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Foss Waterway Seaport
705 Dock St, Tacoma, WA 98402, United States
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Da
Review №1

Had a lot of fun here today. My kids enjoyed themselves. Was very hands on and a lot to see and do. The employees/volunteers were also very nice and full of tons of information. Highly recommend checking out this museum, lots of wonderful information about Tacoma, the Foss Water Way and waterways of Washington. Great rainy day activity. Photos: darlenestewartphotography

Mi
Review №2

This museum was incredibly cool. They have so many different types of boats that have been preserved, a huge whale skeleton, anchors and other maritime novelties to explore. The best part was getting to sail on the Lady Washington for two hours while learning the history of the vessel.

Kr
Review №3

Very interesting museum for kids to touch sea critters, check out miniature boats and climb on different types of smaller boats to climb on. Theres also various types of boating lessons and activities for all ages. And this is a great event space for weddings and big parties!

JB
Review №4

We had so much fun checking out the seaport museum at the Thea Foss Waterway. We also got to tour the Lady Washington!#jblmareathingstodo

Kr
Review №5

A wonderful field trip experience. Just the right combination of structured learning, hands-on creativity and and run around free for all that first graders need. Lol. Lots of fun!

Ge
Review №6

It was wonderful place to visit, they have a Lego table where you can build cool boats, they have a bridge building station, some touch tanks, some tanks to look at some really neat fish starfish.Their history of dive equipment is interesting overall great place to go?

Mu
Review №7

I got a fantastic boat tour in the water ways around the port of Tacoma, a great holiday. Every one can enjoy

ir
Review №8

Nice place to shoot early morning, sunset and twilight reflection photographs.

Be
Review №9

Reasonably priced, fun place to visit and explore and learn about the Tacoma area and its shipping history along with the water. Interactive and kid friendly fine old building on the water is great to see.

Ti
Review №10

Beautiful place to bring the family. Learn the history of the waterway and enjoy a gorgeous view.

Ju
Review №11

Best $10 fun I have had in a while! Great model train of the local yard. Beautiful old wooden canoes and boats. Some really interesting diving exhibits. Give yourself 3 hours and you won’t probably have read all the info but you’ll be happy. I you are good people.

Re
Review №12

This museum has many hands on displays that appeal to young and old alike. I like the variety of exhibits and the knowledge of the staff. Great place to spend a day.

Ma
Review №13

This museum is so underrated and probably one of the most overlooked attractions in Tacoma. Kids love it and theres so much for them to do and learn. It has never been busy when we are there and it isnt often recommended by people. Kids who love trains will be excited to watch real ones right outside the window.

Jo
Review №14

Although, I admit I have a slight bias...but none the less... I was at an event held here, and was one of the bartenders working. Great space to host a fun themed event. There was a live band and the band was pretty darn good. The sound was good, the food was good! Great times were had by all.

Ma
Review №15

This is a hidden gem on the waterfront. Id driven by it a dozen times, but after going in, I dont know why it took so long to get me there. They have an educational living tidepool exhibit, some authentic Jacques Cousteau diving gear and accompanying exhibit, a collection of Willits canoes (hand made nearby), and some fantastic ocean-themed art installations. The local maritime history here is something I think a lot of locals take for granted, but seeing it laid out in the displays, its easy to recommend this place for families.

Me
Review №16

Wonderful experience with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Definitely recommended!

Da
Review №17

Really neat place and cool exhibits. Great hands on stuff for kids. Interesting look at the local history.

Lu
Review №18

I think this is a great museum experience if you enjoy absorbing your museum through a lot of reading. The visual story is still incredible, but the details are in the paragraphs on the walls. Take your time, read, play with Lego, and if you need a break step outside directly to the water. Will absolutely return.

Jo
Review №19

Great people, awesome experience for young and old.

Mi
Review №20

So interesting if your into nautical history and the Jacques Cousteau exhibit fascinating go see it for yourself.

Ab
Review №21

Fantastic event venue. They even let you bring in your own outside caterers. At night the view is spectacular

Ke
Review №22

Got kids? Grandkids? Just a kid at heart? Then you will love Foss Waterway Seaport. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

Ro
Review №23

A great way to spend ten bucks and an afternoon. Lots of good wood boat history plus local port history. Super friendly docent s. Do yourself a favor and go.

Al
Review №24

Nice museum commerating the port of Tacoma

Kr
Review №25

Very informative & has interactive displays for kids! Loved looking at the old boats!

Al
Review №26

Very exciting place.......

Ng
Review №27

This place is large and quite impressive with lots of exhibits. It’s a hidden jewel

Ja
Review №28

The place to go to get a picture of Puget Sound maritime history. Very cool museum!

Ro
Review №29

Great display of wooden boats, and being a big fan of boats this is a wonderful place. Unfortunately youre not supposed to touch anything. One thing Ive learned about beautiful woodworking is that it draws you to touch and feel it. It would be nice to do so here.

Au
Review №30

Great place to bring the kids lots of hands on activities and for adults too. Lots of visual historical information on the Port and boat making including the Port clean up.

Ca
Review №31

If you have any interest in maritime history of the Pacific northwest, this is the museum for you. The exhibits cover the history of the area well without over-doing it. The staff are informative and helpful. The museum was a good way to spend the morning

Ta
Review №32

Nice clean museum. Has a few activities for kids

Fr
Review №33

This place is great! So much to learn & see, theres not enough time. Youll have to come back again for that. So worth the trip.

Ke
Review №34

Enjoyed seeing all the different types of boats and learning about our areas maritime history.

Da
Review №35

Bring your kids this is a nautical history museum and great education on the Tacoma port history

Sa
Review №36

Loved loved love! Great for anyone with younger and older kids.

Jo
Review №37

Peaceful boardwalk with a little grassy park nearby. I like it quite a bit. Easy parking and a walk by the water. There is a compelling maritime museum here as well!

Ch
Review №38

I was their for a company party. Awesome venue.

Ni
Review №39

Everyone here was so helpful! Its an interesting little museum where you can learn a lot. There are plenty of areas with info and activities for all ages, so the whole family can enjoy it. Our fave part was the whale skeleton hanging up. During our visit they were actu ally assembling it, which was super cool to watch that.

Ke
Review №40

The museum itself was great my kids enjoyed it. Except for the issue we encountered on the way in. The lady at the front desk who watched me struggle to get in through the revolving door and did nothing to avail she couldve opened one of the side door since they only open from the inside and are locked on the outside but instead she preceded to stay on her phone.

Ta
Review №41

This place is awesome! Old wood boats, a boat shop, and whale bones!

Be
Review №42

Beautiful museum! We attended Matt Maxwells celebration of life there today. Love and miss you Matt!!

Ch
Review №43

Very cool Maritime museum on the waterfront. My 2 year old had fun being the captain on several of the interactive vessels.

Ar
Review №44

Although we visited to attend a memorial for a neighbor, the museum sure looks like a neat place to visit.

Ri
Review №45

A pleasant surprise. Short walk from McMenamins

Ma
Review №46

Great event venue.

Do
Review №47

Its a great place to send some time and explore a great collection of maritime history and artifacts.

Ka
Review №48

I loved selling my mermaid books here to make donations to ocean clean up.

Ja
Review №49

Was there for a military ball and the food was great! Looks like the museum would be nice to visit also

Mi
Review №50

Very unique atmosphere and building.

Sh
Review №51

This is a wonderful location to host any event..the staff was omg..great!!! water view along with the train that runs along every so great..I always give you my honest opinion and this place is all that and more..come take a look and see for yourself.

Ke
Review №52

I loved this place. To be honest, if I wasnt taking a class at UW-T, I wouldnt have known it was here. The space is huge, but well lit. The docent was really friendly and knowledgeable, and I enjoyed my time here.

Jo
Review №53

Great museum and event venue. Waterfront location with views of Commencement Bay.

M
Review №54

We were married at a nearby church and had our wedding reception at Foss Waterway Seaport. Long before we were planning our wedding, we had always admired the Seaport building. It is conveniently located, right on the water, and the building itself is gorgeous with floor to ceiling windows at the front. It wasn’t until we started planning that we looked into the price and realized how competitively priced it was for wedding venues in the area. We are so grateful we were able to book our dream venue. They staff are super helpful. Our initial walk-through with Earla (who was so kind and informative) left us with a great first impression. Adrienne and Maria were very responsive and accommodating to our many questions we asked over the months leading up to our wedding. Amber joined the team shortly before our wedding date and was there for big day and also helped us the day before when we dropped all the reception decorations and centerpieces off. It was so awesome that they allowed us to deliver those items the day prior. The Seaport is a beautiful venue that easily and comfortably accommodated our 260 guest wedding. Because the venue has a ramp leading down to the dock we were able to leave the reception via our boat (which we moored the night prior). Foss Waterway Seaport presents opportunities for distinctive ideas to be carried out. The boardwalk is a beautiful spot for sunset pictures (fortunately on our wedding day the mountain was out!). What is also uniquely cool is that the wooden boats are pushed to the sides for events, so they are still visible to guests. The only thing that we were a little bit anxious about was the fact that set-up can’t begin until 4pm (when the museum closes) and our cocktail hour began at 6pm, leaving only 2 hours for setup. But with the confidence I had in our wedding reception coordinator and her team, as well as the Seaport staff, they had everything setup and ready by the time guests arrived. Thank you to everyone at Foss Waterway Seaport for making our day so special and memorable. We highly recommend this venue to anyone looking for a large, accommodating, beautiful, and unique place for your event.

Al
Review №55

Great museum with the history of Tacoma port.

Je
Review №56

Great museum,education space,boat shop,rental space.

iv
Review №57

I had prom here. The music was ok, but the exhibits were absolutely spectacular! Super boaty

Ma
Review №58

We are so glad we chose to have our wedding at the Foss Waterway Seaport! From the very beginning they were helpful in our decision-making, and offered advice based on previous weddings held there. Mid-way through our planning, the events contact person changed over to Adrienne. Adrienne was so wonderful to work with! She’s quick to respond to an e-mail or phone call, and was very good about making sure that anything (verbal or in writing) that was agreed upon with the original event coordinator was upheld. Our contact for the day of the wedding, Katie, was on-the-ball, professional, and enthusiastic.

Pa
Review №59

As others have mentioned this is a museum in development. Good value. We took out of town guests. I found the exhibits to be interesting yet there wasnt enough to keep a toddler engaged. She enjoyed the legos, the train and the fishing boat. It was difficult for us to coax her through the rest of the museum. Well have to try the scavenger hunt approach next time.The volunteers were great. Knowledgeable, outgoing and engaging.They really made the visit!

as
Review №60

The views here are amazing.

Jo
Review №61

They had an awesome event.. The hula performance was the best..

Ga
Review №62

Ocean fest was really cultured and madebfor a nice evening.

Sh
Review №63

There for Marys wedding. It was beautiful the staff was nice

Au
Review №64

Beautiful museum and excellent venue

Ri
Review №65

Very nice history museum.

j
Review №66

Old dock Tacoma Museum. What a place to explore with kids or by your self. So much history of pacific northwest a must see and do.

Er
Review №67

Very well-put together museum, lots of hands-on exhibits that are good for all ages, cool Tacoma waterfront history!

Wi
Review №68

Great little museum. My 2 young kids thoroughly enjoyed it. The interactive train exhibition and Lego boat building were especially delightful for them. They already want to go back.

Ka
Review №69

Wonderful place to visit & learn about the history of the Tacoma waterways.

Ca
Review №70

Great exhibits and knowable staff

Re
Review №71

Was a beautiful place to visit. Lots of cultural content and plenty of boats and motors.

Da
Review №72

Great little museum with lots to look at. Great historical visit with Tacoma and the Puget Sound.

St
Review №73

Its OK. Some interesting elements, but feels a bit unloved.

Mi
Review №74

I have been driving past this place for many years, yet had no idea what it was. One day I had to make a u turn using the parking lot and became aware it was a maritime Museum.I am a Tacoma native. Asking around to my friends, none has any knowledge of the Foss Waterway Seaport. That said. . . I believe it would be a good idea to at least have signage on Dock street reading Museum and Great Kids Place etc. Today I took my 7yo grandson there. I did not observe any other patrons in my 1.5 hr visit. Its an interesting and fun place for all. Quite a few exhibits too. Several kids areas, antique outboard exhibit, other maritime stuff including a well stocked display of marine trash found landed on beaches. A good rainy day hangout. Friendly staff too. I most certainly will drop in again.

Ja
Review №75

The salish sea project project based learning was hosted at the foss waterway museum! the volunteers were really nice and took us to see creek were we learned about what the temperature was there. if you are wondering which school I go to is Sherman elementary on north 38 st Tacoma wa 98407

Do
Review №76

Thea Foss waterway is one of the few access to the manmade entrance to industrial shipping deep water ports that make up the Port of Tacoma.

Be
Review №77

Terrific little museum, with hands-on activities for kids, and nice displays of the many working boats of this area

Jo
Review №78

Wonderful place for a celebration.

Ad
Review №79

Definitely a great location to take the family and friends kayaking boating all sorts of great activities and the staff are absolutely wonderful. The the store its packed with all sorts of great stuff for boating anything you might need or have forgotten they usually have it.

An
Review №80

A great place for someone who builds boats or is super into old boat restoration. Otherwise, the entree fee is steep for what you get.

Ca
Review №81

This is a good place to spend a rainy Pacific Northwest Afternoon. The wide variety of classic cars is absolutely delightful and seems to change on each visit. Its close to Freight House Square which would provide the family with a quick lunch.

Ke
Review №82

We went to a fun girl scout event. The staff was amazing, and the area was very clean and safe for the girls.

He
Review №83

If you live in tacoma you can check out a pass at the library to get in free to this museum. You just need a library card

Me
Review №84

Good family museum with lots to look at and explore. We especially liked the multiple kid-friendly areas. Lego, Kinect, craft stations and boats to pilot! The bones and diving exhibits were some of our favorites.

Le
Review №85

Amazing experience on boat ride

Da
Review №86

Parking can be scarce for large events. Beautiful venue

Jo
Review №87

Very extensive collection of artifacts that help you understand the rich early history and role of Tacoma.

Sk
Review №88

Great history where it was made.

Sw
Review №89

Huge facilities on the water in Tacoma where events can take place. The scenery was gorgeously beautiful. Was there catering an enormous wedding. The only negative thing I can say, of course would be, if the owner had a full functional kitchen built in for the outsourced caterers & bar personnel. We had to set up everything in this area enclosed by black curtains next to the office cubicles, & had to walk to the other side of the building, off by the bathrooms to fetch water to fill up water pitchers etc...(pain in the butt!!!)

Al
Review №90

Lots of awesome stuff!

Da
Review №91

Gorgeous spot, especially on a beautiful day...

Ta
Review №92

The Foss Waterway Seaport has become THE multi-use facility along the Thea Foss Waterway. The Seaport houses historical artifacts as a museum, detailing much of Tacomas working waterfront heritage. Displays are well thought out and very interesting. The facility also hosts fantastic education programs. Check out the winter time Pier Peers, where you can get up close and personal with live sea creatures. The building is also used as an event center hosting weddings, proms and charity events. The historic nature of the building will be sure to add the right amount of character to your event.

Ga
Review №93

Its nice if ypu want to learn about boats. All types. And some sea life.

He
Review №94

Awesome place to let the kids learn about trains and boats! A little bummed almost all the boats had no touch signs. Maybe its designed for older than 3 year olds?

Da
Review №95

Good place to see and learn interesting things. Rarely very busy, but the staff is kind and seems to know a lot about the area and artifacts. Good for school trips and marine studies.

Je
Review №96

Here for meeting. Few cars windows broken out. Not in a hurry to come back.

To
Review №97

Great free open house.

Ta
Review №98

Beautiful venue for events and an amazing staff!!

Br
Review №99

This is more than just a museum. Foss Waterway Seaport provides great educational programs and fun activities for all. I had a ton of fun attending events at the Seaport all summer long. Theyre a fantastic community asset; cant wait to see whats in store next year!

Lo
Review №100

Nice website makes it look like a good destination. Each time I visit I see exhibit additions and kids participating in educational opportunities. There is frequent dockside activity like the America, after which the America Cup was named, the local Adventures which gives our local kids seamanship skills, or the steam driven yachts of Puget Sound giving rides to visitors. The building itself is a charming historic exhibit housing a wide variety of exhibits from Foss tugs to Willits canoes built right here in Tacoma.

Information
100 Photos
100 Comments
4.5 Rating
  • Address:705 Dock St, Tacoma, WA 98402, United States
  • Site:http://www.fosswaterwayseaport.org/
  • Phone:+1 253-272-2750
Categories
  • Museum
  • Maritime museum
  • Tourist attraction
Working hours
  • Monday:10am–4pm
  • Tuesday:10am–4pm
  • Wednesday:10am–4pm
  • Thursday:10am–4pm
  • Friday:12–4pm
  • Saturday:Closed
  • Sunday:Closed
Accessibility
  • Wheelchair-accessible car park:Yes
  • Wheelchair-accessible entrance:Yes
  • Wheelchair-accessible toilet:Yes
Amenities
  • Good for kids:Yes
  • Restaurant:No
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