Coming through the Nisqually entrance of Mount Rainier National Park near Ashford, one road will take you to a smorgasbord of light adventure, waterfalls, scenic viewpoints, family-friendly hikes, picnic areas, and historical monuments.

Take the Mount Rainier Gondola to the summit of Crystal Mountain for views of Mount Rainier that will rake in the social media likes.

The Recycled Spirits of Iron is a phantasmagoria of beauty and surrealism.

As the hometown of the most recognized glass artist in the world, Dale Chihuly, glass art is in Tacoma’s DNA.

Tacoma’s Museum of Glass is the embodiment of the modern studio glass art movement. In a functioning hot shop amphitheater, visitors can watch local artists (and occasionally some world-famous guest artists drop-in) create masterpieces right before their eyes before wandering the collections and galleries to experience work from those who are on the forefront of the art.

The largest automotive museum in North America, America’s Car Museum features more than 300 historic, rare, exotic, and one-of-a-kind vehicles that tell the story of the automobile in American and world history.

Gig Harbor is a peaceful waterfront village that feels hundreds of miles from the hustle and bustle of city life, but in reality, it’s just 10 minutes from downtown Tacoma, across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

Just minutes away from downtown Tacoma is Ruston Way Waterfront. Connecting downtown Tacoma to Point Defiance, this waterfront path offers a two-mile stretch of paved walking trail, dotted with parks with views of the Salish Sea and Mount Rainier.

The Foss Waterway Seaport Museum is a maritime museum right on the downtown Tacoma waterfront, featuring exhibits of historic wooden boats, a working boat shop, and exhibits about the indigenous tribes of the Tacoma area, and Tacoma’s history as the place “where rails met sails.”