My Favorite Things to Do in Tacoma, Washington

When I first moved to Seattle over 10 years ago, there weren’t many things to do in Tacoma, Washington. However, it’s gone through major changes and is now filled with funky shops, art, urban hikes, and restaurants worth visiting.

I want to share my favorite things to do in Tacoma, Washington because I find that a lot of the travel guides I read are the same. Hopefully I help you find something a little bit more in line with what a sorta-local would do if you’re planning to head to this city south of Seattle.

Tacoma, WA is about an hour’s drive south of Seattle during non-peak times. It calls itself the “City of Destiny” because the Northern Pacific Railroad planned to end the line in Tacoma. I’ve also heard it called “Grit City”, which may be related to the old saying “Tacoma Aroma”…

But don’t let that fool you. Tacoma is a port town, which means there are a ton of water and mountain views. It’s also known for a few other interesting things:

• The movie 10 Things I Hate About You was filmed here (mainly that baller high school in the film).
• Glass artist Dale Chihuly was born in Tacoma.
• Baskin-Robbins got its start in Tacoma.
• Its Narrows Bridge collapsed in the 40s and taught the world a lot about bridge architecture.
• It’s the 6th largest port in the US as of writing this.
• Point Defiance Park is one of the largest urban parks in the US, just behind Central Park in NYC.

It also has a bunch of neighboring towns that make up the greater Tacoma area. So if you’re looking for a fun place to visit that’s close to Seattle, our state’s capital (Olympia), and the Sea-Tac airport, Tacoma is worth a visit!

My Favorite Things to Do in Tacoma, Washington

Here’s what to do in Tacoma, Washington if you’d like to recreate my perfect day! Or, better yet, let me customize a Tacoma itinerary just for you!

Get coffee at Bluebeard Coffee Roasters

Bluebeard Coffee Roasters is a chill neighborhood coffee shop perfect for grabbing beans to take home. I love how they roast their beans to medium, as I’m not a fan of dark roasts. I like to come here and people watch before starting the day.

Bonus: They’re attached to a really Instagrammable beer bar called State Street Beer Company that has a great selection of local PNW beers.

Check out Tacoma’s art scene

Tacoma has a pretty prominent presence from its hometown hero, glass artist Dale Chihuly. You can visit the Museum of Glass to see his full works, or take a stroll along the Bridge of Glass for free urban art. It’s the bridge that connects the museum entrance to the rest of downtown Tacoma over a highway.

But Dale Chihuly isn’t the only way to get your art fix in Tacoma. You can head to the Tacoma Art Museum if you want more museums, but I’m a fan of finding local art where I can.

For example, the Tacoma Art Gallery features works from local artists in a low-key environment. There are also other art galleries scattered around the city if you’d like to do your own crawl.

Explore Tacoma’s food scene

Tacoma has an incredible food scene that I’ve had even locals tell me they don’t know about! There are a ton of great places to eat downtown, but there are also surprisingly awesome restaurants in nearby towns like Lakewood and Fern Hill.

I outline all the best foods in Tacoma, WA, which includes a visit to a place serving maybe the best brunch in all of Washington and a crawl exploring the up-and-coming Korean barbecue scene.

Visit Fort Steilacoom Park

Fort Steilacoom Park is about 15 minutes south of Tacoma proper in the city of Lakewood. Lakewood is a park town, with 14 and counting. Fort Steilacoom is it’s largest, with 1 million visitors a year.

The park reminds me of Discovery Park in Seattle, sans the beaches and bluffs. There are a ton of trails, sports fields, picnic shelters, and even a dog park that has a more popular Instagram account than the park itself!

I like taking a walk the 1-mile paved trail that loops around Waughhop Lake. In the fall the leaves turn a beautiful color and makes for a breathtaking view against the blue water and sky.

Taste spirits from a Greek distillery

When I visit Lakewood on my media trip with Travel Tacoma recently, they introduced me to Mastrogianni’s Distillery. It’s a super small distillery in a nondescript warehouse strip that makes only 300 cases a year of spirits. It focuses on Greek-style liquors like ouzo, grappa, and brandy.

There are more than 100 distilleries in Washington and most focus on vodkas, whiskeys, gins, or other spirits that don’t leverage our local agriculture, but Mastrogianni’s makes its own wine and cider using Washington apples and grapes, then turns it into their spirits.

One of its few imports is resin (gum-like residue, essentially) from the mastic tree in Greece. It’s only grown there and Mastrogianni’s says it’s the only US distiller using it to create its Mastiha spirit. It unsurprisingly tastes exactly like the forest and is one of the most interesting spirits I’ve had.

Owner Ilias Mastrogianni still works in IT and owns this business plus a podcast called Distillery Nation on the side. He moved to Washington from Greece when he was 16 years old, where his father used to make wine. When I asked him why he started a distillery he said that his parents had always worked for themselves. His mother was a tobacco farmer and his father a mason. His dad made wine as a hobby after deciding to plant some grapes in their yard. It became an obsession and he was able to turn it into the main source of income for the family.

After Ilias finished school he thought about his parents and how his father would come alive when talking about wine. He realized that there were no other Greek-style distillers in the area and very few distillers focusing on the bounty of ingredients available in Washington. He decided to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Ilias treated us to a taste of all his spirits.

We ended up buying three bottles because you could taste the love and craftmanship that goes into each bottle. Ilias said he likes his spirits boozy, so his ouzo and grappa isn’t as sweet as others you may have had. He said besides the local ingredients he uses to make his own wine and cider bases, another factor is the pot still he uses during distillation. Unlike other stills, it only has a single pass which lets him get more flavor. It’s also a beautiful piece of equipment, hand hammered in Portugal with a beautiful patina.

He also has a vodka column that gets to high enough temperatures to get high proofs, but he uses it to proof his wine. This allows it to get more refined, which affects the flavor.

This is one of my favorite things to do in Tacoma, Washington, so if you have to make choices I highly recommend visiting Mastrogianni’s to hear Ilias talk about his father and to try his exceptional Greek-style spirits.

Go shopping at boutiques and antique shops

One of my favorite things to do in Tacoma, Washington is check out all the antiques and local shops. Antique Row is a block in downtown Tacoma full of beautiful vintage goods. My favorite store to stop at is Vessel Vintage Collective for beautifully-sourced mid century modern furniture.

There are also a lot of great independent shops, too. I die every time I go into Sage Interiors (previously known as TREE), an eco-furniture store in a huge warehouse that’s beautifully merchandised. Like honestly, I could move in there.

While I haven’t been here yet, check out Cocobolo. It’s a minimalist women’s shop run by a woman I follow on Instagram who has impeccable taste.

Head to Point Defiance Park for Golden Hour

Since Tacoma has so much surrounding water, I love heading to areas where I can get pretty water views. Point Defiance Park is northwest of downtown Tacoma and reminds me a lot of Discovery Park in Seattle, only bigger. If time permits, consider renting a bike and go along Ruston Way to get there, a paved path along Tacoma’s waterfront.

At the park there’s a series of connected trails that you can meander. This lesser-traveled path at the 2.5 mile marker takes you to a mini cave if it’s not rained out and you’re ok with a little bit of steepness at one point.

Whatever you choose, I prefer to go at right before sunset so you can get beautiful golden hour views as the sun sets to the west.

Grab a beer

Tacoma has a thriving brewery scene. Check out any of the area breweries.

Other Things to Do in Tacoma, Washington

Since I live so close, I keep a running list of places I want to try the next time I’m in Grit City. Here’s that list, if you need more ideas for things to do in Tacoma, Washington.

• If it’s summer, head to Stringtown Farms, a winery that also offers u-cut lavender.
• If you’re visiting on a Saturday between March and December, check out the Proctor Farmers Market.
• And if you need a place to stay in Tacoma, check out Thornwood Castle or McMenamin’s Elks Temple.
• Walk or bike the Narrows Bridge (don’t worry, it’s safe now) to Narrows Park.

Map of What to Do in Tacoma, Washington

Here’s my Google Map of things to do in Tacoma, WA. It has other places on my list to try and hopefully gives you a sense of space.

Other Places to Explore Near Tacoma

If you have more time and want to explore other areas within an hour or two drive from Tacoma, here are some ideas!

• Spend the Day in Olympia, WA
• Explore Suncadia Resort
• Take the Ferry to Vashon Island
• Eat at the Best Restaurants on Vashon Island
• Go Wine Tasting in Woodinville