Find balance this spring
By Rachel Kelly
Beat the Spring Rain
1. Sprinkler Recreation Center: 14824 C. St. S., Tacoma
2. Lemay Collections at Marymount: 325 152nd St. E., Tacoma
3. Craft Theory: 11116 Gravelly Lake Dr. SW, Lakewood
See Spring Blooms
Pierce County, and specifically Tacoma, have an impressive array of inner-city locations to enjoy spring blooms. Point Defiance Gardens burst with color in the spring rhododendrons at the Rhododendron Garden found interwoven in Old Tree Forest off the Five Mile Rd. For year-round tropical heat, regardless of the outside temperature, the W.W. Seymour Conservatory at 316 S. G St. at Wright Park boasts a wide array of tropical plants sure to impress all ages with the sheer bounty of it. For views of wildflowers, consider walking the trails around the Tacoma Nature Center at 1919 S. Tyler St. For early spring cherry blossom trees bursting with blooms, find a seat at Wapato Hills Park at 6231 S. Wapato St.
Take A Hike
Get Out in Nature
Steilacoom Park: 8714 87th Ave. SW, Lakewood
Point Defiance Park: 5400 N. Pearl St., Tacoma
Puget Park: 3111 N. Proctor St., Tacoma
See Spring Salmon
Puget Creek Natural Area: N. Alder Way and N. Lawrence St., Tacoma
Swan Creek Park: E. 42nd St. and Roosevelt Ave., Tacoma
Clarks Creek Park - South: 1710 12th Ave. SW, Puyallup
Take A Day Trip: Tacoma Museums
Many of Tacoma’s museums can be visited for free every third Thursday of every month. Parking is free in the six-story Link garage by the Tacoma Dome Station (424 E. 25th St., Tacoma) for those riding the Link, which for a few dollars will shuttle you all over downtown. Exit off the Link at Union Station and walk to one of four museums: Tacoma Children’s Museum, Tacoma History Museum, the Glass Museum, and the Tacoma Art Museum (TAM).