Tacoma

Tacoma in the state of Washington, is the state's second-largest city, with just under 220,000 residents. It has a dynamic art scene and a great ballet.

Understand
Tacoma often gets a negative description reminiscent of the one given to Oakland, California. These negative vibes are equally unrealistic and often come from those who have never lived in or even visited the city. While it has neither the tourist amenities of its neighbor Seattle to the north nor the suburban safety of Olympia to the south, you can certainly spend a few pleasant days in Tacoma.



By plane
The  is the nearest airport for commercial flights. It is 25 mi/40 km north of Tacoma. The airport serves much of the greater Seattle Metropolitan area and the Pacific NW. Options besides taxi/limo or rental car are:

By car
Tacoma is along Interstate 5 (I-5), approximately 35 mi south of Seattle (35 min), 293 mi (5 hr) southwest of Spokane, and 143 mi (2½ hr) north of Portland.


 * I-5.svg & I-705.svg From Interstate 5 (I-5) Tacoma is accessed from exits #136 ("Port of Tacoma") through #127 ("S Tacoma Way/WA-512 to Puyallup") along I-5. To get to downtown, exit off at the Interstate 705 off ramp at Exit 133, just beyond the Tacoma dome if going south from I-5, or continue along I-705 past downtown to Schuster Pkwy to get to old town, north Tacoma and the Ruston Way waterfront. Continue to the next exit along I-5 to 132B to get to WA-16 going west towards Gig Harbor, Bremerton and for additional access to other parts of town. To get to Joint Base Lewis McChord continue south past WA-512 to exits #125 ("Bridgeport Way/McChord Field"), #123 ("Thorne Ln"), 122 ("Berkely Ave nearest access to Madigan Hospital and Camp Murray"), 120 ("Joint Base Lewis-McChord") which is the location of the main gate & visitors center into the base, or 119 (Dupont-Steilacoom Rd). Access to the military base is controlled and a valid Dept. of Defense (DoD) ID and vehicle decal are required to be allowed through. Otherwise see the visitors center off of exit 120. Exits 119-125 will come first before getting into Tacoma if going north on I-5 from Olympia.
 * I-90.svg & WA-18.svg From Interstate 90 (I-90) coming from eastern Washington exit off at WA-Hwy 18 at Exit # 25. Go south on WA Hwy 18 through Tiger Mountain, Convington, Maple Valley and Auburn to Federal Way where WA-18 merges into I-5. Follow signs to I-5 south to Tacoma.
 * WA-3.svg to WA-16.svg From Kitsap Peninsula Go south on Hwy 3 and follow signs for "WA-16 EAST to Port Orchard - Tacoma". Continue south along WA-16 through Gig Harbor and across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge into Tacoma. There's a toll to cross the Narrows Bridge into Tacoma but no toll coming the other way into Gig Harbor. There are 5 exits into town from along WA-16 between the bridge and where the highway ends at I-5. Follows signs for I-5 "To Seattle" and exit at the next exit to I-705 to get downtown otherwise follow signs for I-5 south "To Portland" to get to the south or east part of town.
 * WA-163.svg N Pearl St connects the Washington State Ferry from Vashon Island to WA-Hwy 16

By bus
The bus station for Greyhound, Northwestern Trailways, Sound Transit, Intercity Transit, Pierce Transit & Link Light Rail is at the Tacoma Dome Station Parking Garage Buildings at 510 - 610 E Puyallup Ave (facing E Puyallup Ave), between East E St and East G St, one block north of Freighthouse Square (2501 East D St). Greyhound, NW Trailways and a taxi stand are at the west building while Sound Transit, Intercity & Pierce Transit buses are next door in front of the east building. The Link Light Rail to downtown Tacoma is at the opposite side of the parking buildings along E 25th, between the E Parking Garage Building and the Freighthouse Square building:
 * Rt #574 Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Kent-Des Moines Hwy (SR-516), S 272nd St, Federal Way, Tacoma Dome & Lakewood
 * Rt#586 Downtown Tacoma//UW Tacoma, Tacoma Dome, Federal Way University of Washington/U-District. Operates during weekday rush hours only. No stops in downtown Seattle
 * Rt#590,594 Downtown Seattle, Tacoma Dome Station, Downtown Tacoma/UW Tacoma & Lakewood. Rt 590 travels only between Downtown Tacoma, Tacoma Dome & Downtown Seattle during weekday rush hours only.
 * Rt#592 Downtown Seattle, Lakewood Park & Ride, Lakewood Sounder, Dupont. Northbound only during morning rush hours and southbound only during afternoon rush hours. No stops in downtown Tacoma or Tacoma Dome.
 * Rt#595 Downtown Seattle, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma Community College (TCC), Gig Harbor, Purdy. Operates during weekday rush hours only.
 * Link Light Rail runs frequent trains from Freighthouse Square to downtown Tacoma (just north of 9th & Commerce). The train goes by UW Tacoma, several museums, several downtown hotels and the downtown convention center. The stop is along E 25th between the parking garage buildings and the Freighthouse Square building.
 * Intercity Transit 620 operates bus service between Lakewood (SR-512/S Tacoma Way; Lakewood Sounder STation) and Olympia via Lacey.
 * Rt#592 Downtown Seattle, Lakewood Park & Ride, Lakewood Sounder, Dupont. Northbound only during morning rush hours and southbound only during afternoon rush hours. No stops in downtown Tacoma or Tacoma Dome.
 * Rt#595 Downtown Seattle, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma Community College (TCC), Gig Harbor, Purdy. Operates during weekday rush hours only.
 * Link Light Rail runs frequent trains from Freighthouse Square to downtown Tacoma (just north of 9th & Commerce). The train goes by UW Tacoma, several museums, several downtown hotels and the downtown convention center. The stop is along E 25th between the parking garage buildings and the Freighthouse Square building.
 * Intercity Transit 620 operates bus service between Lakewood (SR-512/S Tacoma Way; Lakewood Sounder STation) and Olympia via Lacey.
 * Intercity Transit 620 operates bus service between Lakewood (SR-512/S Tacoma Way; Lakewood Sounder STation) and Olympia via Lacey.
 * Intercity Transit 620 operates bus service between Lakewood (SR-512/S Tacoma Way; Lakewood Sounder STation) and Olympia via Lacey.

By train
There are two train stations. The Amtrak & Sounder Train Stations are in the middle to the west end of the Freighthouse Square Building, adjacent to each other. Both are well marked.


 * Routes stopping in Tacoma:
 * Amtrak Cascades operates between Vancouver, BC and Eugene via Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Everett, Edmonds, Seattle, Tukwila, Tacoma, Lacey (Olympia), Centralia, Kelso (Longview), Vancouver, WA, Portland, Oregon City, Salem, and Albany.  There are two round trips daily along the portion between Vancouver and Seattle, four round trips daily along the portion between Seattle and Portland, and two round trips daily along the portion between Portland and Eugene.  No train departures travel the whole length of the route. Additional service between Vancouver and Seattle, and between Portland to Eugene are provided on the Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach.
 * Coast Starlight operates daily between Seattle and Los Angeles. Stops include Tacoma, Portland, Eugene, Klamath Falls, Dunsmuir, Redding, Chico, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, San Francisco (Emeryville), Oakland, San Jose, Salinas, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Van Nuys, and Burbank. Between Seattle and Eugene, it makes the same stops as the Amtrak Cascades, except it skips Tukwila and Oregon City.
 * Routes stopping in Tacoma:
 * Amtrak Cascades operates between Vancouver, BC and Eugene via Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Everett, Edmonds, Seattle, Tukwila, Tacoma, Lacey (Olympia), Centralia, Kelso (Longview), Vancouver, WA, Portland, Oregon City, Salem, and Albany.  There are two round trips daily along the portion between Vancouver and Seattle, four round trips daily along the portion between Seattle and Portland, and two round trips daily along the portion between Portland and Eugene.  No train departures travel the whole length of the route. Additional service between Vancouver and Seattle, and between Portland to Eugene are provided on the Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach.
 * Coast Starlight operates daily between Seattle and Los Angeles. Stops include Tacoma, Portland, Eugene, Klamath Falls, Dunsmuir, Redding, Chico, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, San Francisco (Emeryville), Oakland, San Jose, Salinas, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Van Nuys, and Burbank. Between Seattle and Eugene, it makes the same stops as the Amtrak Cascades, except it skips Tukwila and Oregon City.

By car
The area's roads are designed more or less around a grid system, where most roads are numbered based on their distance from the city center. Addresses also conform to the numbering of the roads around them. Nearly all streets run with the compass directions. "A" Street, one block east of Pacific Ave (SR-7), divides east from south while Orchard Street divides south from west. 6th Avenue and Division Avenue divide north from south. The numbered roads run east-west, parallel to 6th Avenue, while the named roads run north-south (except for one corner in the North End where everything is rotated by 60&deg;). The addresses on the opposite side of Commencement Bay towards Federal Way between the bay and the King/Pierce County line are in the northeast (NE) part of town. The addresses in Gig Harbor & Key Peninsula all have northwest (NW) designations and Lakewood and Steilacoom are in the Southwest part of town with SW addresses. This also applies to much of the extended areas of unincorporated Pierce County, though the addresses in places like Fife, Milton, Puyallup & Sumner have their own numbering system and are not based on Tacoma's numbering system. Some of the same streets will change names when it crosses from one city/municipality to the next.

By public transit

 * Tacoma LINK A light rail/streetcar line that runs between Freighthouse Square (near the Tacoma Dome and the train station) and downtown, with a stop that serves the Washington State History Museum / University of Washington, Tacoma area. Trains run every 10-20 minutes, and the fares are free.
 * Tacoma LINK A light rail/streetcar line that runs between Freighthouse Square (near the Tacoma Dome and the train station) and downtown, with a stop that serves the Washington State History Museum / University of Washington, Tacoma area. Trains run every 10-20 minutes, and the fares are free.
 * Tacoma LINK A light rail/streetcar line that runs between Freighthouse Square (near the Tacoma Dome and the train station) and downtown, with a stop that serves the Washington State History Museum / University of Washington, Tacoma area. Trains run every 10-20 minutes, and the fares are free.

Point Defiance Park
is a 700-acre city park featuring old growth forests, gardens, the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Owen Beach, Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, as well as a playground, picnic areas and countless hiking trails. It is the north end of Tacoma and is accessible from I-5 by following I-705 past downtown to Schuster Pkwy which goes along the Ruston Way waterfront to N 51st & Pearl. Go north on Pearl (right turn from N 51st coming from Ruston Way) into the main entrance of the park. From Hwy 16 go north on N Pearl (WA-163) into the park. By bus the #11 goes from downtown (10th & Commerce) to the park. From the Tacoma Dome station take the #41 bus going into downtown which becomes the #11 bus so no transferring of buses needed.

Museums
Tacoma is home to a variety of interesting museums:

Other



 * , the gateway to Gig Harbor, Poulsbo, Hood Canal, Port Townsend, and the Olympic Peninsula, was remodeled to include a second span (which now requires a $6 toll for those returning to Tacoma). (The original bridge, built in 1940, and known as "Galloping Gertie", is well known because of its collapse.)
 * , the gateway to Gig Harbor, Poulsbo, Hood Canal, Port Townsend, and the Olympic Peninsula, was remodeled to include a second span (which now requires a $6 toll for those returning to Tacoma). (The original bridge, built in 1940, and known as "Galloping Gertie", is well known because of its collapse.)
 * , the gateway to Gig Harbor, Poulsbo, Hood Canal, Port Townsend, and the Olympic Peninsula, was remodeled to include a second span (which now requires a $6 toll for those returning to Tacoma). (The original bridge, built in 1940, and known as "Galloping Gertie", is well known because of its collapse.)

Buy



 * Thursdays 10AM-2PM along Broadway between 9th & 11th Ave in downtown from May to Oct.
 * Fridays 3PM-6PM in June - August @ 5715 Reginald Gutierrez Ln (Stewart Heights Park)
 * Thursdays 10AM-2PM along Broadway between 9th & 11th Ave in downtown from May to Oct.
 * Fridays 3PM-6PM in June - August @ 5715 Reginald Gutierrez Ln (Stewart Heights Park)



Eat
6th Avenue has some affordable restaurants. Most of the suggested venues below are along 6th Ave between Sprague and Union. Sixth Ave divides north from south so some of the listed establishments in the below may be in the north or the south side of 6th Ave.

Downtown Tacoma has a wide range of restaurants, from fine dining to casual. Most of the downtown restaurants suggested in the below are in the immediate areas surrounding the University of Washington Tacoma campus, Tacoma Convention Center and Union Station which are along the Link Light Rail route. They are also found elsewhere such as towards the Stadium District north of downtown such as Maxwell's (one of the suggested venues).

Hilltop just up the hill from Downtown Tacoma has many choices for dining. Most of the mentioned venues in Hilltop are clustered around S Martin Luther King & S 11th St. They can be located further north or south along S MLK and east or west along the cross streets too.

South Tacoma has wonderful Asian restaurants.

Lincoln District has international flavor.

North End
The North End neighborhood is an upscale neighborhood especially those east of Pearl, in old town and up along N Ruston Way. Except the Silver Cloud by the waterfront most of the accommodations in the North End are in large (historic) homes that have been permitted and converted to board guests as a Bed & Breakfast and are located in quiet residential neighborhoods.

South Tacoma
The South Tacoma accommodations are near some of the large shopping complexes as well as quicker access to the Lewis McChord military reservation. The accommodations are typically lined up along S Hosmer from the 7400 block (accessed off of S 72nd at Exit #129) through 9200 block where S Hosmer become S Steele (accessed from Exit #128 if going north bound I-5). The area have also been an epicenter of crime particularly at the 8800 of S Hosmer. Safer to be closer to S 74th. They're the typical national chain hotels and motels surrounded by different restaurants such as Ihop, Burger King, Jack in the Box, Subway:

Stay safe
While Tacoma's crime problem has improved over the past decade, the city still has a high crime rate relative to other Northwest cities. Much of the crime is concentrated on the Hilltop and Eastside neighborhoods and the hotels along S Hosmer/Steele St between 8400-9900 blocks, particularly at a boarded up hotel on 8820 S Hosmer St and its surrounding area(s). The Stadium District area towards the north end has the lowest crime rate in the city and Downtown has a low crime rate compared to downtown areas of other cities (including Seattle), however visitors should be cautious as in any urban area. Visitors should also be careful when entering the surrounding suburbs of Lakewood, Spanaway and Parkland. Crime problems in Lakewood sometimes run over into near by Parkland. As always when traveling alone or at night, avoid poorly-lit areas with little foot traffic.

Connect
The area code for the Tacoma area and South King County is 253.

Go next
Near Tacoma are some other things worth visiting, listed roughly north to south:


 * To the northwest, the waterfront town of Gig Harbor. I-5 to exit 132 (WA Hwy 16) A great place to see the bridge is by visiting the park below and slightly adjacent to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Going north from the bridge, take the first exit (24th St NW) and follow the signs (several left turns). On a very clear day, Mount Rainier will be in the background to the east, beyond the waterway.
 * Seattle, north of Tacoma, has a lot to do for visitors.
 * To the northeast, Rhododendron Species Foundation and Garden, and the adjacent Pacific Bonsai Museum in Federal Way, just off Interstate 5.
 * Wild Waves, a water-themed amusement park, also in Federal Way, just off Interstate 5.
 * To the south, Lakewold Gardens Estate, in Lakewood.
 * Also to the south, Northwest Trek, a 615-acre park that is home to more than 200 North American animals.
 * To the southeast, Mount Rainier National Park, and the nearby Mt. Rainier Railroad.
 * To the southwest is Washington's easygoing capital city, Olympia.