The first of a restaurant collection that has spread as far as Spokane and Chattanooga, Wooden City delivers elevated American fare, including wood-fired pizzas. It's the kind of place where you can decide between a tavern burger (american cheese, iceberg lettuce) or a fancy burger (onion jam, arugula). The signature on-tap old fashioned includes a donation to a community food organization, and its large batch nature ensures a reliable balance of bourbon, rye, and bitters.

Only open since 2019, the McKinley eatery has settled into the residential neighborhood so well that it feels much older. The Southwest-themed restaurant is ringed by outdoor tables on three sides, with a cozy celebration of cacti and painted desert landscapes indoors—funky but family friendly. A hot honey chicken sandwich delivers sticky fingers but a crowd-pleasing level of heat.

The stretch of waterfront that runs from downtown to Point Ruston is dotted with full-service restaurants with excellent water views and varying levels of culinary quality. This pier store, on the other hand, is a fishmonger first, with roots a century old. A few outdoor tables serve as dining area for the fish and chips, chowder, and salads ordered inside, but the park just next door boasts the Puget Sound view.

Though Tacoma's Indochine restaurant has long specialized in long, languid meals, this spinoff from the daughter of the founding family and her husband goes in a livelier direction with a cocktail emphasis, some shared tables, and a firepit. Flavors pull from around Asia, like a Thai curry and Korean kimchi barbecue, plus an addictive khao nam tod, a crispy rice salad with sausage. 

The longtime fine-dining stalwart of the Ruston Way waterfront got a new owner in 2021 and a facelift this year, and the dining room now feels sleek and modern. A new progressive happy hour starts oysters at $2, the price going up every hour. The titular lobster comes in bisque, ravioli, or atop a steak, but the signature dish is a grilled rock lobster tail.

Low ceilings and exposed pipes give Opera Alley's coffee shop and beer bar a rustic air; limited hours, handwritten menus on the wall, and its pedestrian-only setting contribute to a speakeasy vibe. Beers and coffees are local, and the snacks served are Japanese okazu pans, a kind of pastry.

With its black tablecloths and walls and wine bottle paintings, Opera Alley's fine dining restaurant gives a retro '90s mood. Dishes are classic special occasion fare, like duck breasts in a port reduction and halibut over fresh vegetables, and desserts are rich enough to take home for later. The restaurant's signature is its most charming aspect: boxes of handwritten love notes at every table, penned on envelopes, receipts, and scratch paper by diners who've come before. The sincerity (not to mention the pen and paper format) is the best throwback.

Why is Tacoma so into tiki? Though nearby McMenamins Elks Temple also celebrates the art of island drinking, this bar that opened in 2018 takes it to Disneyland levels of kitsch. Bartenders strive for excellence and choose from a deep bench of rums, never relying on a mere fruity splash that would be outshone by the bamboo decor and carved masks. Even the glassware goes the extra mile; the newest addition are mugs shaped like skulls wearing fez hats.

From two giant polar bears to Siesta the sloth, Tacoma's zoo delivers on charismatic animal residents. A newly constructed aquarium (with another under renovation this year) shows proper respect to the aquatic world, and a budgie experience lets kids get up close with Australian birds. Like most zoos the space is built foremost for youngsters, but the charming park around it—including a delicate rose garden—impresses on all levels. 

Meant to recall the curve of chrome without actually recreating a vehicle part, the giant metal building next to the Tacoma Dome—nicknamed the carmadillo—houses a museum that grew out of the holdings of Harold and Nancy LeMay, locals who gathered one of the largest collections in the world. Shaped like a parking garage, the interior offers plenty of walking between vehicles like a DeLorean, old Packards, sleek Porches, and the Flintstone car. Driving simulators and a slot car track round out the experience.

Need a crash course in what the Oregon Trail and Ice Age floods have to do with shaping today's Washington? The state historical society's museum sits among other institutions downtown with a narrow focus, featuring interactive exhibits (hello, talking oxen) and thoughtful events. Just as fun: searching the society's online archive of photos and historical documents.

Small, old, weird: all great ways to describe a museum. As part of a nationwide network of Karpeles museums, Tacoma's outpost shares important documents from history—including a ton you didn't know existed. Admission is free and the building sits across from elegant Wright Park. Pop in when you want to feel a taste of National Treasure discovery.

As one of the trio of crowd-pleasing downtown museums, TAM manages to cram a lot in its small square footage, including a Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington, works from Degas, and a collection of Japanese woodblocks. There's even some glass art, should a Glass Museum visit not have satisfied. The museum continues to grow in thoughtful ways; for the last few years acquisitions have focused exclusively on artists from historically marginalized communities and women artists.

Is Tacoma's working waterfront all that different from Seattle? For one thing, it has a museum right in the middle to tell the story of Commencement Bay and how the business conducted there shaped a state. The century-old building itself is as much the attraction as the exhibits inside, its lattice of wood beams holding up high ceilings. A working wooden boat shop shows off the region's favorite artsy form of boat building.

Yet another Superfund site turned pretty. The promontory near Point Ruston got a full makeover from old smelter site into a park with lawns and walking paths, and was named for local author Frank Herbert's famous book. (There are no dunes here, though—it was the toxic waste that inspired him.) It serves as a handy starting point for a trip to the city's outdoor slides, a Chutes and Ladders–like series of ramps down from Wilson Way Bridge above.

We know the Northwest chain as a serviceable place to put up relatives in Seattle neighborhoods, but Tacoma's versions are a bit more memorable. Both waterfront locations have killer view rooms, with walkable Ruston Way parks outside. Though the two hotels aren't far apart, the Point Ruston version is newer, with a rooftop pool and a spa.

Like everything McMenamins, the downtown Tacoma hotel is a celebration of maximalism, more chandeliers and sconces in a single room than you thought could fill all seven floors. Bars are tucked into lower floors, with seating on the Spanish steps—inspired by the Roman original—outside. Grab a map at the front desk to navigate the maze, even if you're not staying overnight. The hotel's Spanish Ballroom hosts regular live music.