Features
Sprinker Recreation Center is a Tacoma area staple. Opened in 1976, it has been the go-to birthday party venue, as well as the ideal training destination for Olympic gold medalist hopefuls. The center features basketball and tennis courts (indoor and outdoor), an ice rink, softball and baseball fields, a climbing
South Sound Cinema
One of Tacoma's best new traditions for its summer months is the arrival of the Destiny City Film Festival. Coming at the end of August, the Destiny City Film Festival (DCFF) helps to usher in the period of the year when we get to enjoy cooler temperatures and, by and
Travel
Looking for a closeup with black bears, bison, big cats and bighorn sheep? It’s baby season at Northwest Trek, and a variety of animals from fawns to fowl are visible up close on the 723-acre wildlife park. One of the best ways to see the animals is aboard
Travel
It's a crisp, Saturday morning in Steilacoom. The sun is already shining, and you're sipping a hot coffee as you flip through the local newspaper sitting on your lap. From your window seat aboard the Amtrak Cascades train, you watch the water ripple along the beach. The train rumbles to
Online Newspapers
Note to reader: The term "Yakama" is used in the Native American context; the term "Yakima" is used in the English context. Separated by the Cascade Mountains and 165 miles, the Yakima Training Center is connected to Joint Base Lewis-McChord's century of history. The connection begins in October 1805 when Cpt. Meriwether
Music
At its best, music possesses this uncanny ability to unite people. Whether it's in the unconscious desire to move, or in a coordinated effort to affect change, or in the riling up of people with designs on blowing off steam, music works its magic to imbue our bones with action.
Arts
Art galleries by the dozens have come and gone while Childhood's End Gallery in Olympia just keeps rolling along. This venerable queen of South Sound art galleries has shown quality art since 1971 and shows no signs of growing weary. They have introduced many of the region's best artists to
Reviews
ANNOUNCER: Tacoma's charming Proctor District is booming with new retail and dining spaces opening their doors nearly every month. This week, Dutch and Jackie hit the area's newest café, Alegre Bakery and Gelato. Boasting house-made baked goods, handmade gelato, roasted bean concoctions and a hearty wine and brew selection, Alegre
Stage
The summer months may be good for many things -- 90-degree weather notwithstanding -- but what they tend to find lacking is the general abundance of local theater that we enjoy in the South Sound the rest of the year. While this is most certainly a bummer, that radio silence
Stage
Do you love movies? Do you love trivia? Do you love perma-stoned standup comedians? Then do we have a comedy extravaganza for you. Doug Benson might just be the hardest-working slacker in modern entertainment. Born in San Diego, Benson is 55 but looks a decade younger, two if his audience members'
South Sound Cinema
As the daytime heat transitions from enjoyable to unbearable, people may be tempted to return indoors and seek refuge in fans and air-conditioned establishments. Thankfully, the up-and-coming Tacoma Artists Collective (TAC) is bringing nighttime summer entertainment to the community with its immersive event Nocturnal: Vol. 1. Evident by its name, Nocturnal:
Features
"Hole in the wall businesses" are the best in my opinion. They are usually the businesses that natives swear by as the best in the community, and the first place I take out-of-town family or friends when they come to visit. In Lakewood there is a good example. The Original House
Outdoors
What's not to love about Metro Parks Tacoma? The expansive system offers amenities you usually see only in larger cities, including zoos, an aquarium, a nature center, a fort, beaches, hiking, a cabin and a conservatory. It also has a system of parks throughout the city with nice playgrounds and
Music
A music scene is only as good as the people that engage with it. Great bands can perform to nobody, or to disinterested people who take smoke breaks during the acts they don't know. Having interested, devoted people hanging around the music scene is never a bad thing, and some
Music
"Our 50th-anniversary season -- That's amazing!" crows Noel Karan, general director of Tacoma Opera. "It's very unusual for an opera company to last this long. I think we've done a pretty good job." Not only was Tacoma Opera incorporated half a century ago, it's presented a full season each year
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Since it first appeared on the Web in February 2014, and most especially since its first public event at B Sharp Coffee House the following month, Creative Colloquy (CC) has taken Tacoma and the South Sound's literary community by storm. Readers and writers from Olympia and Puyallup, and all around
Features
Coffee is never hard to find in the Pacific Northwest, and Tacoma is no exception. A quick cup of Joe can be found on nearly every street corner. Sometimes, however, we need a little more. Sure, we need a good cup of coffee -- but we also need friendly service,
Features
It is undeniable that microbreweries have increased in both popularity and ubiquity in recent years. In fact, the Pacific Northwest boasts hundreds of microbreweries throughout the region -- and Tacoma's microbrewery lineup is only on the rise. But in a competitive field, one outstanding brewery worth checking out has been
Features
When choosing the ideal bar, one must go through a mental checklist of the attributes of importance: ambiance, drink and food selection, friendliness of staff, and more. In order to hook patrons into returning, these characteristics must be met for people of all different interests and tastes. Luckily, South Tacoma
Online Newspapers
Q: How do you turn an army of rookies into a professional fighting force within a few short months? A: Teach them to sing together. When America entered World War I in April 1917 to ally with France, Russia and Great Britain against Germany and Austria-Hungary, the armies of Europe used singing