Non-Rail activities at the Prairie Line Experience Convention will be comprised mainly of two types of activities.
The Convention Hotel will have a Non-Rail Activities room where one can relax, enjoy a cup of coffee and some snacks, catch up with friends, make some new ones and plan your days activities.
The other option for Non-Rail activities at the convention will be self-guided tours to attractions and locations that we think you’ll find interesting, educational, fun and representative of the local Tacoma/Puget Sound area and the Pacific Northwest. We’ve listed for your convenience some of the more well known attractions and destinations below as well as this Convention website homepage.
If you’re looking for something even more unique or not as well known, please peruse the following Tacoma Visitors website for many more destinations, shopping and restaurants: Travel Tacoma – Mt. Rainier | Trip Planning & Itineraries.
Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden
The Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden is a 22-acre woodland garden that features the world’s largest collection of Rhododendron species. Visitors will also experience a diverse botanical collection in the garden of many other native Pacific Northwest plants.
| Address: | Our street address is 2525 S. 336th Street, Federal Way, WA 98003 but this address will map to an empty field, so please be sure to follow the clearly marked signs to the Rhododendron and Bonsai Gardens, as this street address can be confusing. We recommend inputting our business name, “Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden,” into your GPS application – this method will send you directly to our entrance. |
| Hours: | 10AM – 4 PM, Tuesday through Sunday Closed Monday |
| Admission: | $8.00 – General $5.00 – Seniors (65+) and Students with ID Free – Children under 12 years old |
| Contact: | 253.838.4646 Visit – Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden |
Pacific Bonsai Museum’s collection of 150 trees is the most geographically diverse in the United States. The collection is comprised of trees from Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, as well as the United States.
| Address: | 2515 S 336th Street, Federal Way, WA 98001 |
| Hours: | 0AM – 4 PM, Tuesday through Sunday Closed Monday |
| Admission: | $12.00 – General Donation |
| Contact: | 253.353.7345 Plan Your Visit | Pacific Bonsai Museum |
Museum of Glass
The Museum of Glass is a world class contemporary art museum dedicated to the art of glass. Watch artisans create beautiful and intricate glass art pieces in the West Coast’s largest and most active museum glass art studio.
| Address: | 1801 Dock Street, Tacoma, WA 98402 |
| Hours: | 10AM – 5 PM, Wednesday through Sunday, Closed Monday and Tuesday |
| Admission: | Admission: $18.00 – Adults $16.00 – Seniors (65+)/College Students (18+)/Military (Active and Veteran) $10.00 – Children (6–18) Free – Children (under 6) Free – Museum Members |
| Contact: | 253.284.4750 Museum of Glass |
Washington State History Museum
The Washington State History Museum explores Washington State’s history, its people, its places, and impacts on the world through interactive exhibitions and many fascinating displays.
| Address: | 1911 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98402 |
| Hours: | 10AM – 5 PM, Tuesday through Sunday, Closed Monday |
| Admission: | $14.00 – Adults $11.00 – Seniors (65+)/Students (18+)/Military (Active and Veteran), Student and Military visitors are welcome with ID Free – Children (under 5) Free – Museum Members |
| Contact: | 253.272.3500 History Museum Hours & Admission – Washington State Historical Society |
LeMay – America’s Car Museum
| Address: | 2702 East D Street, Tacoma, WA 98421 |
| Hours: | 10AM – 5 PM, Thursday through Monday |
| Admission: | $18.00 – Adults $16.00 – Seniors (65+)/ Military (Active and Veteran), Student and Military visitors are welcome with ID Free – Children (under 5) Free – Museum Members |
| Contact: | 253.779.8490 America’s Car Museum | Tacoma, WA (americascarmuseum.org) |
Tacoma Art Museum
The Tacoma Art Museum’s collection of more than 5,300 works highlights the artists and their work of the Pacific Northwest. Highlights of the collection include:
- the largest retrospective museum collection of glass art by Tacoma native Dale Chihuly
- the largest collection of studio art jewelry by Northwest artists
- over 120 works from the Washington Art Consortium’s Safeco/Liberty Mutual Collection of Northwest artkey holdings in 19th century European and 20th century American art
- one of the finest collections of Japanese woodblock prints on the West Coast
| Address: | 1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98402 |
| Hours: | 10AM – 5 PM, Wednesday through Sunday |
| Admission: | $18.00 – Adults $15.00 – Seniors (65+)/ Military (Active and Veteran), Student and Military visitors are welcome with ID Free – Children (under 18) Free – Museum Members Free – 5pm – 8pm, Thursday |
| Contact: | 253.272.4258 Tacoma Art Museum |
Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium
Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium is a combination zoo and aquarium located in Tacoma, WA. This 29-acre zoological park has attracted about 700,000 visitors a year since it was established in 1905. It is nationally accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), which ensures rigorously high standards of animal welfare, veterinary care, conservation, education and more.
| Address: | 5400 North Pearl Street, Tacoma, WA 98407 |
| Hours: | 9AM – 5 PM, Daily |
| Admission: | Adult: $20 Online, $23 Front gate, $20 Military Youth: $15 Online, $17 Front Gate, $15 Military Infant: Free Zoo Member: Free |
| Contact: | 253.404.3800 Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington |
Fort Nisqually Living History Museum
Fort Nisqually was the first settlement on Puget Sound established in 1833 by the Hudson’s Bay Company as a fur trading outpost. The declining fur trade meant that Fort Nisqually’s focus shifted to commercial agricultural enterprises with the establishment of the Puget Sound Agricultural Company in 1839. The Fort Nisqually Living History Museum gives visitors a chance to experience what life was like on Puget Sound in 1855.
| Address: | 5519 Five Mile Dr, Tacoma, WA 98407 (at Point Defiance Park) |
| Hours: | 11AM – 5 PM, Wednesday through Sunday |
| Admission: | $11.94 – Adults $10.82 – Seniors (65+)/ Military (Active and Veteran), Military visitors are welcome with ID $8.58 – Children (4 – 17) Free – Children (3 and under) Free – Museum Members Free – 5pm-8pm, Thursday Note: Purchase all-day admission to the Fort while visiting the Zoo. These Fort admission tickets are available at the Zoo Front Gate, no advance sales with this offer. |
| Contact: | 253.404.3970 https://www.metroparkstacoma.org/place/fort-nisqually-living-history-museum/ |
Foss Waterway Seaport Museum
The Foss Waterway Seaport Museum is a heritage museum that has many hands-on displays and interactive exhibits. It also features a functional wooden boat shop. Imagine a faithfully restored 100 year old building that houses the greatest collection of marine history in the south Puget Sound. The seaport museum today is a multi-functional educational facility that includes a boat shop, maritime museum, dock, moorage, and iconic events venue.
| Address: | 705 Dock Street, Tacoma, WA 98402 |
| Hours: | 10AM – 4 PM, Thursday through Sunday |
| Admission: | $25.00 – Family Pass (up to 2 adults & 4 children) $10.00 – Adults $8.00 – Child 5+, Student, Military & Seniors 62+ Free – Seaport Members & Children under 5 |
| Contact: | 253.272.2750 https://www.fosswaterwayseaport.org/ |