A classic way to find connection in any community is to go out and root for the home team. Every year we like to make our way over to Cheney Stadium to cheer for our Rainiers a time or two.
As we take our first steps into 2024, we’re thinking about home and how we make it. We’re thinking, as we’ve done before, about how we continue to seek, find, and create belonging.
Making ourselves at home in a place—in particular this city called Tacoma—doesn’t happen in just one way. A person could belong by being born here, or a person could be born here and never really feel like they’re home. On the other hand, you could live here for just a few months and experience a deep sense of home.
How does it happen? For us it came with time and with intention. As our years in Tacoma stretch into a longer path behind us, we feel the belonging that comes from driving by particular trees to see them bloom each year (keep your eyes open for the giant, handkerchief-sized magnolia blossoms on the tree outside First Presbyterian by Wright Park), from remembering places where we spent time in our 20s that don’t even exist anymore (The Blackwater, Stadium Video, The Usual), from recognizing people on the sidewalk even if we’re not sure how we know them. That’s sort of an accrued sense of belonging. But then there’s the sense of home that comes from intention, from deciding to make friends with this city. That’s the making part of making ourselves at home. Making friends with a place is kind of like making friends with a person—you listen, show up, help out, pay attention, participate, and receive. After a while you’ve made a connection that didn’t exist before.
In this list we’ve collected some of the ways we’ve found belonging, along with ways we’d like to continue finding it. These aren’t deep Tacoma secrets, or never-been-seen-before ideas. Rather than a daunting, finicky, step-by-intensive step recipe, this list is more like suggested ingredients for making a place for yourself.
Lion dancers fill the scene with color and energy and age-old tradition during the Lunar New Year Festival in Lincoln District.
1. Choose a Festival
Tacoma’s Wayzgoose print and paper arts festival resumed in 2023 at a new location: the Moore Library in Tacoma’s South End.
Bands play across dozens and dozens of porches throughout Central Tacoma with a midday parade to boot.
We say “commit” but we don’t mean you need to organize it, or go back every year, or be exclusive. Just choose a festival or two in Tacoma this year and show up. Don’t just say, “I should go someday.” Really do go and experience it. The list of festivals below is not comprehensive. These are the ones that came to mind, and many of the links have information from the 2022 festivals, but they’ll point you in the right direction so you’ll know which page to return to, or what festival to search for as its time arrives. A favorite of mine, Tacoma Wayzgoose, hasn't returned since the Covid-19 pandemic began, but I’m including it in hopes it will return. Wayzgoose is a festival of printing artists and printmaking at King’s Books, a favorite feature of which are the giant steamroller prints created by running over paper with a steamroller in the side lot; it’s excellent!
The Proctor Arts Fest is city blocks packed with arts, crafts, people, music, and food. It’s fun! Four Hearts Pottery filled their booth with color on one side and black and white designs on the other.
January: Tacoma Light Trail
April: Tacoma Wayzgoose
June: Tacoma Ocean Fest
July: Tacoma Pride
July: Art on the Ave
July: Fircrest Fun Days
Augus: Tacoma Porchfest
August: Hilltop Street Fair
August: Proctor Arts Fest
August: McKinley Street Fair
August: Brew Five Three
September: Tacoma Moon Festival
September/October: Tacoma Greek Festival
October: Tacoma Film Festival
October: Tacoma Arts Month
Okay, we don’t make it into Cider & Cedar enough to be true regulars, but we love the place and the people. The main thing is, it’s regular-worthy.
2. Become a Regular
Small town settings in stories have always really drawn me in. I think what I love is the way people go to the same places every day or every week and always end up bumping into people they know. Why is that appealing? It communicates belonging to me. I’ve mentioned before the subtle, yet positive shift I feel in my day when I go somewhere for an errand and the person helping me with my task or purchase knows my name. I even enjoy being in a place where I can see that others are regulars. It’s a cozy, small-world feeling.
Lauda is a regular stop for Gretchen. Always a good stop for a gift, journal, pen, card, or art supplies.
You can be a regular at a park, in a shop, at a restaurant, where you buy groceries, in a church, at a place where you volunteer (more on that later!). Be a flower shop regular, a pet shop regular, a barber shop regular, a book shop regular! As we said, belonging isn’t all about money; be a beach walk regular, a stretch of sidewalk regular, a library regular (more on that later too). Go often, go the same day each week, or at the same time of day.
Becoming a regular can take a bit of money, but it’s more about where and how you spend it than how much you spend. If you have money set aside for groceries, try going to the same place each time you shop, maybe even get in line with the same cashier. After a bit, you’ll recognize each other.
Manifesto in Hilltop is and long has been a regular spot in Michael’s week. Go drink some good coffee.
You could be a regular at a small Tacoma pizza shop for pizza night once a month, or at a bar like Cider & Cedar where you can even join their book club and become a regular at that too.
If you want to make a habit of sending a card in the mail, drop in at Lauda once or twice a month, select a beautiful pen, then choose a special card from their engaging selection. Send it in the post to make someone’s day.
Being a regular at a coffee shop is a classic way to carve out a place that feels like your own, and it doesn’t cost much. But those dollars in support of a small, locally owned roaster can have a powerful impact both on that business and your daily life.
3. Do Something new
Although I’m someone who loves going to the same places and ordering the same things (Beach Tavern, fish sandwich), I’ve noticed how much spark and joy doing a new thing can bring. We’ve lived in Tacoma for a lot years, but looking back on 2023 it turns out we tried quite a few new things.
How about this: once a month do something you haven’t done before. Here are some examples from our year to show just how simple these new things can be.
visiting the Tiny Art Gallery on Cedar
participating in an E9 Volksmarch which included walking a new route through the city
stopping by Zaya Cafe to try some of their special baked goods
stepping into Side Pony (a new spot on 6th Ave) and trying their vegan Sloppy Joes
listening to a friend spin records and sampling the Musangtino’s menu at Busybody (another new spot on 6th)
volunteering for a shift in the Emergency Food Network warehouse repacking bulk food
joining in the big, music-fest fun of Porchfest
sitting down for one of Field Bar’s deluxe Dope Dinners
finally making it down to the special world of Salmon Beach
visiting the Dune Peninsula farmers market
spending time on the beach at Narrows Park
paddling with the Abode Crew in the Gig Harbor Dragon Boat Races
Image from Tacoma Art Museum
4. Explore Arts, History, Culture & Craft
Don't save museums just for trips and vacations, explore local museums and deepen your experience of home. Actually, museums can be a way of feeling like you’ve traveled to another place or time, so they’re a good destination on days when you feel cooped up or maybe wish you were away on holiday.
If a museum offers memberships and you can afford it, that’s a good way to support special exhibits, ongoing costs, and programming and to encourage yourself to go more often, but it’s absolutely not the only way to participate.
Image from the Children’s Museum of Tacoma
You could also commit to visiting a chosen museum 2 or 3 times this year if that’s a better fit for your budget.
Or go for variety; visit as many different local museums as you can in 2023. Even if you just go every other month it’s probably more than before.
If funds are tight go out for a free community night (Tacoma Art Museum hosts free Neighborhood Nights every Thursday from 5 - 8 pm) or choose a museum with free entry and just donate what you can.
Image from Foss Waterway Seaport
Not sure where to start? Tacoma is home to a pretty impressive variety of museums for its size. We’ll share some of those and give you a start on museums to explore in our neighboring areas too.
Tacoma Museums
Image from Fort Nisqually Living History Museum
Image from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Historical Preservation Department
TAM - Tacoma Art Museum (free on Thursdays, 5-8 pm)
Children’s Museum of Tacoma (pay as you will/by donation)
Washington State History Museum (free on 3rd Thursdays, 3-8 pm)
Museum of Glass (free on 3rd Thursdays, 5-8 pm)
LeMay America’s Car Museum (standard adult pass $18)
Fort Nisqually Living History Museum (standard adult pass $10.10, family rates provided)
Job Carr Cabin Museum (lots of free/by donation activities including Craft Saturdays and history walks)
Foss Waterway Seaport (free 3rd Thursdays, 4-8 pm)
Karpeles Manuscript Museum (free admission)
Tacoma Telephone Pioneer Museum (free/by donation)
Museums in Neighboring Communities
Fife: Puyallup Tribal Museum (opened April 2023! $5 for non-tribal members)
Federal Way: Pacific Bonsai Museum (by donation: suggested $10/adult)
Steilacoom: Steilacoom Tribal Cultural Center & Museum (free/by donation)
Puyallup: Karshner Museum and Center for Culture & Arts (free admission)
Vaughn: Key Peninsula Historical Society & Museum (free/by donation)
Gig Harbor: Harbor History Museum
Vashon Island: Vashon Heritage Museum (free/by donation)
Habitat for Humanity creates pathways to homeownership for people who dream of the stability, but didn’t think it would be possible! You can be part of it by helping on a building site, volunteering in one of their stores, donating funds, and more.
5. Give Time - Give Love
Image from Neighborhood Clinic - The clinic can’t run without its generous and compassionate volunteers with skills in translating, medical care, and office organization. Could that be you?
One of the best ways to create belonging is by spending your time (rather than your money). Volunteer! Maybe even volunteer in a new way, or with a group you haven’t spent time yet. There’s a wide range of commitment levels from dedicated weekly time, to monthly or one-time opportunities. Here are few local non-profits and organizations where your hands, head, heart, skills, and abilities will be put to good use:
Habitat for Humanity - special events, home-building, shifts in the ReStore
Metro Parks Tacoma - take a look at the work parties to care for and maintain beloved Tacoma parks in the “Chip In” section
YWCA Pierce County - fundraising, special events, and other services
Communities in Schools - student/youth tutoring, mentoring, and reading assistance
Neighborhood Clinic - calling nurses, physicians, and medical assistants
Tacoma Community House - TCH is reorganizing and reimagining how volunteers fit into their mission to empower immigrants, keep in touch to learn more
2nd Cycle - keep the bike shop in order
Emergency Food Network - in the food bank and on the farm
Tacoma Rescue Mission - prepare and serve meals in the TRM kitchen
Oscar’s Enemies (I know, I know, we keep bringing this up) - monthly organized litter pick-up
Swasey Branch
I’m grateful for the library on our block. It’s a place I can walk and always feel welcome. And I like showing this book Sing, Unburied, Sing in particular partly because it’s extraordinary and Jesmyn Ward’s writing is spellbinding, gut wrenching, illuminating, and distinguished. But I also like sharing it because the library introduced me to her work by featuring Salvage the Bones on their new books shelf years ago. I hadn’t gone looking for it, but there it was, and now Ward’s writing is part of my life.
6. Make Friends with the Library
South Tacoma Branch
The library is more than books (but if it was just books I would still love it), it’s a hub for the community, it’s one of the only places where you can just walk in—no money, no membership—and make yourself comfortable. I’m a fan. The library nearest our home is the Swasey Branch. It’s so close I walk over there frequently. I’m in and out to pick-up holds and return books, to use the printer, to browse the shelves and special displays featuring new books or themed collections. I wish everyone lived as close to a library as we do. It really makes me feel at home. Did you know new branches of the Tacoma Public Library are coming to Hilltop and the Eastside? This is something to celebrate! And did you know every library card holder automatically gets $5 worth of printing per month? No need to keep ordering printer cartridges at home.
Making friends with the library could just mean digging up your library card, or stopping by for a new one, and checking out books - that’s a good place to start!
Take the next step in the friendship and participate in community reading programs with TPL like Summer Reading, Extreme Reader Challenge, or Tacoma Reads. Tacoma Reads is a way to connect yourself with a big community of readers all experiencing the book selected for the year. And you can meet the author during a live interview toward the end of the year.
Join a Book Club! Branches all throughout the city host clubs so you can find one close to home, or just pick the one that suits your schedule and interests.
Get your kids and teens involved. Search the library for events for teens and tweens like art events, Teen Time. Listen in on Storytimes and watch the library calendar for all kinds of special events throughout the year.
Attend events and activities from regular weekly events to special opportunities. Find events on TPL’s Facebook page, or use filters to search for specific events on the TPL website. Learn how to create your own record label or podcast, join a Pokémon League, attend an author reading, and more, and more, and more.
When you visit the library, keep an eye out not just for books, but for original, public art. This is a good reason to jump around from library to library once in a while before you settle down into your local neighborhood branch. Our regular library is Swasey, just down the block from us out on 6th Ave where a handmade alphabet quilt hangs cheerfully over the children’s books. It’s a delight. But it was also a delight to head to the South Tacoma Branch for a particular book and to find stunning ceramic tiles stretching along the wall and jumping into curling glassy waves above the water fountain. Go explore.
Grit City Magazine produces a beautiful print magazine, often with a poster by a local artist inside. Subscribe, give a copy, support on Patreon, or follow on social media.
7. Engage in Local Stories - Listen, read & watch
There’s a big world out there, and we’re not suggesting you shut it out or forget about it, but we do recommend getting cozy with local news sources too. For one thing, local journalism will become a lost art, a thing of the past, unless we support it. For another thing, it’s enriching to know about what’s going on in the nearby world. You might hear a voice you recognize, you might learn more about a park, person, place, or establishment you love, you might begin to feel connected not only to your news source, but to the community too.
Listen
KNKX 88.5 (formerly KPLU) - NPR local and national news, blues and jazz
KTAH RadioTacoma 101.9 - “venue for local voices, news, and talent”
KUPS 90.1 - University of Puget Sound college radio, music station
InsideAbode Podcast - interviews with community members about the life, people, issues, challenges, and celebrations of our city
Channel 253 - hosts an array of podcasts rooted in Tacoma life, social justice, and community issues
Podcasts Include: Crossing Division, Nerd Farmer, Citizen Tacoma
Read
Grit City Magazine - subscribe to the beautiful print edition, and follow on Instagram for ongoing content
Tacoma Weekly - local paper, in print and online
Tacoma News Tribune - local paper, in print and online
South Sound Magazine - in print and online
Watch
KBTC Public Television - look for the special Reflections In The Shadow of Tahoma series created in partnership with Tacoma Arts Live, and local weekly programming like Northwest Now
Keep in touch about Tacoma life, community, events, homes, and a bit about us.
