Visit Tacoma - Pierce County

About This Destination

The Pacific Northwest is a sought-after destination because of its thriving, activity-rich culture set amidst a slew of natural and cultural wonders. The city of Tacoma offers meeting planners all those things that set the Northwest apart, as well as the convenience, personalized service and value of a mid-sized city.

Convenience at its Finest

Located 18 miles south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, the meeting attendee’s Tacoma experience often starts at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center (GTCC) located downtown. The city’s largest venue with 119,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space, sweeping views of Puget Sound and Mount Rainier, and only a couple walkable blocks from the Museum District, dozens of restaurants and bars, and several hotels. Making it feel even more compact is the free-to-ride Link Light Rail, which runs through the center of downtown, seamlessly and safely connecting attendees to even more. Tacoma’s hotel scene is expanding with a new 303-room Marriott Tacoma Convention Center Hotel, opened in 2020, and is connected to the GTCC by skybridge.

Museums and Art

Tacoma’s thriving Museum District lets attendees wander amongst six world-class museums just a few minutes’ walk from the GTCC, and features a constantly refreshed stream of historical, nautical, automotive and artistic exhibitions. As the hometown of glass-art legend Dale Chihuly, art is in Tacoma’s DNA, and the Museum District contains not one, but two art museums: The Museum of Glass and Tacoma Art Museum. Meeting planners consider these perfect venues for welcome receptions or off-site events when using the GTCC, and attendees love to explore the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, a 500-foot pedestrian overpass with 2,364 pieces of Chihuly’s glass artwork which connect the two museums.

Nearby Communities

The South Puget Sound region also includes several communities surrounding Tacoma, each with its own unique identity and amenities that can cater to meetings of any size. Combined, the communities of the South Puget Sound offer more than 5,700 available guestrooms (600 on peak downtown), 70 restaurants and bars, 21 craft breweries and two craft distilleries. Twenty golf courses are spread throughout the region, including Chambers Bay – site of the 2015 U.S. Open.

The cities of Puyallup and Sumner offer an unparalleled ambiance of Americana, with cozy shops along Main Street, bakeries with local specialties and centrally-located parks. Fife is the entertainment hub of the area, with entertainment venues such as the Emerald Queen Hotel and Casino. Gig Harbor is a relaxed waterfront village abounding with recreational boating opportunities. The gardens, nature trails and aquatic recreation of Lakewood pair well with nearby University Place and its Chambers Bay Golf Course. And iconic Mount Rainier is only an hour’s drive away, and is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts of any level during any season – it’s as good for an easy hike through the wildflowers as it is for an adventurous afternoon of bouldering.

Tacoma and the South Puget Sound offer the convenience and welcoming atmosphere that take the stress out of meetings, and set them amidst the backdrop of the Pacific Northwest and all the wonder that comes with it.