Summertime fun

Western Washington is known for many things.  The Mainers, Sea Hawks, the Space Needle...  and RAIN.  That four letter word that can stop many cold in their tracks.  One thing you'll learn about people that love and make Western Washington their home is that they don't let a little rain spoil their parade.  Here is a list of some free or almost free Summertime Fun for the whole family. 

Titlow Beach Explorers!

 

I am linking up today with Our Good Life.

Some fun summertime activities locally that we enjoy doing occasionally are:

The Farmers Market. We have several in the area. In Tacoma they are:

• Tuesdays afternoons on 6th Ave.  It's open from 3-6 pm and located at 6th Ave & N. Pine.  This market is open May-September. 
• Thursday mornings in the "theater district". This one is located at S. 9th Street and Broadway.  Open from 10am-3pm.  Parking can be a pill though since it is downtown.  What we do when we visit this market is make an adventure out of it, pack a lunch (of course you can buy lunch from a vendor) and park at the Tacoma Dome Station and hop on the Link rail.  We still have a short walk but much easier and cheaper than parking downtown.  The parking at the T Dome is cheap or free and for anywhere from 2-3 hours. 
• Saturdays there is the Proctor Market (not officially a Tacoma farmers market).  9am-2pm.  This is one we enjoy as well.  North 27th and Proctor in Tacoma.  March through the end of December.  Their web site is:  Proctor Farmers Market.
• Sundays we have another market that moved from S. 56th to the new Star Center in South Tacoma.  This is at 3873 S. 66th Street and open from 11-3pm.  All summer long!
• Wednesday afternoons you can head to historic Steilacoom for their market: 3:00 - 7:00 p.m., 13 June - 29 August 2012.  Check out their web site here, and catch one of the free concerts as well.

For more information check out the Tacoma Market page.  Each market has fun events for the whole family.  You can taste great local foods, hear local musicians, and buy fresh local handmade goods and food for your family.  We can't forget the flowers. *smile*

We have many beaches that give access to sea life when there is a low tide.  Some of our favorite beach access points are Titlow Beach, Sunnyside Beach in Steilacoom (you will have to pay for parking here and the train tracks you must cross can be a deterant to parents of some very young toddlers and preschool kiddos), and Owens Beach. 

We have fun nature parks, including Nisqually Wildlife Refuge that you can use year around, and plan nature hikes.  If you are very quiet and still you might see eagles.  We also enjoy our local nature center on Snake Lake in Tacoma (19th and Stevens).  They have a discovery pond area just for kids but they also offer a great walking trail, much of it very small child friendly.

Blueberry picking at
the blueberry park.

A recent discovery for us is Wildwood Park in Puyallup.  Nice walking paths for even the youngest little hiker and a creek just perfect for discovery play.  Bring a change of clothes.  This park is shaded even in the summer.  We have too many parks to mention for nature lovers.  Just check them out.

Spire Rock at Sprinker Recreation Center in Spanaway has some trails to explore as well and if you are into rock climbing or scrambling you can practice here. 

Then we have our many fun spray parks.  The first on our favorite list is Wright Park off 6th Ave in Tacoma, while there check out the Seymore Conservatory.  Parking can be a pain, so plan on a walk unless you are lucky.  They have a duck pond though as well, and it provides for some distraction when its time to leave the spray area.  *grin*  One park that is a must visit is Charlotte's Blueberry Park.  In late July and August you can visit this park and pick acres of blueberries, free.  Bring a picnic lunch and water bottles and a bucket for the fruit.  Leave some berries for us!

Have fun this summer!