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Tacoma is the 3rd largest city in the state of WA. It’s an “urban port city” located in Pierce County. There are roughly 202,700 residents living there today. It is has 62.6 square miles with 12.5 square miles of water, the rest being land. The city got its name from Mt. Tacoma, which is now known as Mt. Ranier. Mt. Ranier is an active stratovolcano located southeast of Tacoma. It is part of the Cascade Mountain Range. You can see the mountain top from almost anywhere in Tacoma. It’s so high that on a real clear day you can see it from Portland, OR. Tacoma is also known as the City of Destiny. This started back in 1887 after it became designated as the Northern Pacific Railroad’s western terminus in the earlier 1800’s. During the 1990’s, Tacoma began a revitalization process for their downtown region. This is important because downtown Tacoma is an intricate part of their culture as it is home to many of the historical sites and museums that people come from all over the world to see. They hold events like the Tacoma farmers' market, which runs every May through September, every Thursday, in the Theatre District of downtown. Many famous people have lived in Tacoma throughout the years such as, Bing Crosby, Dale Chihuly, Ahmad Rashad and many others.

The beauty, historic sites and outdoor activities make this a wonderful place to visit and, for some, to live. There is so much to see and do. One could not possibly get bored here. It is a city surrounded by a lot of natural beauty. There are a lot of outdoor activities to engage in. There are many wildlife parks to visit such as Lakewold Gardens, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park or Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium.

If biking, hiking, sailing, or skiing/snowboarding isn’t enough for you or just isn’t for you, you can always explore the cultural side of Tacoma. There is everything from museums to art galleries to theaters. The Museum of Glass is a very popular stop for tourists. You can watch the employees work with molten glass or you can browse the gallery at the glass art already made. There is even an art studio on site where they will help you create your very own glass art. That is just one of the many museums that exist there. Tacoma’s population is filled with many artists. They have more working artists living there per capita than any other region in the nation.

Tacoma is also rich with history. Places like Union Station, the Tacoma Historical Society Exhibit Center and Washington State History Museum try to preserve that history. So there’s even something for the history buffs of the family to do on vacation here. Many of the historical sites are free to visit.

There is something for everyone to do here and many of the sites and activities are kid friendly. Definitely make the Tacoma Visitor Information Center a stop. They have information on all the sites you might want to see and it will help you plan out what you want to do.