Tacoma City Tours
Every true Tacoman has a list of must-sees for out-of-town guests. You know, the sights that prove how gritty we are (Ted Bundy’s high school) or how many “set-in-Seattle” movies are actually filmed here (the “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” house). But what would you include in the line-up for an actual sight-seeing tour of Tacoma?
Tours Northwest is working to answer just that question, as they prepare to launch a three-hour Tacoma sightseeing tour later this year. The buses could be running as early as July 1, or closer to fall, General Manager Steve Powell said at an early preview of the tour Sunday. The tour will likely cost $49, and will leave from Tacoma hotels to sheperd convention-goers, wedding parties and other visiting
groups to see what Tacoma has to offer.
Sunday’s preview tour started in Old Town, before winding up past Annie Wright and through the North Slope neighborhood. We looped briefly behind St. Pat’s to see Bing Crosby’s boyhood home before taking Yakima down toward Stadium High School.
From there we headed downtown, taking a brief detour past Brown & Haley before disembarking in front of Union Station for a jaunt across the glass bridge. Our guide picked us up on Dock Street and we took Ruston Way to the train trestle on Alder, winding up 36th Street and trekking out to Point Defiance and Owen Beach.
The last leg of the tour took us across the Narrows Bridge to Tacoma
Narrows Park.
The preview tour was filled (mostly) with Tacoma lovers such as myself, downtown restaurant owners, members of the Tacoma Historical Society and the like. We entertained ourselves shouting out additions to the already engrossing tour as we rode along, like the punchline to a bad joke. What do you get when you lock a gaggle of Tacoma-lovers in a minibus for three hours?
In the end I felt there were only two things missing: we were teased with promises of the Proctor District, but just skirted the edge on our way to Point Defiance. There was also no mention of city government. Granted, the City Municipal Building may not be the most thrilling of sights to see, but does it merit a mention?
Alright Tacomans, how would you craft YOUR dream sight-seeing tour?
Filed under: General
23 comments
J Jesse June 9, 2010
Churches. Tacoma has the best churches on the west coast.
I inacomaintacoma June 9, 2010
i think that for $49 there should be a complementary tab of window pane lysergic acid diethylamide dispensed to each jar jar binks that takes this tour.
just slap that acid on the back of their necks as they board, take them to the stadium highschool, hand each of them a broom as they deboard and then have someone shout WELCOME TO HOGWARTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
F Florence June 9, 2010
Terrific locations, but, really, how can a simple bus ride justify a $49.00 fee? I’d like a lot of visitors take this tour, but there won’t be many takers at that price… or they’ll be left with feeling ripped off instead of recalling what they saw.
R Randy Brown June 9, 2010
Wow. Another thing to make us look like Seattle’s pathetic little step-child.
S Slim Jim June 9, 2010
I don’t mind showing off our prettiest places, but I agree with Flo – - the tour should be priced at about $15.00 and include Almond Rocca and Commencement Bay coffee.
S Slim Jim June 9, 2010
…oh, I meant: hand the rocca and coffee out on the bus, not drive by their shops.
M motepardoo June 9, 2010
could potentially be interesting…. but i agree with others as the price is too steep and needs some more interaction (candy eating could be nice). or perhaps they should trade the bus in for an amphibious DUKW and travel through commencement bay, past the old smeltering plant, to pt. defiance as a three eyed Blinky mobile instead?
T Tacoma Joe June 9, 2010
What? No stop at Java Jive?
Z Z June 9, 2010
$49 is a bit steep, A couple years ago Tom Payne with the Golden pacific RR tried a steam powered excursion out of frieghthouse square (this was about the same time the spirit of washington dinner train tried to operate out of tacoma). He had his ex reading 484 IIRC, and some former C&NW “Gallery” commuter cars, and for about $50 you could ride out to fredrickson and they’d have a BBQ lunch. Needless to say it was a flop, and the spirit of wa. dinner train sadly dident last long either out of tacoma. Not sure what the ridership was like on either though.
V Viao June 9, 2010
Anyone else wondering if “inacoma” is actually the alter-ego of another frequent poster on this site?
Either way, don’t go away, inacoma. We can always use new insulting insanity and yours is refreshing.
C crenshaw sepulveda June 9, 2010
A winning concept. Can’t fail. Buy Now!! or Invest!! Tacoma is looking up. I only wish I had the idea of providing a $50 bus tour for convention goers and hotel guests in Tacoma. A day doesn’t go by where some tourist or conventioneer goes doesn’t come up to me and ask isn’t there some kind of $50 tour bus that I can take to see all the great sights in Tacoma.
S Sam the Bear June 9, 2010
I think a “Dark Side” tour might be as interesting. Could visit the Bulls-Eye and shoot a rifle like the DC Snipers, Visit the site of the Hilltop Shoot-out, Bundy’s Place, Haunted homes, ghosts in the Old City Hall, a roll by the detention center, Chinese Reconciliation Park, “Suicide Alley”, so much suffering – definately worth $50
F frizzlebee June 9, 2010
Awesome idea! As fun as it would be to be cynical about the tour, it actually sounds like a good idea.
We’re a great city. We have interesting things to see. We have interesting tidbits to share. Have you been to the Duck Tour in Seattle? They impress you with a a building that looks like it’s sinking and an old, rusting, industrial plant… Honestly, as long as you have an interesting guide, a tour of Buckley could be fun.
I agree that $49 is a bit steep, although if you round down, that’s only $40, which sounds better.
It would be fun to have some kind of water ride along with the tour—a water view of Stadium is priceless, and there’s easy access to the water along the tideflats and the park. Not sure how many amphibious tour companies exist out there.
And Bob’s Java Jive should definitely fit into the tour somewhere. People will realize just how awesome Tacoma is if we connect ourselves to John Cusack.
J Jenyum June 9, 2010
I’d try to get a few more zip codes in there somehow. Take a swing through the Lincoln district, there’s an interesting neighborhood that doesn’t look like the North end.
N NSHDscott June 9, 2010
I agree that $49 seems steep, but I’m guessing you folks have no idea what it costs to run a business. When you think about the cost of buying/leasing/renting a bus, maintaining it, garaging it, fueling it up, paying a driver a decent wage, and actually making a little profit (the whole goal of business), I’m sure they have to charge that to have a chance of surviving. I wish them good luck.
A Altered Chords June 9, 2010
Comas got a great idea here but it needs some experienced business savy.
Coma – we’ll only have 3 people per day interested in this tour. They’ll all want coffee. You slip the windowpane in their coffee (3 X the amount you were originally thinking).
We’ll stuff them in the back of my Kia and just sit in the driveway.
You will flash a few pictures of Proctor, murray morgan bridge, old city hall, elsks building etc. and push the front bumper up and down w/ you foot. They’ll think they’re on a real tour.
We’ll only need to charge $35.00/person. After subtracting the cost of the coffee and LSD, we’ll have a margin of $25.00/person.
They won’t teach you this stuff at USC.
See NSHD – we folks know how to run a business.
A Altered Chords June 9, 2010
I like Jenyum’s idea of the Lincoln district but those shops need a serious facelift.
The 56th and So. Tacoma Way area is looking much better than it did a few years ago. Apparently thier facelift is progressing.
The Lincon neighborhoods International District is one of the most interesting areas in Tacoma. It just needs to be cleaned up.
I Ian June 9, 2010
People won’t pay $50 for a bus tour. It’s not a matter of what it costs to run a business.
They need to find another way to make money, like kickbacks from the business they stop at or provide sales pitches for on their “tour.” Or advertisements in their “guidebook” or something.
That’s the American way. That’s why wine tastings are “free” and radio and television broadcasts are “free” and why car dealers can sell cars “at invoice.” Backchannel money.
I inacomaintacoma June 9, 2010
@ alturf and surf mchordles afb
yes….a sweeded version of the tour. maybe our counterparts on the ‘darkside’ version of the tour can them to bundys place but then really kill them (with boredom)
J Jenyum June 10, 2010
I don’t know about a clean up (not that it couldn’t use a spit shine) if you’ve ever been through China Town in SF or NYC they are hardly shiny clean places. This grittyness is part of the appeal IMO.
M Mike G June 11, 2010
Japanese tourists will pay $49 a day. If you build it, they will come!
M Mofo from the Hood June 14, 2010
I recommend that the tour route includes a drive both up and down Fairbanks Street.
P.S.: For $45.49 plus $3.50 for a weekend all day bus pass on Pierce Transit, join me any Sunday as I bus surf through Tacoma and freelance narrate the highlights of the great City of Destiny.
Actual Testimonials from past PT narrated tours:
Lin Duc Tran, Hope Project-Salishan: “I enjoyed American style narration by MFTH.”
Hector Cortez-Pico de Mayo, McKinley Avenue: “Mr. Mofo from the Hood is a ‘burro loco’ tour guide.”
Otis Dexter Washington, South 23rd & Ainsworth Street: “The wigger knows Hilltop.”
Chip and Dale, Pt. Defiance: “Totally Nuts!”
R RR Anderson June 14, 2010
A mystery cafe maybe getting the controversial homeless goddess of commerce statue. . . now that i’d like to see.