Tacoma, WA

I love being outdoors and I jump at any chance to do so. I came across the South Hill Community Park when I decided to take a back road in an attempt to avoid rush our traffic. Who would have known that my dislike for sitting in traffic would lead me to the understated but [...]

But the roses remain the main attraction. Rows and rows of colorful roses! My ritual is to smell as many species and find out of them the best and strongest smelling roses. Usually I find that you can’t go wrong with the purple and lavender ones. They always smell so good, whereas, sometimes I’d find a most vibrant colored blossom but it was scentless. With so many species, I wanted to see if I could find non-purpley ones that were equally aromatic. I did! I overheard a family visiting from Arizona thrilling over the smell of a certain species, so I had to sneak over to them. It’s called the Royal Sunset, and it’s a bush bursting with coral colored roses.

It is hard to imagine an off-leash dog park more ideal than the one within Fort Steilacoom Park. Located in Lakewood at the intersection of Steilacoom Boulevard and 88^th Street SW, south of the Tacoma Mall area, it is easily accessed and well-maintained. The park itself is a stately 340 acres, and is a treasure of Northwest history.

The Museum is located on a 14 acre forested site inside a city park and was set up by logging engineers in 1964 to look and feel like a logging operation with an operating railroad connecting the working sites (”sides” or “shows”) with the bunk houses and bunk cars of the camp. As a National Registered Historic Place, Camp 6 with its historic buildings, over 500 tons of “Fire Breathin’ Steam Spewin’ Iron Beasts” and railroad equipment is a place for all to visit.

The mission of the Tacoma Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society is to preserve and present to the public a portion of Washington State’s history from the 1880’s through the 1940’s as it pertains to the “Steam Era of Logging”. With photographs, paintings, artifacts and equipment displays, Camp 6 takes the visitor back in time from when horse and ox teams hauled out the timber up through the last days that steam powered “Donkeys” and Railroads worked the woods. Visitors will get to see first hand what life in the logging camps and woods of Western Washington was like.

The new home for America’s Car Museum will be an inspirational icon for the the City of Tacoma, WA. A gleaming beacon above this growing city, it will be a technologically-advanced, interactive automotive museum and educational center that will showcase the cultural impact of cars, motorcycle and trucks on our uniquely American way of life. The Museum is based on the LeMay Collection, currently consisting of over 2000 cars. The new Museum will ultimately house over 1000 diverse vehicles, spanning not only a century of automotive history, but the future of our transportation system as well. This much anticipated $100 million project will be built in two stages. Upon completion of stage one, it will be the largest auto museum in the world!

ACM is being built in the heart of the technology-rich Pacific Northwest. Located just thirty miles south of Seattle, the Museum will be situated on nine prime, highly-visible acres adjacent to Interstate 5. Stage one groundbreaking is planned for summer 2008 with completion of construction and opening slated for spring 2010. The new Museum is being built on the premise that there is an important and unique story to tell and it involves not only the past, but the present and future as well. As a result, we are creating a place that will attract young and old alike, insure and delight everyone who enters…and help shape the drivers of the future.

The old wooden floors, the window front style stores, the leisurely customers. It’s all part of the historic charisma. Now, this long green building is called the Freight House Square, lined with boutiques, collectibles, gift shops, art stores, and a good size international food court. There’s an antique store that reminds me that I was once a foolish and impulsive young woman in love, my first engagement ring was bought there years and years ago. So to forget all about it I indulge in the huge cinnamon rolls that actually taste good too. That’s when better memories surface, like me and my girlfriend during high school ogling over the fondant wedding cakes at Celebrity Cake Studio.

Tacoma streets. I knew we were going to a movie but I had no idea where. The Grand Cinema (usually just referred to as The Grand) was a pleasant little theatre that provides a very intimate or personal setting. When we first pulled up, I kept looking around wondering, “where is the theatre?” and then quickly realized that the unobtrusive brick building that I was staring me in the face, was the very building that I was going to.

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The Old Town Park is also home to a historic piece called the Job Carr Cabin Museum. The cabin is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday, 1- 4 pm. For some reason, I have never made it within the public hours, but that’s probably best since Baby will probably run around and cause a ruckus. After this family day centered around baby, I look forward to coming back. But next time, I’ll get a babysitter, arrive around 8 pm-ish in my heels with my husband and head straight to the wine bar in Cafe Divino. Or maybe, you just might see us in The Spar at the billiards table!

Up at Mount Rainier they offer the chance to learn about glaciers. Discover life in a rainforest. Hike the Wonderland Trail. Explore sub alpine ecology. Watch clouds shroud the mountain and disappear. Visit a rustic historic building. Dream about climbing to the summit. Study geology. Experience a mountain meadow. Listen to a glacier crack. Observe the wildlife…and wonder.

Mount Rainier National Park is open all year. Visitation is at its peak in July and August, when the sun warms the earth enticing mountain meadows to blossom. Parking is limited in many areas of the park especially on busy summer weekends and holidays. If you are planning a summer trip to Mount Rainier, consider visiting mid-week, which is generally less crowded.
In spring, with ephemeral waterfalls and autumn, with brilliant colors reaching deep into the valleys, visitors can enjoy a more leisurely vacation in the park. During these seasons, weather may determine the availability of facilities in certain areas of the park. Before making any plans check the current status of roads, campgrounds, trails and activities.
Vehicle access to Mount Rainier in the winter is only available from the Nisqually Entrance, in the southwest corner of the park on the way to Paradise. The Carbon River Entrance is open but the road within the park boundary is limited to foot and bicycle traffic.