Tacoma: On View

Tacoma Art Museum - The Tacoma Art Museum opened in May, 2003 with the largest comprehensive collection of work by Tacoma-born artist Dale Chihuly. The facility, designed by Antione Predock, also offers a cafe, gift shop and an interactive education wing.

Washington State History Museum - Designed by Arthur Andersson to echo Tacoma's historic architecture, Washington State History Museum showcases the faces and forces that made the Evergreen State boom through interactive dioramas.

Midweek @ the Museums! Visit the Tacoma Art Museum, Museum of Glass and Washington State History Museum on any Wednesday and receive a discount to all three venues. The "combo" price to visit the three museums is $17 for adults with additional discounts for seniors and children.

Fort Nisqually Living History Museum - Travel back in time to experience life in Washington Territory during the fur trade era. A Hudson's Bay Company outpost built in 1833; Fort Nisqually was the first European settlement on Puget Sound. Fort Nisqually is now a living history museum where volunteers and staff, in period clothing, demonstrate the crafts of the 19th century and engage visitors in historic dialogue.

Public Art -Tacoma has an energetic and growing public art collection. The Woolworth Windows, in Tacoma's Theatre District, contain dynamic installations by some of the region's hottest emerging and established artists. Installations change quarterly, so there's something new every time you visit Tacoma.

Third Thursday Art Walk - The many art galleries in downtown Tacoma open new shows every third Thursday of the month, staying open into the evening. Local museums also stay open and offer free admission. Tacoma's galleries are eclectic and showcase the best of contemporary craft in the country. They are gaining a national reputation for shows of quilts and textiles, turned and carved wood, and the metal arts. Third Thursday is a great time to browse the art scene, meet guest artists and perhaps buy that perfect piece of art.

Spectacular Gardens - Thanks to our temperate climate, local gardens are abloom most of the year. Visitor love to explore Lakewold Gardens Estate, formerly a 10-acre private estate designed by noted landscape architect Thomas Church. The 1908 W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory, one of only three Victorian-style conservatories on the West Coast, houses 500 species of exotic tropical foliage and flowers. At Point Defiance Park, specialty areas range from Rose, Japanese, Northwest Native, Iris, Dahlia and Rhododendron Gardens.