Best of Tacoma

Tacoma Community: 15 Things to Do in October

Tacoma Community: 15 Things to Do in October

We’ve rounded-up and narrowed-down 15 ways to get out into community this October. Don your most intellectual scarf and hat combination for a literary night, dance and eat with the Greeks, step into a candlelit tour our 1855, get psyched up about cycling (and bicycle fashion), try forest bathing, don your most eccentric scarf and hat combination for the film festival, write letters for fun, tour art studios, hear from Latinas who experience being The Firsts in so many ways, take a local art walk, and celebrate Día de los Muertos. We’ve got some ways to volunteer in here too—lend a hand with Habitat for Humanity, pick up litter, or pull weeds and plant seeds at a favorite park to keep Tacoma green.

Out on the Town 2024: Tacoma Tuesdays

Out on the Town 2024: Tacoma Tuesdays

Tacoma, Tuesdays, Trivia, Tacos, Talent. It’s the truth, there’s stuff to do. We have 19 of those things listed right here (twenty would have sounded so good) and not all of them start with “t.” There’s ballet and book club, wine and film, story time and bingo. So dust off your dancing shoes, clean your spectacles, strap the baby in a stroller, study up on random facts, warm up your vocal chords, and work up an appetite; it’s Tuesday in Tacoma!

Tacoma Bookshops: A 6 Stop Tour of Our City

Tacoma Bookshops: A 6 Stop Tour of Our City

It’s a Tacoma neighborhood tour and independent bookshop crawl all in one. Stopping for cups of coffee, a pint, a slice of cake, or even a feast on your browsing adventure is encouraged, and we’ll show you where! Get out the door on this bookstore tour from 6th Ave in the center to Proctor in the north to McKinley Ave up on the hill. Get lost in the aisles, among the shelves, in the pages, in an underground kingdom, in the worlds above the clouds. When you pull yourself back out, back up, back down, we’ll make sure you know where to find a spiced latte, black brew, or sparkling elixir to settle you back in the present and remind you of your own name. Support local shops, celebrate literature, and feed your need to read.

The Sunset Side: Tacoma's Other Waterfront

The Sunset Side: Tacoma's Other Waterfront

This month we're here to give a shout out to the other waterfront, the home of Titlow Beach, Seashore Drive, the iconic Narrows Bridges, and the Tacoma sunset. We’ll share where we eat and what we order, the trails we like to take, and what makes this side of the city feel like home. All you need is one evening for a waterfront getaway.

Tacoma Bookshops: An 8 Stop Tour of Our City

Tacoma Bookshops: An 8 Stop Tour of Our City

It’s a Tacoma neighborhood tour and independent bookshop crawl all in one including two new bookstores you really ought to meet. Stopping for a cup of coffee, a pint, a snack, or even a feast on your browsing adventure is encouraged, and we’ll show you where! Get out the door on this bookstore tour from 6th Ave in the center to Proctor in the north to McKinley Ave up on the hill. Support local shops and your need to read.

Tacoma Bookshops: A 7 Stop Tour of Our City

Tacoma Bookshops: A 7 Stop Tour of Our City

It’s a Tacoma neighborhood tour and independent bookshop crawl all in one (plus tips for where to stop for snacks and drinks along the way)! Support local shops and your need to read. This is our 3rd edition, including updated and expanded content, a bookstore tour map, and news about big changes at one of the shops.

A Conversation with Kim: Tacoma, Homeownership, Gentrification, & Knowing Your Schools

A Conversation with Kim: Tacoma, Homeownership, Gentrification, & Knowing Your Schools

Kimberly Thomas, M. Ed. grew up in Tacoma, graduated from Lincoln High, and works for equity in education. She has a message for us! Brew a cup of coffee and sit down for a conversation with Kim. We’ll explore gentrification. We’ll talk about Kim’s mixed feelings about homeownership, and - just for fun - her favorite places in Tacoma.

Duggan, Brooks & Books Project: Meet the Emergency Food Network's Little Library

Duggan, Brooks & Books Project: Meet the Emergency Food Network's Little Library

Sharing Books, Creating Community. Duggan, Brooks & Books is excited to feature the Emergency Food Network's Little Free Library in Lakewood! Read our interview with Emergency Food Network's CEO Michelle Douglas and find out how you can support the library!

Duggan, Brooks & Books Project: Meet Julia & the M Street Library

Duggan, Brooks & Books Project: Meet Julia & the M Street Library

Sharing Books, Creating Community. Get all the Duggan, Brooks & Books book drive details, meet Julia and her family’s M Street Little Free Library, and find out how, where, and what you can give to support community, literacy, and neighborhood love in Tacoma!

The April Edition: 22 Tacoma Events!

The April Edition: 22 Tacoma Events!

It’s spring in Tacoma; the season of damp dirt, delicate blossom, deep digging, seed scattering, light jackets, unbuttoned cardigans (oh my!), the season of the Lincoln High School Plant Sale, the season when the daffodils go on parade. What else? How about the opening day of the McMenamins Elks Temple, a big Norwegian pancake feed, the Tacoma Sister City Film Festival, and the 4th Annual Black Earth Celebration. Take a look!

Duggan, Brooks & Books Project: Meet Leigh & The Cushman Branch Little Library

Duggan, Brooks & Books Project: Meet Leigh & The Cushman Branch Little Library

Sharing Books, Creating Community. Get all the book drive details, learn what Brooks Dental Studio and Duggan Homes have to do with Little Free Libraries, meet Leigh and her family’s Cushman Branch, and find out how, where, and what you can give to support community, literacy, and neighborhood love in Tacoma!

Duggan, Brooks & Books Project: Meet Melo & Her Eastside Library

Duggan, Brooks & Books Project: Meet Melo & Her Eastside Library

Sharing Books, Creating Community. Learn what Brooks Dental Studio and Duggan Homes have to do with Little Free Libraries, meet Melo Hogan and her family’s Eastside Community Library, and find out how, where, and what you can give to support community, literacy, and neighborhood love in Tacoma!

Out on the Town: Tacoma Tuesdays 2.0

Out on the Town: Tacoma Tuesdays 2.0

Tacoma, Tuesdays, Trivia, Tacos, Talent. It’s the truth, there’s stuff to do, things to eat, things to drink. We have 15 of those things listed right here. You’re very welcome.

South Tacoma Day Trip

South Tacoma Day Trip

You know how we’re always seeing logos and hearing phrases about Tacoma as the “gritty city”? You’ve caught on that Proctor and Stadium aren’t the neighborhoods keeping that nickname around, right? Take a day and explore South Tacoma and the South End where some of that good grit still abides; we’ll help.

Tacoma Bookshops: A 7 Stop Tour of Our City

Tacoma Bookshops: A 7 Stop Tour of Our City

It’s a Tacoma neighborhood tour and independent bookshop crawl all in one (plus tips for where to stop for snacks and drinks along the way)! Support local shops and your need to read.

5 Reasons We Love Tacoma Summers

5 Reasons We Love Tacoma Summers

Tacoma is home. Want to know what we love about the sunny summer months here? It’s no secret; check out our list with tips for outdoor dining, city beaches, the best nearby park adventures, and more!

It's July in Tacoma - 15 Community Events You'll Love!

It's July in Tacoma - 15 Community Events You'll Love!

It’s July. What?! Yes, we can’t escape time moving forward, so let’s embrace it. Here’s our list of 15 July events all over Tacoma. Take a historical walking tour, celebrate the birthday of Tacoma's weirdest most beloved dive bar, enjoy story time with your kid, strengthen and focus with some outdoor yoga, or settle in for live music in the park. Or don’t. You’ll be just fine.

Tacoma Summer Markets

Tacoma Summer Markets

Summer is outdoor market season. Say goodbye to fluorescent lights, muzak, and plastic. Join the general delight created by people selling directly to people with dogs, strollers, weather, and live music in the mix. This is our list of Tacoma Markets (not just Farmers Markets, either!), plus 2 select out of town markets well worth a visit.

Meet Kerri & Take On Human Trafficking With WA Trafficking Prevention!

Meet Kerri & Take On Human Trafficking With WA Trafficking Prevention!

Kerri shares Tacoma with the rest of us, and as the Executive Director of Washington Trafficking Prevention she’s helping to lead a statewide effort to fight and end human trafficking. Learn how you can recognize trafficking and how you can act to stop it! Also get a sneak peak about what she likes best about Tacoma…

What's Happening, Tacoma?

What's Happening, Tacoma?

Not as in “Oh no! What’s happening?” but as in “What’s going on around town?” This is our roundup of 15 super-duper-sweet happenings around Tacoma this June. You’re going to want to read this!