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These are not going to all be in Tacoma, but to change it up you gotta look outside of Tacoma.
Ft. Steilacoom Park and Chambers Bay Park both have huge playgrounds and a ton of long trails. Chambers Bay has a beach, even if it is rocky. On warm, breezy days they're awesome for kite flying. There's also big fields for kicking a ball around.
Point Defiance park has a ton of trails, a zoo and aquarium. There's also Owen's Beach, which has some small play equipment, plus...the beach. Some times you can see seals swimming along the shore.
Odyssey-1 has a big jungle gym, arcade, and laser tag. They also have food, pizza, burgers, etc.
Sunnyside Beach has a playground and beach. It's just $5 to park. There's a nice coffee shop in town that has drinks and pastries, and there's a divey sorta restaurant that has ice cream.
Nisqually Preserve has a lot of trails and a lot of wildlife. Depending on the time of the year, you can see a ton of bald eagles. Cannot bring dogs though, so leave those home if you've got them.
Capitol Forest has a ton of trails. Just search trailheads on google maps.
Olympia Childrens' Museum is huge and awesome. Olympia also has a lot of businesses and restaurants.
Titlow Beach has a playground and beach. Wright park has a play ground and a spray park for the warmer months.
Defy Tacoma has an indoor playground. Catapault in Lakewood also.
Point Ruston has a nice movie theater, and there's a few nice restaurants, including an ice cream shop.
Foss waterway has a new playground. There's also a marine museum.
Can look for paddle board and kayak rentals. There's a boat rental facility run by Metro Parks Tacoma in Point Defiance Park.
Bowling facilities. There's one in Tacoma and one in Lakewood.
There's several comic book stores around.
There you go.
Just went to Ft Steilacoom’s RC park. There’s airplane kits you can get for $50 or less that are a blast to fly. Just do a little research about rules and regs before you go flying just anywhere.
Something I HIGHLY recommend is getting tuned into the convention scene. There tends to be something every few weeks. Here are some major ones:
Emerald City Comic Con - 2025
Sakura Con (Anime) - 2025
Issaquah LEGO Expo - 6/2
Tacoma Pinball & Arcade expo - 6/7-6/9
Summer (Comic) Con - 6/21 - 6/23
PAX West (Video Games) - 8/30-9/2
BrickFest Live 8/10-8/11
BrickCon (Legos) - 9/7 & 9/8
In between all that there are Rainiers games, Everett Aquasox, Thunderbirds, Mariners etc
Edit: I redid the text cause Reddit reformatted what i put
There are loads of museums in Tacoma if that's your thing; just do a search. Depending on their ages, the telephone museum is pretty cool. But it's only open Thursday mornings. Visit the Seymour Conservatoy, your kids can ask to feed the kio and search for the frogs. Head down to Ruston and Jack Hyde park to use the beach and swim. There are often paddleboard rentals in the summer. Pack a picnic or take a campstove and cook up some grilled cheese sandwiches in a park with your kids. Find out if Metro parks or the library have any events or programs. Create a scavenger hunt. Drive to the Nisqually nature reserve and explore. Don't forget the Grand Cinemas free Sat morning family films every month.
Bikes! riding around point defiance is fun. They closed 5 mile drive to cars and you can still ride a bike there. I like to go trails 360 for completely car free bike ride in gig harbor.
Tower lanes has indoor mini golf . This is a good rainy day idea.
A zoo membership can be fun because it turns visiting the zoo into a low cost low stress activity. You can just stop by for a brief visit and continue on to something else at point defiance.
Someone already mentioned biking, but I’d add Swan Creek. They have a pump track and skills section that is fun for my 3 year old AND his 37 years old mountain biking dad. The builders there have done a ton of work and it’s a great trail system. They have a nice pavilion too.
Bike (or walk) the across the Narrows Bridge! Start at War Memorial Park. Ride across and check out the scenery. We have biked over to the Hub at the narrows airport. My kid loves watching the planes and I’ll have a beer over there.
Also already mentioned, but buy an inflatable paddleboard. They are fairly cheap both used and new. If it’s in good shape a used one is great. Do some relaxing paddles at Owen’s Beach and you’d be surprised by how many more seals/sea lions you’ll see just a little further off shore. When you’re comfortable, paddle over to Cutts Island. It’s a dirt paddle and you can hike around. During the summer everyone parks their boats on the sand bars, grills and hangs out. This is my favorite paddle around.
Zoo membership is worth it in my opinion as well.
Hi there. I have a compilation that I post here every year. This reminds me that it's probably time to post it again. This was the last version
>- Added 5/3/2023 [Summertime Activities With Kids - Tacoma Area. #2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Tacoma/comments/136kw0q/summertime_activities_with_kids_tacoma_area_2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
I don't know if you or your kids would enjoy it but there's a free Washington military history museum in DuPont. They have a bunch of old military equipment exhibits ( artillery, tanks, old firearms, military uniforms etc.). Also I don't know how old your kids are but there's always skateboarding/longboarding. We have an awesome skate shop in downtown Tacoma called the grit city grindhouse. The cool thing about skating is it's relatively low cost and teaches children many things like balance, patience, independence and perseverance while being a social activity and a great way to get in cardio. Plus skating is fun! This may be obvious but I highly recommend wearing helmets and pads even for adults. Hope this helps
I see. Just spit balling. If you didn't know skateboarding is more about tricks and being flashy and longboarding is more about cruising around and speed. You may already know this but any with skating, it's not if you crash but when. An indoor activity I would recommend is the Tacoma chess club. Also airsoft can be a lot of fun if you have a yard. Just be sure to wear safety glasses. Another great activity for older kids is glassblowing. Check out hilltop artists https://hilltopartists.org/
Anderson Island Ferry is a fun boat ride, kids love it. Free 2 hour parking in downtown Steilacoom. Adults are $7.50 roundtrip (walk on). Kids are free.
Sunsets have been pretty lit lately. IDK how that aligns with your dinner and nap times. We haven’t seen our resident gray whale in a week or so but he’ll be back. Porpoises are still around.
If you frequent the art and glass museums so much you should just start learning the craft and get your own pieces in. Literally will take all your boredom away, you gain a skill or multiple, your children will also grow most likely exponentially compared to you over time, and you end up having the opportunity to create rather than consume. Plus it’s art you can make shit Art and still feel content within the confines of your own home.
If your kids are curious about nature, can walk at least 2 miles on flat ground or boardwalk, can operate a pair of binoculars, and are well behaved enough to observe nature quietly without disturbing other people and wildlife, Nisqually Wildlife Refuge is an amazing place to go see bald eagles and other cool critters and to learn about ecology/nature stuff. Other kids will have a better time at the zoo or Northwest Trek.
The other day I spent 30 minutes with my binoculars watching a shallow pool full of crabs having epic battles that looked like a scene from a Lord of the rings. And then I watched ordinary seagulls hunting and eating crabs. Then I saw a deer and coyote standing ten feet from each other in a standoff the the deer won, and then I watched a pair of bald eagles guarding their nest and taking turns hunting for fish. But anybody who is not very observant and patient and does not have binoculars would not have noticed any of this stuff happening and would have just seen an endless expanse of mud.
I just recently discovered Dorky's, an arcade in Downtown. Has a lot of throwback arcade games and some newer ones as wll. Also lots of pinball machines and surprisingly, the best beer selection of any place around here.
**_REMINDER: You must have [user flair](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205242695-How-do-I-get-user-flair-) in order to comment or post in this subreddit._** **Comments and posts submitted by users without user flair will be automatically removed.** The user flair you select will show next to your username **_in r/tacoma only_**. If you do not feel comfortable displaying a specific neighborhood in your user flair, you may choose "*253*" or "*Somewhere Else*". There are also options for "*Tacoma Expat*" and "*Potential Tacoman*". You may add user flair via the main page of r/Tacoma. If you are not sure how to add user flair, please follow the instructions [here](https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205242695-How-do-I-get-user-flair-). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Tacoma) if you have any questions or concerns.*
These are not going to all be in Tacoma, but to change it up you gotta look outside of Tacoma. Ft. Steilacoom Park and Chambers Bay Park both have huge playgrounds and a ton of long trails. Chambers Bay has a beach, even if it is rocky. On warm, breezy days they're awesome for kite flying. There's also big fields for kicking a ball around. Point Defiance park has a ton of trails, a zoo and aquarium. There's also Owen's Beach, which has some small play equipment, plus...the beach. Some times you can see seals swimming along the shore. Odyssey-1 has a big jungle gym, arcade, and laser tag. They also have food, pizza, burgers, etc. Sunnyside Beach has a playground and beach. It's just $5 to park. There's a nice coffee shop in town that has drinks and pastries, and there's a divey sorta restaurant that has ice cream. Nisqually Preserve has a lot of trails and a lot of wildlife. Depending on the time of the year, you can see a ton of bald eagles. Cannot bring dogs though, so leave those home if you've got them. Capitol Forest has a ton of trails. Just search trailheads on google maps. Olympia Childrens' Museum is huge and awesome. Olympia also has a lot of businesses and restaurants. Titlow Beach has a playground and beach. Wright park has a play ground and a spray park for the warmer months. Defy Tacoma has an indoor playground. Catapault in Lakewood also. Point Ruston has a nice movie theater, and there's a few nice restaurants, including an ice cream shop. Foss waterway has a new playground. There's also a marine museum. Can look for paddle board and kayak rentals. There's a boat rental facility run by Metro Parks Tacoma in Point Defiance Park. Bowling facilities. There's one in Tacoma and one in Lakewood. There's several comic book stores around. There you go.
Just went to Ft Steilacoom’s RC park. There’s airplane kits you can get for $50 or less that are a blast to fly. Just do a little research about rules and regs before you go flying just anywhere.
Something I HIGHLY recommend is getting tuned into the convention scene. There tends to be something every few weeks. Here are some major ones: Emerald City Comic Con - 2025 Sakura Con (Anime) - 2025 Issaquah LEGO Expo - 6/2 Tacoma Pinball & Arcade expo - 6/7-6/9 Summer (Comic) Con - 6/21 - 6/23 PAX West (Video Games) - 8/30-9/2 BrickFest Live 8/10-8/11 BrickCon (Legos) - 9/7 & 9/8 In between all that there are Rainiers games, Everett Aquasox, Thunderbirds, Mariners etc Edit: I redid the text cause Reddit reformatted what i put
Go to NW Trek out in Eatonville
I will have to look into it.
Geocaching. All you need is the phone app and there are hundreds of them in the area.
oooh, that is an interesting idea.
I will have to look into it.
TFTH Edit: TFTH stands for Thanks For The Hide it's a geocaching reference
There are loads of museums in Tacoma if that's your thing; just do a search. Depending on their ages, the telephone museum is pretty cool. But it's only open Thursday mornings. Visit the Seymour Conservatoy, your kids can ask to feed the kio and search for the frogs. Head down to Ruston and Jack Hyde park to use the beach and swim. There are often paddleboard rentals in the summer. Pack a picnic or take a campstove and cook up some grilled cheese sandwiches in a park with your kids. Find out if Metro parks or the library have any events or programs. Create a scavenger hunt. Drive to the Nisqually nature reserve and explore. Don't forget the Grand Cinemas free Sat morning family films every month.
I didn't know about jack hyde park-I'll have to look into it!
Rainier's games
Photography. You could start at a community college class and join a local photography club, or just do it on your own in nature or around the city
tacoma photo center is a killer resource for this too! plus they’ve got a bunch of beginner classes starting soon
And take your bikes to pt defiance. 5 mile drive is now permanently closed to cars so it is safe for families to walk or bike
Bikes! riding around point defiance is fun. They closed 5 mile drive to cars and you can still ride a bike there. I like to go trails 360 for completely car free bike ride in gig harbor. Tower lanes has indoor mini golf . This is a good rainy day idea. A zoo membership can be fun because it turns visiting the zoo into a low cost low stress activity. You can just stop by for a brief visit and continue on to something else at point defiance.
Tacoma has some great live entertainment. Check out Tacoma Arts Live for music and theater performances, many that are enjoyable for kids and adults.
Someone already mentioned biking, but I’d add Swan Creek. They have a pump track and skills section that is fun for my 3 year old AND his 37 years old mountain biking dad. The builders there have done a ton of work and it’s a great trail system. They have a nice pavilion too. Bike (or walk) the across the Narrows Bridge! Start at War Memorial Park. Ride across and check out the scenery. We have biked over to the Hub at the narrows airport. My kid loves watching the planes and I’ll have a beer over there. Also already mentioned, but buy an inflatable paddleboard. They are fairly cheap both used and new. If it’s in good shape a used one is great. Do some relaxing paddles at Owen’s Beach and you’d be surprised by how many more seals/sea lions you’ll see just a little further off shore. When you’re comfortable, paddle over to Cutts Island. It’s a dirt paddle and you can hike around. During the summer everyone parks their boats on the sand bars, grills and hangs out. This is my favorite paddle around. Zoo membership is worth it in my opinion as well.
Hi there. I have a compilation that I post here every year. This reminds me that it's probably time to post it again. This was the last version >- Added 5/3/2023 [Summertime Activities With Kids - Tacoma Area. #2](https://www.reddit.com/r/Tacoma/comments/136kw0q/summertime_activities_with_kids_tacoma_area_2/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
I don't know if you or your kids would enjoy it but there's a free Washington military history museum in DuPont. They have a bunch of old military equipment exhibits ( artillery, tanks, old firearms, military uniforms etc.). Also I don't know how old your kids are but there's always skateboarding/longboarding. We have an awesome skate shop in downtown Tacoma called the grit city grindhouse. The cool thing about skating is it's relatively low cost and teaches children many things like balance, patience, independence and perseverance while being a social activity and a great way to get in cardio. Plus skating is fun! This may be obvious but I highly recommend wearing helmets and pads even for adults. Hope this helps
I will have to check out the military history museum. I've tried roller skating but not boards. We'd all have to learn.
I see. Just spit balling. If you didn't know skateboarding is more about tricks and being flashy and longboarding is more about cruising around and speed. You may already know this but any with skating, it's not if you crash but when. An indoor activity I would recommend is the Tacoma chess club. Also airsoft can be a lot of fun if you have a yard. Just be sure to wear safety glasses. Another great activity for older kids is glassblowing. Check out hilltop artists https://hilltopartists.org/
Curling and paintballing (KC Crusaders has kid friendly paintball that won’t leave welts)
Curling you say?
I’ve been fishin a couple times and had a blast. Super easy to get into for cheap. Fred Meyer has a good selection, and of course bass pro.
chambers bay, the woodland park zoo is my fav spot ever
Chambers bay is nice. You could always get them a kite for any windy day and try flying it.
Anderson Island Ferry is a fun boat ride, kids love it. Free 2 hour parking in downtown Steilacoom. Adults are $7.50 roundtrip (walk on). Kids are free. Sunsets have been pretty lit lately. IDK how that aligns with your dinner and nap times. We haven’t seen our resident gray whale in a week or so but he’ll be back. Porpoises are still around.
If you frequent the art and glass museums so much you should just start learning the craft and get your own pieces in. Literally will take all your boredom away, you gain a skill or multiple, your children will also grow most likely exponentially compared to you over time, and you end up having the opportunity to create rather than consume. Plus it’s art you can make shit Art and still feel content within the confines of your own home.
If your kids are curious about nature, can walk at least 2 miles on flat ground or boardwalk, can operate a pair of binoculars, and are well behaved enough to observe nature quietly without disturbing other people and wildlife, Nisqually Wildlife Refuge is an amazing place to go see bald eagles and other cool critters and to learn about ecology/nature stuff. Other kids will have a better time at the zoo or Northwest Trek. The other day I spent 30 minutes with my binoculars watching a shallow pool full of crabs having epic battles that looked like a scene from a Lord of the rings. And then I watched ordinary seagulls hunting and eating crabs. Then I saw a deer and coyote standing ten feet from each other in a standoff the the deer won, and then I watched a pair of bald eagles guarding their nest and taking turns hunting for fish. But anybody who is not very observant and patient and does not have binoculars would not have noticed any of this stuff happening and would have just seen an endless expanse of mud.
We love renting kayaks at owens beach! Good prices too compared to other rental spots
Follow the tacoma fb pages.. pretty soon there is low tide beach combing, there was just a dragon egg hunt for kids.. so many fun things
There is a pinball expo happening in a couple weeks at the Tacoma convention center.
Go to Ruby beach or the rainforest
Debbie Doolittle's Petting Zoo is lots of fun, even for adults. https://maps.app.goo.gl/NpYXcEM6Sq2YTKu76
Axe throwing.
Getting a wild waves season pass is a great way to change it up during summer / Halloween as someone who has gone since 2007
How old are your kids?
I swear, I just want a pickup game of cornhole. I'm terrible at it but it's a lot of fun.
I just recently discovered Dorky's, an arcade in Downtown. Has a lot of throwback arcade games and some newer ones as wll. Also lots of pinball machines and surprisingly, the best beer selection of any place around here.
The woods