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  17 0 What kind of fun are you looking for? The Washington State History Museum is great, the Tacoma Art Museum frequently manages to get good traveling exhibits (though it's been too long for me to remember what their permanent collection is like).  Pacific Avenue has a lot of shopping, antique stores, etc.  There are some seemingly nice restaurants down there (including an El Gaucho), but most I've not been to so can't specifically recommend. There's a place at the north end of the main stretch of Pacific called Meconi's which is a cool little room that has good pub grub and a great beer selection- though it's more of a hanging out earlier/happy hour/mellow place than a going out for the night joint. The Swiss, up on Jefferson, was where I cut my drinking teeth, from 1998-2002. Haven't been there for about a year, but it's still friendly, it's in a huge old industrial building, a real bar-type bar, with free pool every Sunday and Tuesday on their full-size tables- avoid it on Friday/Saturday, unless you want to hear some shitty cover bands and enjoy more of a late-thirties/forty-something pick up joint vibe.  Head next door to The Rock for decent pizza, etc.; it's a bit more of a chain now- still local- but I think this was the first one.  (Previously called "Rock Pasta", we used to head over here on break from playing pool to take a quick shot before The Swiss got hard liquor.) The two bars everyone goes to are The Corner Bar, which most Tacoma people still refer to at least half the time as "Hank's", which it was for a really long time. It's a very unassuming place with an interior that kinda says "portable classroom" to me, but they're really friendly, good beers, a couple of pool tables, and like I said, everyone hangs out there. The other one is Magoo's, which has more of a old school bar look to it, but get there on the earlier side of late or there won't be anywhere to sit, and it's not the most comfortable room to stand in. There are a lot of UPS kids who hang out here, but there's a decent spectrum of people, and anyway, UPS joints aren't like UW joints. Puget Sound Pizza is a kinda cool, underground room- a lot of my Tacoma people were spending a lot of time there a couple of years ago. They used to have a lot of karaoke, though a quick glance at their Myspace page, as well as a Yelp search didn't reveal one way or the other, so I'd call. Down the street from there is an "Irish" bar called Doyle's that's pretty nice and recently was included on Esquire Magazine's "Best Bars in America", for whatever that's worth.  I know they have some kind of cable package- or used to- because for a while my brother was going there to watch all the international soccer games.  And another place that Esquire likes is The Parkway, which I never used to hang out at because it was non-smoking and my friends and I were little twenty-something chimneys, but they have a great beer selection, and I think it's a mellower kind of thirties-plus-ish place, for real beer-lovers. If you go up Sixth Avenue, there are a lot of other little bars and restaurants.  O'Malley's is a nice bar-type bar, with karaoke a couple of nights a week, and Jazzbones and Hell's Kitchen both have a lot of live music- local as well as touring acts, the former having previously been almost exclusively jazz and blues, the latter metal and crusty punk, but both have branched far, far out in the last few years.  Sixth Ave. is also home to a lot of little shops of various kinds.  Don't know if they've kept the quality up, but Gateway to India used to have about the best Indian food around- actually better than most I've had in Seattle- and it's a nice, friendly little joint- clean and comfortable enough for a casual date.  Full disclosure: it's been a few years.  Proceed with caution.  Follow Sixth all the way to the west end and check out Titlow Beach. If you're there during the day you should definitely check out Point Defiance, which is unlike anything I've seen in any other city. Think if Discovery Park was easier to drive around in, had a lot more trails, and instead of a military base, it had Woodland Park. You can take a nice stroll in the woods, go down to the water (Owens Beach is not the greatest beach ever, but many of the trails lead down to the water as well) , or check out the zoo and aquarium. Drive there along the Ruston Way route, along the waterfront, also home to some decent restaurants. The other neighborhood I could recommend for walking around is the Proctor District, which is a collection of nice little shops, although be warned that it's a little...bourgeois, I guess: a lot of knick-knacky type of places, antiques, home furnishing, etc. But it's still a decent neighborhood. That should get you started, anyway.  At least get you a beer or two. Some Young Guy answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report 6 comments by Ted D, Some Young Guy, and Some Young Guy… 0 0 Wow. Thanks, this helps a ton! And I would drive just about anywhere for great Indian food. Ted D commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Well, I just edited in a few other things, but they don't seem to be showing up, and the edit button is gone from not just this, but all my answers. Okay, then. Up on Sixth Ave., check out Turntable Treasures/House of Records for a decent selection of vinyl. http://www.turntabletreasures.com/ Head over to Freighthouse Square for some shopping- it's the type of place I'd take my folks if I lived in Tacoma and they were visiting me from out of town. Not sure of everything they have there now, though unfortunately Peggy's Cinnamon Rolls are no longer there- those were some gooey, tasty cinnamon rolls. http://www.freighthousesquare.com/ From Freighthouse, head over to Tacoma Book Center for a huge selection of used literature. http://www.tacomabookcenter.com/ Some Young Guy commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Oh, and in the Proctor District, head over to Chalet Bowl, which is a small, family-owned bowling alley in one of the city's main shopping districts. They did a major upgrade a couple of years ago, so they sacrificed a bit of charm for greater playability, but, still- a family-owned bowling alley in one of the city's main shopping districts. http://chaletbowl.com/?page=home Some Young Guy commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Tacoma Book Center is my favorite used bookstore. I always go home $100 poorer when I dare to go in there. Geni commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 This is quite a bar list. Few additions: 1. Doyles is indeed a soccer pub, best experienced during a Sounders game (or other high-profile soccer match). 2. Magoo's is definitely a UPS student hangout. Being one myself, I like to go to Magoo's every now and again. That isn't to say that it's a college student dive bar, which it most certainly isn't. 3. Good Greek food is hard to come by out here, so check out It's Greek To Me. It's not the best-looking place, but the food is quality. Intersection of 6th Ave, Division Ave, Sprague St. Can't miss it. 4. Shakabrah Java, 6th Ave and Oakes, serves up breakfast heaven in the closest thing Tacoma has to a diner. 5. If it's nice outside, kick about Old Town on the eastern end of North 30th street. It's quaint, and there's not much to actually do (The Spar is the local watering hole, and there's a model log cabin), but the view is simply unparalleled if you cross the train tracks and walk along the waterfront. Tacomacoma commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 It's Greek to Me is not good. Once you get your UPS degree you realize this. Ryan Tansey commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  6 0 I dearly love the Pt. Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, and Pt. Defiance Park is one of my favorite places to spend a day. Ruston Way is great people-watching/walking/skating (think Alki or Green Lake). Tacoma has one of the absolute best small movie houses around - the Grand Cinema. They show great films, the prices are very reasonable, the popcorn is CHEAP and REAL butter, and it's basically a co-op, not part of some megatheatre chain. The Pantages Theatre is one of the most gorgeous venues for live performance in the state. The Narrows Bridge is one of the prettiest bridges in the West, and if you're into scuba diving, you can actually dive the wreck of Galloping Gertie, which has become quite the little marine sanctuary. Old Town Tacoma has some great small restaurants and coffeehouses. They've done a nice job of it. And don't listen to calumnies about the Aroma of Tacoma - Everett actually smells quite a lot worse these days, because most of the pulp mills in Tacoma are gone, and Asarco's gone. Most of the people dissing Tacoma haven't been there in 30 years, if ever. Geni answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report 2 comments by Ted D and Geni… 0 0 Thank you, I'll definitely check out Pt. D and Narrows Bridge. Love to check out the theaters next time when I'll have more time. Also, your cat looks awesome! Ted D commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 She's 14 years old and cranky, but I still love my weird old cat. ;-) Geni commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  6 0 Go to Tiki Bob's Java Jive and get drunk with bikers in a giant tea pot! Tom Conquergood answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report 1 comment by Ochotona… 0 0 Then go to some other great bars -- the New Frontier, the Tempest, and 1022 South. All three are up there with the best bears in the state. Ochotona commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  6 0 As all of Seattle's "hip" neighborhoods get pricier and gentrified and boring, I think Tacoma will be the new hip hangout in 10 years... Michael Strangeways answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  13 7 NO! Nothing to see or do. Just keep moving. Nothing of interest for you here. Don't go to the Museum of Glass or the Tacoma Art Museum, don't go out to a restaurant or walk along the waterfront, stay away from the zoo and Point Defiance park. You could get shot by a gang member or mugged by a crack head. It's not safe here. Anonymous answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  5 0 I live in Tacoma, but I only have a few more to say than Some Young Guy. If I could afford to drink in public, I'd go to Magoo's on N. 21st. It's great. One of the best jukeboxes I've seen in a bar. The Red Hot, on 6th Avenue, is pretty cool, and if you're into hot dogs, they've got some good ones (they're trying to be Shorty's, but with less pinball). All the other places previously mentioned (Parkway, Corner Tavern, Doyle's especially) are nice. I hear the Top of Tacoma is cool, though it's a really long drive from my house, and I've never been. In terms of non-drinking, the UW Tacoma campus, and much of the surrounding neighborhood is cool. Lot of nicely preserved old buildings. There's a nice, slowly unfolding drama involving a fairly large, very old building (the Luzon) at S. 13th & Pacific (near the museums and UWT) that is about to collapse. Like, any time now. The streets around it are blocked off, and it's visibly leaning to one side. There's a cool antiques-and-odds-and-ends shop, called Sanford & Sons, near S. 9th & Broadway (by the theaters) that is sort of like a mini Pike Place, except no tourists and mostly antiques and weird stuff. It's really cool. It's right by the awesome abandoned-for-decades-but-soon-to-be-a-McMenamin's-Franchise Elks Temple, which is right downhill from Puget Sound Pizza (best breakfast in Tacoma, btw). There's some cool walking/running/maybe biking? trails around. The very expensive Chamber's Bay Golf Course (technically in University Place) has a really attractive loop trail, with a tough hill climb on one side. Point Defiance (America's second largest urban park!) has a ton of trails (plus, like, the Zoo and bunch of other stuff). Ruston Way, the road the runs along the waterfront, is great for walking/biking/whatev, and has a lot of nice ruined docks and some faint remains of buildings from Tacoma's 19th century economic boom. Alex Hansen answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report 3 comments by Some Young Guy, Ted D, and Alex Hansen… 0 0 Yes, yes, yes- can't believe I forgot to mention Antique Row! So McMeniman's is really taking over the Elk's Lodge? I'm not sure how I feel about them specifically taking it over, but it will be nice to have it serve as something other than a hiding spot for cracked-out Tacoma sweatpants hookers and their johns (used to work across the street, they'd lay under the north side of the building, where is sits on stilts). You know there are full-sized bowling lanes, as well as a pool and like a 50 foot bar in there right? Some Young Guy commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Thanks Alex. You and SYG went pretty nuts with this. Thanks for the awesome suggestions, I will be checking some of them out on Friday for sure! Ted D commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 I knew there was a lot of stuff in there, but didn't know all what was there. As far as I know, the plan for McMenamin's to take over is pretty much a sure thing. I hope. I think they're putting in a spa, theater, pub, and some hotel rooms or something? There's an empty lot next door that'll be a parking garage, apartments, and probably a grocery store. It's an awesome building, and it's cool that it's not going to be the same eyesore I've been staring at my whole life (at least, whenever I take that exit) Alex Hansen commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  5 0 this place is neat: http://www.museumofglass.org/ Benjamin Haley answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report 2 comments by Ted D and Fenrox… 0 0 Thank you! I was actually wondering about that place. Ted D commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 It looks pretty tits Fenrox commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  5 1 For kitschy mini-golf fun, head down to Parkland Putters off highway 512. Robin Z. answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report 1 comment by Tacomacoma… 0 0 Also at Tower Lanes, which in addition to a large bowling alley, has a full 18-hole indoor putt-putt course. The place recently came under new management and they completely revamped the place; it's actually a decent-looking joint now. 6th Ave, west of Pearl street along the shopping center drag. Tacomacoma commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  5 1 If your a woman, go to Olympus Womens. Day Spa. http://olympusspa.net/ Traditional Korean Womens, bath house. You don't need to be lesbian to find this place heaven. amelia answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  5 1 Head to E-9 (or Engine House #9) for lunch, then go bowling at Chalet Bowl in Proctor. Chalet Bowl is the BEST! Cara Munson answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  3 0 You know you're onto something when you get this many great responses. For the most comprehensive listings of attractions, deals, lodging, dining, maps + other resources for Tacoma + Pierce County, check out www.traveltacoma.com, website for the friendly Tacoma Regional Convention + Visitor Bureau. It's our job to make sure you have a good time here; we take it personally! Zachary Nelson answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  2 0 My husband and I drive over and walk along the water, visit the galleries and antique stores, and then go to Stanley & Seafort's for happy hour. It's a cheap date! Kate Smith answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  10 14 Bus to Seattle Kyle Rapinan answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report 1 comment by Jon… 0 0 That is not fun. Jon commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  3 11 NO. Josh Bomb answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  2 10 Vancouver isn't that far of a drive! Fenrox answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  2 11 No. Gitai Ben-Ammi answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  2 15 Just crystal or crack. Or you could mix them together? Andy answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report 1 comment by Lee… 0 0 This is why no one asks you questions. Lee commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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