10 Fun Things to do with Kids in Tacoma WA
As a follow up to this list of Things to do in Tacoma, we wanted to hone in on fun activities to do with kids in Tacoma, WA. So pack up the car, grab the snacks and the kiddos rain suits and enjoy your city!
1. Visit the Children’s Museum of Tacoma
The Children’s Museum is located in Tacoma’s Downtown Neighborhood at 1501 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402. This donation based museum is a child’s dream playground, where you can spend hours exploring the large space and all they have to offer. With a wide variety of hours for both members and non-members, this interactive hands-on museum has water features, things to climb on as well as education options. View their hours HERE.
2. Check out Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
At the tip of Tacoma’s North End neighborhood you’ll find Point Defiance Park located at 5400 N Pearl St, Tacoma, WA 98407. The Zoo and newly built aquarium and spacious and host a large array of animals and species. We actually prefer bringing umbrellas and rain coats and visiting on a rainy day to avoid crowds and have the place to yourself. Early in the morning is when the animals are most active, and there is a cafeteria on site to grab lunch at! View their hours HERE.
3. Pick Blueberries at Charlotte’s Blueberry Park
Typical blueberry season is June thru October and we love visiting Blueberry Park in Tacoma’s South End Neighborhood located at 7402 E D St, Tacoma, WA 98404. This park is free to the public and open from 7am-7pm. Walk through rows and rows of blueberry bushes and teach your littles how to lightly pluck the delicious berries.
4. Jump around at Defy Tacoma Extreme Air Sports
Don’t let the name discourage you, Defy Tacoma is an all-ages venue with something for everyone. We love the trampoline park for kids! Located at 1680 S Mildred St, Tacoma, WA 98465 in Tacoma’s Central Neighborhood, this park has over 35 trampolines, indoors! If you have younger kiddos (6 and under), enjoy KidJump, every Mon-Sat (9am-10am). This time is exclusively for parents and children! They offer a special discount for children 6 & under and one accompanying adult jumps free for that hour! Find more information HERE.
5. Enjoy Bowling and Putt-putt at Tower Lanes
A great indoor activity is bowling and putt-putt at Tower Lanes! This long-standing alley is a locals staple, and located in Tacoma’s 6th Ave district at 6323 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA 98406. With bumper options for your littles, and a restaurant attached, this place has it all! They also host parties, find their hours and prices HERE.
6. Splash around at a Spray Park
Tacoma has an abundance of Spray Parks, scattered throughout the city. A perfect activity for the warmer months, the parks are running 10am til 8pm, every day of the week! We recommend heading to Tacoma’s South End Neighborhood to the SERA Campus Sprayground, next to Tacoma’s Star Center to check out the largest and newest park! Bring your watershoes and a picnic to enjoy in the park! Other sprayparks we like are: Jefferson Park, Wright Park, and Titlow Park.
7. Rally at the Stairs and Slides connected to Dune Park
With the new Dune Park, the city prioritized fun by adding in slides next to the stairs from the pedestrian overpass connecting Dune Park to Point Defiance. Guaranteed to tucker out the kiddos, these slides are steep and fun! Climb up the stairs again and again. Located at 5603 N Waterfront Dr. Tacoma WA 98407 in Tacoma’s North End, there is ample parking at the bottom of the slides, or you can park and walk over from either of the parks!
8. Go Rollerskating at Skateworld
Located at 2101 Mildred St W, Fircrest, WA 98466, Skateworld has tons of events, and you can choose roller skates or rollerblades. They are also open to hosting parties, and have a snack bar inside the building. If you’ve never put on a pair of skates before, take a lesson! Find their hours and pricing HERE.
9. Walk along the docks at Thea’s Park
Thea’s Park is located on Thea Foss waterway at 535 Dock St, Tacoma, WA 98402. The park has a grassy area and also large cement steps down to the water, but our favorite park is the docks that you can walk on below, and in front of the neighboring building. Look for jellyfish below, and small schools of fish! The docks will take you all the way to the Working Waterfront Maritime Museum, which is fun to walkthrough as well! Check out their hours and pricing HERE.
10. Visit the Tacoma Nature Center
Snake Lake is located in Central Tacoma at 1919 S Tyler St, Tacoma, WA 98405. The Nature center is open from 10am-2pm and inside you can check out turtles and fish exhibits, lounge in the reading nook or rummage through the dress ups! Walk around the lake and find the bridges where you can look for turtles sunning themselves on logs! Complete with a playground to run around in, this place has it all. Check out their website for upcoming events HERE.