Tacoma - The Scenic City of Destiny

Tacoma is a town in Washington State whose name comes from the nearby Mount Rainer, which used to be known as Tahoma. One of the nicknames of Tacoma is The City of Destiny. A railroad was built here to connect the deep port of Tacoma with rails in the 19th century. At that time, the motto of the town was "When rails meet sails". Today, Tacoma's port is the biggest one in Washington State.

For thousands of years, Tacoma was inhabited by Native Americans mainly from the culture of Puyallup who lived near the delta of river Puyallup. In the mid-19th century Nicolas Delin, who was from Sweden, constructed a sawmill around which a village grew up. It was, however, abandoned during the Indian War. Later, Job Carr built a house in the area that became the first post office in Tacoma.

One of the main attractions in Tacoma is Point Defiance Park. There are many old forests and beautiful gardens there. You shouldn't miss the zoo and aquarium located in the park as well as the amazing Owen Beach. The park also features the Camp 6 Logging Museum and the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum. Point Defiance Park also offers some of the best hiking trails in the area.

Tacoma has plenty of other museums to explore: for instance, The Washington State History Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, Children's Museum of Tacoma, America's Car Museum and the Museum of Glass.

Other interesting sites to head to are the Seymor Botanical Conservatory, Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Port Townsend and the Dale Chihuly glass exhibition.

Tacoma is full of amazing historical buildings. Don't miss the William Ross Rust House, built in the Colonial style mixed with Classic revival from the beginning of the 20th century. Also visit the Rialto Theater, Tacoma Union Station, Perkins Building and the Tacoma Dome. The Murray Morgan Bridge, also from the early 20th century, beautifully spans The Foss Waterway and offers splendid views.

Another major attraction in Tacoma is Fireboat No.1 built in 1929. The ship has served for half a century and is now one of the trademarks of the city. You can board the ship and walk around, but you cannot enter the interior part.

Indulge into a town full of history, beauty and destiny!