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All 25 Tacoma Attractions »

Point Defiance Park

5400 N Pearl St, Tacoma, WA
253 305 1000
Ranked #2 of 20 attractions in Tacoma
4.5 of 5 stars 73 Reviews
Type: Zoos, Aquariums, State Parks, Parks
Description: Scenic park offering more than 700 acres of woodland trails, gardens and waterfront views, along with a zoo and aquarium.
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73 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    55
    14
    2
    1
    1
Date Rating
Ashford, Washington, United States
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 May 2012 NEW

A great idea and vision to preserve and protect this from urban encroachment! More

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See 2 more reviews by Luke O for Tacoma
Swansea, United Kingdom
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 May 2012 NEW

What a well thought out setting using the natural setting associated to this area. Loved the animal show as it did not feel like the animals were being used for financhial gain. The animals appeared happy and well looked after although I did feel that the elephants looked a little stressed and could have been kept in a larger enclosure... More

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See 2 more reviews by jane d for Tacoma
Shelton, Washington
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 May 2012 NEW

Beautiful surroundings, great way to spend the day with the kids. Area was clean and the view is great, even on an overcast day. More

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Puyallup, Washington
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 21 May 2012 NEW

We like Point Defiance Park so well our son was even married there (in their Rose Garden -- a lovely spot). I wish we lived closer. I'm a cyclist and I love cycling through the 5-mile drive. Owens Beach is a really nice spot to relax, and from there you can hike (during low tide) all along the shore to... More

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See 2 more reviews by shortsinwoods for Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 May 2012 NEW

Every 2 days I'm back to watch the sunset along 5mi drive, walk by the boathouse or just do the scenic loop. I love picking madrone berries, evergreen huckleberries and making home-made bird suet from this place. It also provides quiet serene places to film acoustic music videos. More

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See 3 more reviews by Mary-Win-Music for Tacoma
Brown's Pt, WA
Senior Contributor
24 reviews 24 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
19 helpful votes 19 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 May 2012

It has a very similar feeling to Vancouver with a loop path surrounded by watch and housing a wonderful zoo and beautiful gardens: Japanese with pagoda, dahlia's, arbor and roses with a sweet lake filled with ducks. We are so blessed to have this park. Go take a run, walk, bike or stroll through tranquility. More

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See 5 more reviews by kleinink for Tacoma
Newberg, Oregon
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 18 May 2012

loved it but come early in the morning to avoid the crowd. More

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See 3 more reviews by rapiros for Tacoma
Yelm, WA
Senior Contributor
48 reviews 48 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 May 2012

Have been to several weddings here, as it is so very beautiful. The rose garden is awesome, and there are lots of other clusters of beautiful plantings to walk through. Great place for a picnic. More

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See 9 more reviews by thevinoman for Tacoma
Everett, WA
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 May 2012

There are just so many things to do. There is a wonderful zoo and aquarium as well as a number of other attractions. There is a logging museum, a rose garden, a rhododendron garden, trails, beaches, a pretty park and more. It is easy to spend a whole weekend exploring everything. More

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Senior Contributor
35 reviews 35 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2012

Lot's to explore and room for the kids to run around. More

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See 4 more reviews by JasonfromTacoma for Tacoma

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