Please consider Washington’s reopening plan and check all recommended locations’ current status and hours prior to planning a visit.

I really don’t have to go far for this week’s Travel Local highlight, because it’s where we live… Tacoma, Washington! When Evan moved here, I had NO idea how much I would fall in love with this city that would later become my home too. The beaches, the parks, the food, the small businesses and just the community… this city has SO much to offer. So today we’re diving into some of my favorite places to hang out in our city.

Neighborhoods

Something I love about Tacoma is there are so many great neighborhoods within the city that all have different vibes. This, by all means, is not all of them but here are a few we spend a lot of time exploring.

Proctor

This is probably my favorite in the city. Proctor is such a cute neighborhood with gorgeous homes and a really cute downtown area with some of my favorite restaurants and shops — including Compass Rose, The Fernseed, Lapis, Waffle Stop and more! I also love their Farmers Market that takes place on Saturdays and has my FAVORITE scones from Upper Crust!

Stadium District

This was our old neighborhood and I love walking up and down the streets checking out the historic and victorian style homes. There are great food and bar options in the neighborhood and it also overlooks beautiful views of the water! We spent a lot of time at Shake Shake Shake, Indo Asian Street Eatery, and the Rhein Haus.

Downtown

Back when meeting up with friends was a thing (I miss you pre-COVID life), downtown was one of our spots we’d go. Pacific Avenue is a great place to grab a bite to eat and bar hop. A few blocks up, Antique Row is another cool spot to check out. Downtown is also where a lot of the museums and theatres are located!

6th Avenue

This is another hot spot for going out. 6th Ave kind of gives me vibes of my old neighborhood in Portland which I also really loved, so it’s no surprise I love this area! There are a ton of great bars and restaurants and it’s impossible to go wrong down there!

Dome District

The Tacoma Dome is known for hosting concerts and large events, but its neighborhood is also filled with unique things to do too — including shopping at Freighthouse Square (be sure to check out Adorned Abode!), the LeMay Car Museum, Tacoma Glassblowing Studio and more!

Favorite Beaches & Parks

I didn’t think I was a beach person until I moved to Tacoma. Obviously our beaches are a little different in Washington than other places but that’s why I love them! I can’t get enough of the rocky shores filled with driftwood and the regular seal spottings.

Owen Beach

I can’t tell you how much time I’ve spent walking the waterfront at Owen Beach, I love it down there! It’s definitely one of my happy places. It’s so relaxing walking along the water and watching the seals swim around. It’s one of the more popular options so it can get busy during the summer but it’s a great option to visit year-round.

Point Defiance

We are so lucky to have a park like Point Defiance in Tacoma. It’s HUGE and there are so many different places to visit there — a little something for everyone. It’s actually where Owen beach is too. I love spending time in the flower gardens when they bloom, walking one of the many trails, visiting the Point Defiance Zoo, Owen Beach, Fort Nisqually, and taking in the views on the 5-mile drive!

Chambers Bay

Since we bought our townhouse, I’ve been spending more time at Chambers Bay, which is technically in University Place, but I group them together because they’re so close. This park is huge since it also has a golf course and I love walking on the rocky beaches or walking around on the walking trail.

Ruston Way

Another super popular option (especially in the summer) is Ruston Way. I love walking along the water down there and it hands down has the best views with Mt. Rainier peeking out in the background. At the end of Ruston Way there’s also a ton of development going up full of restaurants, shops and their own market.

Titlow Beach

We are SO spoiled with so many beach options! Titlow Beach is another great one to visit (and yes, that’s really its name). This one is on the other side of Tacoma near the Narrows and it has ample rocky beaches to enjoy. It’s also a go-to for kayaking for us.

Food

The food scene is hopping in Tacoma and there are still so many places we haven’t even tried yet! These are the spots that are on our tried and true rotate list though!

Shake Shake Shake

We used to live across the street from Shake Shake Shake and it was dangerous.. in the best kind of way! You cannot go wrong with any of their burgers, hot dogs or their delicious shakes. SO. DANG. GOOD!

Dirty Oscar’s Annex

If you’re looking for a bomb brunch or lunch Dirty Oscar’s Annex is the place to go. When you walk in, it has casual bar vibes but their food is Ah-mazingggg. You can’t go wrong with anything you order there.

Happy Belly

For delicious and healthy bites you need to make a stop at Happy Belly! Their menu is vegetarian focused plus they offer an amazing juice bar. Literally the besttt spot for a tasty lunch, juice or smoothie!

Pomodoro

Pomodoro is the perfect date spot in the adorable neighborhood of Proctor that serves up seriously delicious Italian. There’s a reason it was voted Tacoma’s Best Italian by the readers of Tacoma Weekly!

Cactus

We’re obsessed with the queso and margaritas at Cactus! SO dang delicious. There are other locations than just in Tacoma but we’re so glad they’re here now too!

Waffle Stop

If you ask me to go to brunch in Tacoma I’m probably going to take you to Waffle Stop. Because hello… waffles! These aren’t just any ordinary waffles either, they’ve gotten really clever with some of their menu items including one of my favorites, the messy but oh so delicious monte carlo sandwich.

Art House Cafe

Another great brunch spot is Art House Cafe in the Stadium District! It has cozy vibes and I love that the menu is built around local and in-season options. Everything is just always very fresh tasting.

Katie Downs

If my mom is visiting, you’re probably going to find us at Katie Downs! It’s one of our favorite places to go to Happy Hour and enjoy gorgeous views on the water. We usually order a bunch of their appetizers but they’re also well-known for their pizzas.

La Cà Bar

Pho! Something I didn’t realize was missing from my life until I moved back to the PNW was pho and I’m obsessed these days. My personal favorite is La Cà Bar off of 6th Avenue and let’s just say we’re regulars in the fall and winter!

Ice Cream Social

If you’re looking for some sweetness in your life, Ice Cream Social is the spot! They have two locations in Tacoma and you cannot beat their all-natural, homemade, local ice cream! They rotate flavors each month and my mouth is watering just thinking about them. My favorite that got added to the everyday menu is their Almond Poppyseed. Holy YUM!

Bars & Breweries

We also have a ton of unique bars to go to throughout the city, which makes going out so much more fun! Some of these are temporarily closed right now because of COVID but save this for later so you can check them out and support them when they’re back!

Triple Knock

Pinball bar, need I say more? I’m convinced there’s nothing more fun than enjoying a brew while playing pinball and Triple Knock delivers! If I’m being honest, I’m not even very good at pinball but it’s still fun nonetheless!

McMenamins Elk Temple

If you read my Olympia travel guide you know I loveeee me a McMenamins and the Elk Temple takes the cake for my favorite! It’s HUGE! It’s 7 floors and there are a variety of restaurants and bars, a tasting room, hotel, concert venue and even a hidden bar. It’s bomb and you could spend a whole evening exploring different areas.

The Red Hot

Craft beer and hot dogs FTW! The Red Hot is the spot to enjoy some quality beer or ciders and also get adventurous with their hot dog creations!

Rhein Haus

If you’re in the mood for German beer, grub and some bocce ball or miniature golf, Rhein Haus is the spot. Yes, they really have all of that inside! It’s a great spot to watch sports in the fall or enjoy some time by their fireplaces in the winter too!

The Camp Bar

If you love camping, or are just looking for an awesome local dive bar, The Camp Bar is where you need to go! Their decor is filled with fun camping vibes, they have bomb food and you can even order tableside s’mores!

7 Seas Brewery and Taproom

If I had to pick my favorite place to go out with friends, this is it! 7 Seas Brewery is the best! It’s located in Hilltop in a huge warehouse building and I just love the vibes. Plus their beer is BOMB, we love to do the tastings although the IPA is my all-time fav. 3uilt Tacoma is also located there and they have amazing sandwiches!

Locust Cider

If ciders are more your thing (I also love them) you’ll definitely want to check out Locust Cider. It’s located on 6th Avenue and is such a fun spot where you can have tasting and play board games. I’m all about the tasting and checking out their rotating ciders too!

Parkway Tavern

Last but definitely not least, Parkway Tavern is another one of our go-tos — especially when we lived in the Stadium District. It’s a great chill bar that has a ton of brews on tap and they also have games in the back! Can you tell, I like having things to do when we go out? Highly recommend!

There are so many awesome things to do on a visit to Tacoma, these recommendations don’t only touch the surface! This should give you a good starting point though. Have other favs? Drop them in the comments!

P.S. Want to keep up with my adventures around Tacoma and the PNW? Follow along on Instagram!

After our great visit with the Hardersens at Alder Lake we headed south towards Eugene! We made a short stop in Portland for the Pine State Biscuits experience first though. I’ve been talking about this place with Chris since I met him, so we were both very happy the day had finally come for him to try their heavenly goodness combination of fried chicken, gravy, bacon, cheese and biscuits.

After we were full and happy, we headed another two hours south to my beloved college town to go watch the ducks beat up on Arkansas State.

I’ve never sat in Autzen in any other place than the student section so it was a new experience for the both of us! The ducks absolutely dominated their opening game though so it was a fabulous night! We turned in pretty early after the game after pure exhaustion of me dragging Chris around the whole PNW in such a short amount of time! As Chris said though, this was my last “big” adventure until after football season.. had to make it count right?! How is it that football takes up all of Saturday, Sunday, Monday night, and now Thursday too? Well, that’s another blog post.. but anyways we still had some ground to cover!

The next morning we got up early and ventured around campus. I hadn’t been back in a few years so I was pleasantly surprised by all of the new buildings and changes! Well, except for the fact that Allen Hall aka my home for two years and the journalism building is under construction for renovations! I’m all for renovations, but I must say I was a little sad that the building won’t ever be the same as it was when I went there! I guess that’s how the world works though. The only constant is change!

Another change include this hefty gate in front on my freshman dorm! Now it looks even more like a prison! Rumor has it the guy who designed the Bean dorms also designed prisons. Not sure if it is true, but I wouldn’t doubt it.

Nor for some new buildings! The new basketball arena and alumni center! WOW! These buildings were incredible! Uncle Phil has been taken care of campus well ;-)

Our next stop was at VooDoo Doughnut. This is another destination Chris had on his “must see” list for the PNW. Lucky for him, a new location opened in Eugene so we got to check it out and skip the long line and wait in Portland.

Of course when it came time to ordering, we couldn’t decide on just a few so we ended up getting 6. Some for the road right? 

That sugar-high got us back up north to Portland for a quick visit in the city and meet-up with some of my friends before heading back to Washington!

Woh, what a trip! I didn’t want it to end… but alas it had to. We enjoyed our last day at my dad’s house for a wonderful BBQ with family and lots of delicious food. I was so happy that we fit everything in and we still had a day left for some quality family time and for everyone to meet Chris. Thank you to everyone who made our trip so amazing! 

On to day 6 of my trip! Chris officially arrived Wednesday night and we were ready to hit the state! What better way to start off our trip than a walk around the big old town of Wilkeson! Luckily, Chris seemed to adapt pretty well. Take someone from a city of 8 million and go to a little over 400 and you don’t really know how they will react! He actually enjoyed my mom’s little town a lot though and was pretty impressed that we had a coffee shop right down the block. I also caught him taking quite a few pics of the scenery (which he NEVER does) so all was good!

After a little tour of the town we headed to our bigger little city of Enumclaw to the world famous, Kettle. We talked Chris into ordering a full order of a scramble and boy was he impressed! He also realized even with his appetite it was enough for 3 days…

After we were stuffed to our gills with homegrown goodness, we headed to Seattle!

We really lucked out because the weather was absolutely perfect! Don’t worry I let Chris know our weather is ALWAYS that great. Year round ;-) After adventuring around Pike Place and Westlake we headed down to the waterfront to see what the new ferris wheel was all about.

I have to say I think it’s a pretty great addition to the waterfront! Great views of the city, water and if the clouds would have rolled out of the area probably the mountains too.

After riding the wheel, we walked along the waterfront and then walked up to Seattle Center.

Once we made it to the top of the hill from the waterfront we found some great grass below the Space Needle that was calling our names to rest. Not a bad view either huh?

We spent the rest of the afternoon adventuring through Seattle Center, which would become Chris’ favorite part of Seattle we visited.

For the evening, we had to take a 3 hour break for Chris to draft his fantasy football league from a Barnes and Noble.. true story. Then we headed to Serious Pies for dinner before ending the night in Green Lake to visit with my friend Lindsey for some delicious fro-yo. As our trip to Seattle came to an end I realized there is so much more exploring I need to do in our own great WA city! For living so close to it growing up, I certainly don’t know my way around or many of the neighborhoods. One day… one day…

On day 8, we were off to the mountains! AKA Big Foot land. I was really excited about this part of our trip because something that is seriously lacking in New York, and something I desperately miss, is MOUNTAINS!

By the time we made it up to Paradise, the clouds had taken over Mt. Rainier but we couldn’t complain about the beautiful weather up there, clouds or no clouds. It felt so good to get out into nature and appreciate it in all of its beauty, and the air smelled amazing! You really can’t compare anything to fresh mountain air. I wish I could can it and bring it back to the city!

After a fun adventure-filled day we headed toward Alder Lake to meet up with Hardersens to camp for the night! I hadn’t been camping in years and Chris had only been once, in his WHOLE life! So we were pretty excited for camping and to see the Hardersens! They were so generous to us during our trip by allowing us to borrow their car and join their camping trip and we truly couldn’t be more thankful!

After we made it to the lake (which is BEAUTIFUL, by the way) we were off to pitch the tent! After a little struggle, mostly on my part, we finally got it up properly! Woh hoh!

After all of the real hard work was done it was time for some relaxation, an amazing fish fry for dinner and smores around the fire! I must add that the Hardersens don’t just camp they go “glamping”! Let’s just say I’m not sure ordinary camping will ever be able to compare now that I have “glamped” ;-)