Tacoma Maritime Festival

This is the most awesome event in all of Tacoma!  Well, according to my boys anyway.  The Tacoma Maritime Festival is August 27th and 28th from 10am-6pm.  On Saturday, August 27th, you can score a FREE train ride to tour the Port of Tacoma.  On Sundsay, August 28th, you can ride on a FREE harbor cruise. 

That's right, I said FREE! Brought to you by volunteers, and boat enthusiasts.  For the smaller ones, there has been fishing tanks, boat building crafts, and some years, free entrance to the maritime museum.  This is a rockin event. 

Park for free at the Tacoma Dome and ride the tram to the antique district.  That is where they typically have the stop for the shuttle bus to take you to the Maritime Fest and the Port of Tacoma Train tours.  Maritime Festival - Tacoma

19th Annual Maritime Festival - Tacoma

This one is a doozy.  The Maritime Festival is always a ton of fun and totally FREE!  Ive taken my kids to this event for 3 years running now.  The weekend is jam packed and the last 2 years, I have gone on both Saturday and Sunday!  On August 27th and 28th, from 10am-6pm, at the Thea Foss Waterway and Seaport, the Maritime Festival is combining with the Clean Green Boating Festival and will have even more activities.  Examples include:

• Unlimited Light Hydroplanes - SAT & SUN
• FREE Tacoma Rail Tours - SAT Only
• FREE Port Harbor Tours - SUN Only
• Quick & Dirty Boatbuilding Competition - SAT Only  Details  Entry Form 

(The boatbuilding competition is $60 but proceeds benefit the youth foundation, and looks like A LOT of fun!)

Park at the Tacoma Dome park n ride and ride the tram through downtown Tacoma to catch the continuously running shuttle bus at the end of the line.  Or, you can PAY to park on Thea Foss.

Woopie is Wednesday - on Sat at Foss Waterway

On Saturday, July 23rd from 11:30-3:30, visit Foss Waterway Museum for a boat building event.  On this Saturday and on subsequent Wednesdays, a group of children will be able to learn about the sea and usually build something to cement the understanding.  This is a great program.  While a bit more expensive than I usually post (I love FREE, but its not to be this time)  $23 gets admission for 1 Adult and 2 Children (ages 8-14) plus a kit to build a T12 boat.  Click here for details

Spaces fill up fast, so reserve soon.  AND, check out the other days too.  Some of the other events include:

• July 27th - Ships in Bottles

Movie by the Water

After you've enjoyed all the tomfoolery at the Salty Dock Days, stick around for a nautical inspired film. The Foss Harbor Marina is showing a movies at the Marina several times this summer, all with a nautical theme.

On June 11th at dusk (8:30 or 9pm), the marina is showing Master and Commander. The movie is free, and there will be popcorn and other goodies for sale at the shop onsite. Use your best judgement when deciding the age of viewers, this is a pretty great movie with some pretty realistic fight sequences.

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Salty Dock Days

On Saturday, June 11th, bring the family and the family dog to the Foss Harbor Marina on the Thea Foss Waterway.  The Marina is hosting an event on National Marina Day.  The Marina will have booths, live music and will be opening up an exhibit on the legendary steamboat era of the Puget Sound. 

You can take your boat or your car to the event.  If you do take your boat, reserve guest moorage by calling 253-272-4404.  If you drive, park at the Republic Parking lot South of the Dock Building at 535 Dock Street or the lot South of the 11th street bridge.

BE AWARE: If you park in DOWNTOWN Tacoma, you will need to pay for street parking now. 

Unfortunatly, the details on the website are a little sketchy (Like WHEN to show up), but here is the website:
http://www.fossharbormarina.com/events/salty-dock-day.html

Dragon Boats

Dragon Boat races are a bunch of fun.  The drama and the rythm of the drum and the people calling out the strokes, and lets faces, watching to see who wins is pretty cool too.  This weekend at Thea Foss Waterway in downtown Tacoma, the Washington Dragon Boat Association is hosting its 2011 Rainier Dragon Boat Festival tomorrow on May 14th.  Between 9am-4pm.

From their website, there will be food vendors and displays as well as the races.  There is a shuttle from Frieghthouse Square in downtown, as there is limited parking the Thea Foss. See http://www.washingtondragonboat.org/events/2011-rainier-dragon-boat-festival.html for more details. 

Also, while at the Thea Foss, consider stopping by the Foss Waterway Seaport Musuem 705 Dock Street.  This is a sailing museum full of great pictures and history of the Thea Foss waterway.  Unless the museum opens early for the Dragon Boat races, it opens at 12pm on Saturdays and entrance is only $3.  http://www.maritimeheritage.net/attractions/attraction_select.asp?id=87