W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory, Washington, United States

5xdavec 5:00 PM May 21, 2012

A diamond in Tacoma almost hidden in Wright Park.
This is one of my favorite places to go. Mind you, I love plants and have a green thumb. If you are not into plants, you might not like this. The conservatory was built in 1908 and is one of only three Victorian-style conservatories on the West Coast. Different times of the year, they will feature theme's, like Lily's, Orchids or Tulips, for example. The will have some plant sales too. My daughter has been coming with me since she was born coming here. I just love the variety of plants, many of them tropical and many have been here for years. They have a Koi pond in there too. It is not something you can rush through if you are like me. It is a peaceful environment, the kind of place where it would be fun to read a book in or listen to music with no agenda in mind...except it isn't that big on the inside. Get yourself a latte and absorb the environment as you explore it. It will be a bit humid inside even in winter (it's a green house after all). They have a small gift shop with it and the whole building run by volunteers and donations. If you can, drop some in because it is worth keeping up and going. The park outside is a great place to walk around with the family and have a picnic. The Karpeles Manuscript Museum is a short walk down the same street the Botanical Conservatory is on.

4tuddo 5:00 PM Aug 3, 2014

Small Victorian Delight
After you have visited the great Tacoma attractions like Point Defiance Park, Zoo and Aquarium, the outstanding museums and the waterfront walk, visit this little diamond in Wright Park. This is a volunteer-maintained, low budget enterprise that depends on the modest, but not cheap, entry fee and donations. In comparison with some of the largest such structures, old and new, this one is at the smallest end in size and exhibits, but the building is worth exploring for its history and construction, and the exhibits are top quality, featuring very old large tropical growths as well as small new varieties of blooming tropical. Their orchid collection is special. As others have stated, this is a quiet, contemplative place, especially great since one can walk here from the hospital district and leave any worries and cares that may have brought into your life for a little while.