Point Defiance

A paved loop around a former industrial site at Point Defiance, with Frank Herbert quotes set into the path and ticketed summer concerts on the lawn.

A living history museum at Point Defiance, set in 1855, with two buildings from the original Hudson's Bay Company post in DuPont.

The beach inside Point Defiance Park, rebuilt with a promenade, a whale play area and easier water access. Open half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.

760 acres of old forest, gardens, beach and the zoo at Tacoma's north end. Decide which part you want before you park.

A zoo and an aquarium on one ticket, inside Point Defiance Park. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays in most seasons, cashless at the gate, and a separate ticketed light show from late November.

Zoolights and Fantasy Lights open November 27 and run through January 3; Ice Lights runs through January 2, and Winter Glow has six December nights. Dates, hours, prices and who each suits.

Four separate outings · about one to two hours each, plus travel

Indoor and wet-weather outings in Tacoma for any time of year: a warm glasshouse, glassblowing, the Children's Museum, four more museums, a movie and a bookshop, with the free and cheap options marked.

Separate outings, not one route · about one to three hours each

Point Defiance is several outings inside one park. Choose the beach, the car-free forest roads or the zoo, with the time and ticket costs kept separate.

Three separate outings · about one to four hours each (estimated)

Three short Tacoma art outings: the Bridge of Glass, Dune Peninsula’s installations and Wright Park’s statues. Pick one area and look properly.

Three separate outings · about 30–60 minutes each (estimated)

Ruston Way, Chinese Reconciliation Park and Dune Peninsula offer different Tacoma waterfront walks. Pick a distance and a starting point before you go.

Three separate walks · about 30–90 minutes each (estimated)

Tacoma has run this race since 1995: a 9am start, two courses, the Northeast Tacoma hills, and a food drive for five schools.

About two hours for the race, plus an hour at Owen Beach if you go

Three Tacoma outings for a rare sunny November Sunday: the car-free loop at Point Defiance, Titlow's beach and playground, and Swan Creek's salmon stream.

Three separate outings · about one to three hours each

A certified 5K through Proctor at 9am, a kids race at 10:15, and ribbons down to the 90-and-over age group. How Thanksgiving morning goes at the Tacoma City Turkey Trot.

About ninety minutes for the 5K, plus the 10:15 kids race if you are staying

Hands-on play, a nature playground, glassblowing or the zoo: four Tacoma family outings with the hours, age choices and ticket math that matter.

Four separate outings · about one to four hours each (estimated)