Sun, Sea & Glass Blowing

I rolled into Tacoma on a blazing July morning expecting “just” the State History Museum—instead the city handed me a free arts festival, a live glass-blowing studio, and the best wood-fired pizza of the summer. Here’s the lazy-day itinerary that clocked in under 8 hrs and left me happily sun-kissed. 🎨 10 AM – FREE FESTIVAL Pure luck: Tacoma Art Museum plaza was hosting a juried art fair + live band (blues-rock, zero cover). 40+ vendor tents: hand-poured candles, copper jewelry, indie zines. Perfect for “I forgot to buy souvenirs” moments. Pro tip: check TacomaArtMuseum.org/events the week you visit—summer street fests pop up constantly. 🍕 11:30 AM – PROCTOR FARMERS’ MARKET 6-block stretch on N Proctor St. (Sat only, 9a-2p). Grab-and-go: wood-fired Neapolitan pizza baked in a tiny mobile oven—$12, blistered crust, basil still wilting. Instagram bait: $5 bucket of sunflowers taller than your head. Buskers: jazz trio using a cajón for beats—market sound-track secured. 🔮 1 PM – MUSEUM OF GLASS ｜ “HOT SHOP” WOW Bridge first: walk the Chihuly Bridge of Glass (free) – 40-ft ceiling of suspended scarlet & turquoise forms = outdoor selfie studio. Ticket inside: $20 adult / $17 student / kids 6-12 $10 (under 6 free). Indoor galleries: smaller than Seattle’s Chihuly Garden, but rotating shows (I caught a hyper-color Japanese glass show). STAR attraction: Hot Shop Amphitheater – 2,300 °F furnace, 4 artists rotating pipes, commentary over headset. Way more up-close than Seattle’s demo space. Sit front-row, feel the radiant heat = instant respect for molten sand. DIY option: 30-min “Make-a-Float” workshop ($65) – you blow & stamp your own glass orb, pick up next day shipped. 🚂 3 PM – WASHINGTON STATE HISTORY MUSEUM Exterior: looks massive (brick beaux-arts), but you’ll finish in 75 min. Don’t miss: enormous HO-scale model railroad – depicts 1950s Washington, 20-ft mountain range, moving street-cars, push-button sound effects = kids (and dads) hypnotized. Quick hits: Coast Salish cedar canoes, Boeing birth story, prohibition bootlegger photos. Ticket: $14 adult / kids 5 & under free; combo ticket with Glass Museum = $4 savings. 5-min walk from museums; river-view patio. Order: wood-fired short-rib (8 hrs smoked) + chimichurri fries. Not Buenos-Aires-authentic but deeply satisfying. Vegetarian: grilled provolone wheel with oregano & lemon zest. Price: mains $18-28, shareable sides $6-9. 🌅 BONUS SUNSET Walk 10 min to Thea Foss Waterway – marina masts silhouetted against Olympic Mountains, gold sky reflecting on glass museum roof = free light show. 💰 HALF-DAY BUDGET (per person) Art fair: FREE Pizza + lemonade: $15 Glass Museum: $20 History Museum: $14 Dinner (mains + shared side): $25 Total ≈ $74 – cheaper than a single Seattle ferry + aquarium combo. 🚌 NO-CAR? No problem Sounder train Seattle → Tacoma Dome Station (55 min), then free Light Rail to Theater District stop – everything above within 0.5 mi walk. Tacoma in summer = small-city charm, big-color art, and the smell of wood-smoke + sea salt. Add it to your Puget Sound checklist – you’ll leave sun-kissed, culture-fed, and humming blues riffs from a street-corner trumpet. #US #Washington DC #Tacoma