Salt air drifts up from Commencement Bay, container cranes stand along the tideflats like a row of steel herons, and when the weather allows, Mount Rainier rises behind them. Tacoma sits about 35 miles south of Seattle, close enough for a day trip but different enough to justify leaving I-5 behind for a few hours. The city once carried a reputation as a gritty mill town, yet much of its old industrial shoreline now holds museums, trails, and beaches.
Dale Chihuly grew up here, and his glass now catches the light above a waterway that industry once fouled. The rest of the city rewards anyone willing to explore it slowly, from the district around the Dome to the old-growth forest at Point Defiance.
Beside the Dome: Four Floors of American Cars
At 2702 East D Street, America’s Car Museum spreads more than 250 vehicles over four floors. Galleries follow era and theme, so a Model T and a modern race car can share the same afternoon.
- Where the cars came from: The museum honors Harold and Nancy LeMay, whose private collection passed 3,000 vehicles at its peak and earned a Guinness World Records title.
- For a hands-on turn: CXC racing simulators in the Speed Zone put anyone curious behind a virtual wheel.
- Hours: Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with holiday exceptions flagged on the museum calendar.
Across the Glass Bridge: The Museum District
Just up the road, Tacoma’s Museum District clusters around Pacific Avenue and the Thea Foss Waterway. Most of it sits within walking range, though the car museum and Point Defiance bookend the city, so getting between Tacoma’s far corners calls for a vehicle.
Chihuly’s Bridge of Glass
The 500-foot Bridge of Glass links the downtown side, near the Washington State History Museum and Union Station, with Museum of Glass across the tracks. It never closes, costs nothing to cross, and lights up after dark. Chihuly pictured it as “a gateway welcoming people to Tacoma.”
Three installations line the span:
- Overhead at the Pacific Avenue end, the Seaform Pavilion suspends 2,364 pieces of sea-inspired glass.
- Near the middle, two 40-foot Crystal Towers shine an icy turquoise against the sky.
- Closer to the museum, the Venetian Wall sets glass sculptures inside display cases.
Museum of Glass
A 90-foot silver cone marks the museum at 1801 Dock Street. Inside it, the Hot Shop Team and visiting artists work molten glass in front of an amphitheater audience.
- Still open: the Hot Shop, café, store, and smaller shows in the Grand Hall.
- Closed for now: the traditional galleries, shut for a renovation until an expected December 2026 reopening that adds a space honoring Venetian maestro Lino Tagliapietra.
- Parking: limited in the museum garage while construction runs, so the museum points visitors to alternatives nearby. Worth settling before you arrive rather than circling Dock Street.
- Tickets: $18 for adults.
Tacoma Art Museum
Back on Pacific Avenue, Tacoma Art Museum holds the largest museum collection of Chihuly’s work on continued view. Its Haub Family Collection adds roughly 300 pieces of Western American art spanning two centuries. It opens 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, closing at 5 p.m. on weekends.
Free Evenings and Extras
- On the third Thursday of each month, Museum of Glass goes free from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.
- That same Thursday, the Washington State History Museum, which traces the people and industries behind the state, waives its fee from 3 to 8 p.m.
- Every Thursday after 5 p.m., Tacoma Art Museum lets visitors in at no charge.
- Curious visitors wanting a guided look at the waterfront sculpture can join the glass museum’s 45-minute outdoor walking tour for $10.
Stadium District: A Castle Called a High School
Beyond downtown, the road climbs into the Stadium District, where Victorian homes crowd the bluff above Commencement Bay, and the curving streets suit an unhurried look from the back seat.
The neighborhood’s showpiece looks like a French château. Stadium High School began as a railroad-backed luxury hotel project in the 1890s, became a school in 1906, and later played Padua High in 10 Things I Hate About You. It remains a working public school, so admire the turrets from the sidewalk.
Ruston Way and a Nod to Dune
The Waterfront Path
Below the bluff, Ruston Way traces the shoreline for roughly two miles, with a paved path, public piers, waterfront restaurants, and plenty of spots to watch container ships drift across Commencement Bay.
Dune Peninsula
The path finishes at Dune Peninsula, an 11-acre park with an unlikely past.
- It rose from slag dumped by the neighboring ASARCO smelter and today lies capped under trails and lawn.
- Its name honors Frank Herbert, the Tacoma-born author of Dune, and the Frank Herbert Trail loops the whole peninsula.
- A pedestrian bridge connects it to Point Defiance, and a set of slides at the bridge’s east end promises a faster way down to the marina.
Point Defiance: Old Growth at the Water’s Edge
Tacoma saves its best scenery for last. More than 3 million visitors pass through Point Defiance each year, yet its trails still swallow the crowds.
Trails, Views, and History
- Erosion closed the outer loop of Five Mile Drive to cars, but walkers and cyclists still follow it past views of Vashon Island, Gig Harbor, and the Tacoma Narrows bridges.
- Old-growth Douglas firs shade much of the drive, which feels far wilder than a city park should.
- Rose, Japanese, and Northwest native gardens sit near the park’s Pearl Street side.
- Along the inner loop, Owen Beach draws picnickers and kayakers.
- Fort Nisqually reconstructs the Hudson’s Bay Company outpost as it looked in the 1850s, with two surviving buildings from the original site.
Practical Notes
- Gates open 30 minutes prior to sunrise and close 30 minutes past sunset, and entry and parking are free.
- Admission and hours differ for Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and Fort Nisqually.
- Wrapping up in July 2026, a loop-trail project reopened both the Pearl Street and Mildred Street entrances and added 1.6 miles of separated walking and biking path.
The Long Way Home
Instead of rejoining I-5, consider the water route back to Seattle:
- Board the ferry at the Point Defiance terminal for Tahlequah on Vashon Island. The 15-minute hop covers just 1.7 miles, the shortest run in the Washington State Ferries system.
- Drive the length of the island to its north end.
- Catch the second boat bound for Fauntleroy in West Seattle.
On a clear evening, Mount Rainier looms over the Tacoma skyline from the deck of that first crossing. Those crossings add time compared with I-5, but they end the day on open water, with the city you just explored shrinking behind the wake.
