There’s change in the air across Tacoma, the return of things once lost, the reopening of places once closed, the transformation of one restaurant into another, the creation of brand new places to gather, shop, eat, and drink. We’ve been experiencing this change across the city and wanted to pull some of it together in one place. What follows is a list of 17 new, renewed, and returned businesses along with 3 coming soon. See if you can enjoy and support something new this month; if you do, we’d love to hear about it!
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.
Once in a while, we all need to get out of town. This month we’re sharing about Port Townsend and Vashon Island, two places we go again and again when a change of scene is calling. They’re places where the beach is always near, where parking is easy, where woods and trails beckon us away from the sidewalks. Places where small, local bakeries, coffee roasters, independent bookstores, and one of a kind shops outnumber chains by far. We’ll share some of the ways we pass the time and how we fill our stomachs (never a problem). Don’t worry too much about planning; these destinations are so close to Tacoma, you can show up again and try what you missed. Wake up one morning and just decide to go!
Tacoma High 5 is our way to nudge you (and us!) toward what we love about Tacoma. It’s a short list with a commitment to the local—it embraces the season, invites delight, encourages a spirit of exploration and some generosity as well. This month’s list includes Tacoma Pride, an all ages neighborhood music festival, a game that gets you supporting small businesses (and winning prizes), Swedish-style baked goods, and the chance to help out Habitat for Humanity or spend Friday afternoons watering trees to keep Tacoma (and its future) healthy and shaded.
Community Event
Sweet Treat
Exploration & Adventure
Local Love
Volunteering & Sharing
Want to go out and really be out—out in the open air, beneath a colorful umbrella, on a shaded patio, beside a bustling sidewalk, seated on a deck overlooking the water, pulled up to a bar counter by the street? We’ve gathered over 60 of Tacoma’s outdoor dining spots by neighborhood to get you started. Take a look at our list of restaurants, cafes, and bars with outdoor seating, then get yourself away from the screen, out the door, and into the life of Tacoma’s summer. See you out there!
It’s November. We’re not kidding. Get out of the house, out of your head, and into the Tacoma community. I mean, mix some cozy, book-reading, hot-buttered rum sipping, curled-up on the couch times in there too, but then go out and get literary, or party like it’s 1999, celebrate Día de los Muertos, submit your vote, take a cooking class, meet Indigenous artists, support a small business, or gather some friends for a local crafts market. We’ll show you the way.
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.
Are you ready? There’s a chill in the air, October has come, and life goes on. Here’s a list of 25 ways life keeps on going here in Tacoma, a list of gatherings, happenings, fests, events, tours, a list of community opportunities, a list of ways to while away the hours, a list inviting you to join it. And if you’re into the arts, you’re in for a treat because October is Tacoma Arts Month!
We’ve rustled up 25 events around Tacoma throughout September. There are gatherings to wake us up and guide us toward equity. There are events to call for action, calls to deepen our understanding of diversity, to demand solutions for our beautiful Salish Sea, to hear and acknowledge Native voices, to celebrate our immigrant community. And there are events that invite you to dance all night to ‘90s jams or to eat Norwegian pancakes until you can eat no more. They’re all mixed up together in this list, because that’s what life is like. At least, that’s what it’s like here in Tacoma.
It’s finally here! The Peace Little Free Library is up and open. Duggan, Brooks & Books are grateful to the Tacoma Community House, Rotary Literacy Committee, Brendan Nelson, and Aaron Skwirut for all their help and support in getting this library to its home in the Hilltop Neighborhood of Tacoma. Read all about it!
It’s August and summer is still singing its song. Join the chorus, hum a harmony, bang a gong, it’s up to you. We’re here with 25 Tacoma events to inspire you to get out and into the world while the sun is still strong. Street fairs, arts fests, homeowner education, history pubs, kid markets, literary shenanigans, volunteering and camping in the great outdoors - you can’t go wrong if you just go.
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.
July is all about celebration in Tacoma! We celebrate Tacoma Pride (yes, it’s finally time for the Tacoma Pride Festival!), We celebrate cultural diversity, food, music, art, history, and a brand new park; we celebrate summer. So here you go, over 21 ways to celebrate the Tacoma community this month.
It’s Tacoma events round-up time again and we’ve gathered 21 June events for your consideration. You can dance your heart out to ‘90s jams, walk for the Humane Society, sit-in on storytelling, salute the sun on Summer Solstice, join the Summer Reading Club, and shop so many fresh, local, outdoor markets! Take a look, Tacoma.
We’ve compiled another list of 20 Tacoma community events that we absolutely hope will inspire you to reach out into the city we share. You’ll find an abundance of markets, chances to taste wine and beer, cooking classes, kids crafts, outdoor excursions, Japanese American Remembrance events, a food forest, a fix-it fair, and more!
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!
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!
We’re back for the 9th month in a row to spread the Tacoma love all around! With over 30 events in this list there’s something for lovers of the indoorsy and outdoorsy, lovers of music, of film, lovers of peace and quiet, lovers of local makers, of discussion, of disruption, of justice, lovers of literacy, of gal pals, lovers of lovers (all kinds), lovers of Tacoma!
Here we go again! Plunge into the Salish Sea, visit the newest wing of the TAM, take a family nature walk, strengthen and calm with yoga, discover local makers at the Night Markets, repair at a Fix-it Fair, clean-up the beach with your community, and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with the City of Tacoma. There’s more. There’s a whole list to help you celebrate the start of 2019.
November is for curling up with a good book and a warm drink, but it’s also for getting out the door for community fundraisers, holiday markets, concerts, tree lightings, fix-it fairs, Tarot readings, and volunteer opportunities. There are so many ways to give back, get involved, and get to know Tacoma!
