion.org; Mar–mid Dec Wed–Sun noon–4pm; charge) was built in 1890 by Puyallup’s first mayor for his wife.
Steilacoom
A 20-minute drive southeast of Tacoma, Steilacoom ¡ [map] (pronounced ‘stilla-cum’) is Washington’s oldest incorporated town. It is hard to believe that this small waterfront village once was a busy frontier port and seat of government. It was one of the first places in the area to develop a sense of its own historic importance: years ago, its preservation-minded citizens registered the downtown area as a national historic site, ensuring that Steilacoom was protected from development.
The town’s old drugstore, Bair Drug and Hardware, was built in 1895. The traditional combination pharmacy, hardware store, post office, and gathering place has been turned into the delightful Bair Bistro (1617 Lafayette St; tel: 253-588 9668; Tue–Sat 8am–4pm, Sun 8am–2pm). Among the historic furnishings is a 1906 marble-topped soda fountain.
The Steilacoom Historical Museum (1801 Rainier Avenue; tel: 253-584 4133; www.steilacoomhistorical.org; Apr–Oct Fri–Sun 1–4pm; suggested donation) documents early town life with realistic displays of an 1880s living room, kitchen, and parlor.
At the other end of the block, Steilacoom Tribal Cultural Center and Museum (1515 Lafayette Street; tel: 253-584 6308; www.steilacoomtribe.com; Sat 10am–4pm; charge) is one of the few tribal-run museums in the state of Washington, and tells the story of Native American life and Pacific Northwest and local history from the tribal point of view.
The Olympia Capitol building.
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Thirty miles (50km) south of Tacoma at the southernmost point of Puget Sound, the Washington state capital of Olympia ™ [map] brings to mind a comment made about another capital, Washington, DC – that is, it’s a city for people who don’t like cities. The city’s low-rise architecture and leisurely pace gives the place a friendly, small-town feel, while Evergreen State College, a progressive liberal arts college established in 1972, provides enough of a countercultural edge to keep the city interesting.
It wasn’t until 1890 that Olympia was officially named Washington’s state capital, and it took another 60 or so years for it to wrestle several state government offices away from Seattle. It’s easy to forget that Olympia is Washington’s state capital until you see the beautifully landscaped grounds and stately buildings of the State Capitol A [map] set on a hill overlooking the water, with the snowcapped Cascades in the distance. Olympia has one of the loveliest and most impressive capitol sites in the country. Dominating the 55-acre (22-hectare) campus is the Washington State Legislative Building.
Constructed in 1927, the handsome Romanesque structure, with its 287ft (87-meter) dome, brings to mind the capitol building in Washington, DC. The chandelier hanging in the rotunda was designed by Louis Tiffany, the American artist and designer who established a firm in New York specializing in glasswork and whose father founded the venerable Tiffany and Co.
Embedded in the floor underneath it, the state seal bears an image of George Washington worn smooth by the feet of visitors. During a visit to the capitol in the late 1940s, President Harry S. Truman objected to the image being defaced in this way, and the state seal has been cordoned off ever since.
Other notable buildings in the State Capitol compound include the handsome Governor’s Mansion, the State Library, which houses a collection of artworks by Northwest artists, and the State Greenhouse, which provides all the flowers and plants for the capitol complex. War memorials and sculptural works also grace the lovely grounds.
Guided hour-long tours (tel: 360-902 8880; www.ga.wa.gov/visitor) of the Legislative Building are provided on a daily basis. More detailed information, including special appointments for group tours, is available from the Visitor Center (tel: 360-902 8880).
Hands On Children’s Museum B [map]
Address: 141 Jefferson St NE, Olympia, www.hocm.org
Tel: 360-956 0818
Opening Hrs: Mon–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 11–5pm, every first Fri until 9pm
Entrance Fee: charge
If politics is a little dry for young visitors, try taking them to this museum, which offers enough activities and exhibits to keep kids busy for a whole afternoon. The Puget Sound exhibit puts little ones in the captain’s chair and brings sea life up close and personal; other interactive displays touch on topics such as forests, health, and ‘arts and parts.’
Tip
Even if you don’t live locally, you can be a part of Olympia’s thriving arts scene. The cute website www.buyolympia.com not only has unusual mail-order gifts, but also lists events.
Washington State Capitol Museum C [map]
Address: 211 21st Ave SW, Olympia, www.wshs.org
Tel: 360-753 2580
Opening Hrs: Sat 10am–4pm
Entrance Fee: charge
In a residential neighborhood of lovely old homes, this museum is housed in a 1920s Renaissance Revival-style mansion. Among the museum’s exhibits is a collection of rare baskets made by weavers of the Nisqually, Puyallup, and Skokomish tribes.
Tourists and locals mingle at the shops, restaurants, and cafés at cute Percival Landing Park D [map] (217 Thurston Avenue NW), a waterfront park and boardwalk. Next to the landing is Washington state’s largest Farmers’ Market, a good place to buy local produce, crafts, and foods.
Heading South: Restaurants, Bars and Cafes
Price Categories
Prices for a three-course dinner per person with half a bottle of wine:
$ = under $20
$$ = $20–45
$$$ = $45–60
$$$$ = over $60
Olympia
Sage’s Brunch House
903 Rogers Street NW. www.sagesbrunchhouse.com Open: Br Wed–Sun. $
With many of the fresh ingredients coming from the cooperative directly next door, Sage’s focuses on local and sustainable food. Try the favorite huevos rancheros or the Beneficial Benedict, which combines salmon with dill sauce for a real treat.
Urban Onion
116 Legion Way SE. Tel: 360-943 9242. www.theurbanonion.com Open: B Sat–Sun, L & D daily. $$
In the historic Olympian Hotel in the center of Olympia, this casual restaurant is perfect for a relaxing meal. Choose from flatbreads and dips, juicy burgers, fish and chips, or more substantial steaks and chicken dinners.
Tacoma
Fujiya Japanese Restaurant
1125 Court C. Tel: 253-627 5319. www.fujiyatacoma.com Open: L Mon–Fri, D Mon–Sat. $$
The best and freshest sushi in Tacoma is at Fujiya, whether à la carte or by the chef’s combination plate. Other choices are donburi, noodles, tempura, and teriyaki.
Stanley and Seafort’s
115 E 34th Street. Tel: 253-473 7300. www.stanleyandseaforts.com Open: L Mon–Fri, D daily. $$$–$$$$
This is an elegant, upscale chophouse with an outstanding view from its lofty perch above downtown Tacoma. Steaks are the specialty, but the seafood is also delicious. Happy hour and the first evening seating offer great value for money.
Bars and Cafés
Antique Sandwich Company
5102 N Pearl Street, Tacoma. Tel: 253-752 4069
Near Point Defiance Park, this long-standing hippie institution serves up coffee, really great sandwiches, and live entertainment.
Engine House No. 9
611 N Pine Street, Tacoma. Tel: 253-272 3435. www.ehouse9.com
Occupying a former fire station, the No. 9 is a magnet for college kids, with good beer and bar food (especially the burgers).
McMenamins Spar Café
114 4th Avenue E, Olympia. Tel: 360-357 6444
The ales are brewed onsite here, and the food is standard pub grub: burgers, fries, grilled cheese, salads.
Sizizis
704 4th Avenue, Olympia. Tel: 360-352 6860
A favorite coffee and teahouse serving Stumptown coffee, Sizizis is dim, creaky, and weird, just as the locals like it.
