Children's Museum of Tacoma, Tacoma (must see)

The Children’s Museum of Tacoma is a hands-on play space created for children from birth to age 12. Its roots go back to 1985, when the original museum operated from a small downtown alley storefront and could present only one exhibit theme at a time. Since moving into a larger 10,000-square-foot facility in 2012, it has become a broad play-based learning space operated by Greentrike, a nonprofit focused on early childhood development and family support.

A defining feature of the museum is its “Pay As You Will” admission model, which allows families to contribute what they can rather than pay a fixed entry fee. This approach became nationally recognised and helped make the museum a pioneer in access-focused children’s programming. It received an award from the Association of Children’s Museums and was also named a finalist for the IMLS National Medal of Honor, reflecting its wider influence beyond its own community.

The museum’s playscapes follow the Reggio Emilia approach, which sees children as capable learners who explore through play. Instead of fixed displays, the space encourages movement, sound, light, water, and pretend play, with features such as a mirror-filled cave, a light-drawing wall, and talking tubes connecting different levels.

Several areas turn play into simple lessons in science and design. In the Water playscape, an Archimedes screw and transparent vortex basin introduce motion, pressure, and hydraulics through touch. Greentrike has also expanded its work through a children’s museum location at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, while its former Muse program with the University of Washington Tacoma reflected the same Reggio-inspired approach to early learning.