My husband loves bonsai trees and while I think they look nice, I don't really know much about…read morethem. When I saw that we would be in the area of the Pacific Bonsai Museum on our most recent travels, I was super excited to put it on our itinerary. Unfortunately, while I was researching, I noticed that although this is an outdoor museum, they have a " service dogs welcome but no pets" policy. It was disappointed because we travel with our small dog so I decided to take it off our list of stops. When my husband noticed he was visibly saddened and I knew I had to do my best to see if we could make it work. I messaged the museum here on Yelp and explained my situation to them. They responded immediately, and said that although that is their policy, because my dog is small, well behaved, always on a leash and has no behavioral issues, staff would likely not approach me to ask me to leave or show my credentials. I truly appreciate their fast response and understanding. They have amazing customer service here. Our visit to the museum was lovely. Our dog enjoyed the shady walk along the path to get there and sat patiently while we looked around. The museum is not only gorgeous, but laid out by region, so it's almost like walking through the world showcase at EPCOT but better because there were no crowds and the environment was incredibly peaceful. It was so interesting to see all the bonsais displayed and to learn about them. Masterfully designed and curated and incredibly tranquil, it was definitely one of the highlights of our stops in the area. I encourage you to stop by and to donate to this amazing museum if you have the opportunity.

The Bonsai Museum is a hidden gem. We had a few hours to kill before picking up dinner and heading…read moreover to my cousins house. Since she and her family live in Fife, I ordered and scheduled pickup for 2:30 pm in Federal Way. We weren't what to do in the meantime and so I looked up botanical parks. The bonsai Museum and the Rododendron botanical Park came up. We noticed they were across from each other and so we headed over to the parks. It's a nice drive over there as everything is so green and lush. Once we parked, we noticed that we needed to walk a bit to get to the exhibits. Once we got to the exhibits, the Rododendron botanical park was on the left side with $12 entrance fee and on the right side was the bonsai Museum with free entry. On the outside, they do have restrooms available before heading into the bonsai museum We didn't know what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised with all the bonsai displays they had by the different artists from different countries, and there were a lot. It took us about 30 minutes to get through the entire exhibit. We would've stayed longer to read all the information, but we were running short on time and we still wanted to visit the botanical park across the way. I highly recommend the Pacific Bonsai Museum if you're in the Federal Way area especially because it's free.

A garden that's one of Tacoma's hidden gems. There's completely free parking and free entrance…read more This area is perfect for relaxing or even for photoshoots. For photographers, there's the garden, a parking area nearby with few cars for photoshoots, the gorgeous water view, and Mount Ranier in the background. I'm here in June and the flowers are currently in full bloom! It's a relaxing atmosphere with some bits of shade scattered here and there. If you're going in the summer, bring a hat or sunglasses! It's very very sunny. Stop here for a mini date in the park! :)

An outstanding beautiful flower garden within Point Defiance Park. Located immediately upon entry…read moreof the park. Totally worth a visit. On this visit the focus was on the fuschia section. The many different fuschia flowers were stunning. Close by were the dahlias. Different colors and textures. Stunning!! The rose garden is enclosed inside iron gates/ be careful entering and exiting as the gates are heavy. A public restroom is nearby. Loads a close green grass areas for picnics if you'd like. I highly recommend this garden!! Do it. See beautiful flowers and SYOY!

Rhododendron is not only hard to say but also hard to spell. Lol. So please forgive my spelling…read moreerrors. But this park, plants and flowers are beautiful. We only had 45-mins left in our time in this area as we had a family thing to go to. So we went through this park rather quickly. But even so, I have a lots and lots of pictures. Flowers in different shades of reds, oranges, pinks, purples, yellows and white against the green lush trees, leaves and ground covering. Well marked gravel paths, plenty of seating, a large open grassy area of family picnics and space for children to run around. Our time here was well spent. And you, I had to stop back in to the gift shop and pick up a magnet. We didn't see many staff members including the groundskeepers but the cashier at the gift shop was friendly and helpful. Free parking and entry fee into this botanical park is a reasonable $12 per adult, no military discount, there is senior and children discounts available. Highly recommend if you're in the Federal Way area.

Wow...a beautiful garden area. Staff is helpful and knowledgeable. Garden is a delight. I walked…read morearound for a few hours taking photos. The ferns and everything were so green. Beautiful and highly recommended stop!

Wow! What a lovely day. Pack with a lot of patience because parking was tough. We arrive not that…read morelate, but ut took us a bit yo get to a lot even when we already got a map for the available parkings. Slow movement but we got there.Some stress are closed. There are lots and lots of booths. Plenty of things to see, purchase, and eat along. We had some dumplings, lactose free dole (yaaay!), and cotton candy. Everything was great! I wanted some BBQ but lines were huge!!! We lost an hour for the cotton. Candy. Kids were playing in the meantime, but I suggest to keep an eye because there's gazillions of people! It is a fair!

Salmon Days!! Always a fun time while we watch our salmon friends move through the area (and you…read morecan eat them). This is the first year I've got in many, many years and I'm glad that I did. Like any other festival that shuts down a large area, the parking is pretty crazy. I got there nice and early to find a good spot and walked about a mile. Overall good selection of vendors! Most of them were artisanal and not something you can buy from a direct-from-China shop. The food court had a lot of great options, and, of course the Kiwanis salmon BBQ. They also had a large field section with games for the kiddos and a water dog competition! There were lots of salmon going through the ladder, so that was nice to watch for awhile. Overall Salmon Days is a great festival to get out and do something a little different!

This conservatory is free to public. Many come here for weddings picture. We saw one couple took…read moretheir wedding pictures during our visit. The sun glass dome is not big. The plant under this sun room is beautiful. Collection of the plants is good to visit. The entire area is a bit small. The visit only takes 15 minutes.

The W W Seymour Conservatory is located on top of the big hill in Wright Park…read more It's a fairly small venue but there is lots of exotic plants here and the inside of the venue is pleasantly muggy to make sure those plants thrive and grow. There is a pond with koi inside which adds to the tranquility of the place. Special events such as weddings are held here also and it makes sense as it's very enchanting and serene inside.

Fascinating history of railroading in the Northwest. We stopped in during a trip on the Snoqualmie…read moreRailroad. They gave us 25 minutes to look around, and there's a lot to see, need to come back someday and spend more time here.

This is a charming stop between North Bend and Snoqualmie Falls, in the town of Snoqualmie. You can…read morereach the museum by train, on the 5-mile train ride that goes back and forth between North Bend and the Falls, or you can reach it by car - there is a parking lot and road access. It's a large facility with multiple train engines and cabooses and the like inside, from different time frames, and with explanation. There is also a gift shop and restrooms. The staff, a lot of which are volunteers, are all friendly and knowledgeable - and very passionate about trains. One of the big focuses of the museum is to show how trains changed the way we do things - not just how we travel but how we eat, everything. This was very interesting and eye-opening. They are currently working on a new exhibit of a miniature train traversing areas of the state, such as the Gorge. It's looking great! Big P.S. Part of what they do is the train ride, I believe. They run most of the year. It's great fun. We did the Twin Peaks fundraiser ride. Staff was great - many clothed in traditional uniforms - and everyone went out of their way to make the experience fun and fulfilling.

The collection here is huge and varied. It's really all about life in Black Diamon and is staffed…read moreby local volunteers with lots of stories to share. You can take a quick stroll through or spend a couple of hoirs here. Black Diamond was a company owned town. Coal mining company that is. They owned everything. Miners came from all across Europe to mine coal here. Welsh, Croation, Italian and many more. The company eventually closed and sold the property. Many of the shops in business during the company days are still here and many decendants of those miners live here still. Exhibits include local history, mining history, day to day items. Just so much information. We spend a fair amount of time looking through the several rooms and speaking with the volunteers. They have so much information to impart and were all lovely. Parking is street side, just past the museum. Be sure to check out the out building and the memorial garden as well. If you are really keen, drive down the hill and check out the Union Stump memorial. Definitely worth a stop to learn the local history. Open Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

We just moved into the area and stopped by. The museum has various displays. The history of the…read morearea is very in-depth. The guide was very knowledgeable and a wonderful storyteller. Native to the area Mr. Vinnedge gave a tour of the museum and did a fantastic job keeping us engaged while explaining the exhibits. Entry is free. There is a sidewalk and parking lot. Even if you are not new to the area, stopping by for a quick history lesson is well worth it.

We visited the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum to see what they were doing with museums and…read morecollections. This is another small museum with an good display and an outbuilding where they have farming implements. Like most small museums they are only open limited hours a few days per week. They had an interesting collection of local items and history and a friendly staff. I you want to get a lot of value out of your visit to North Bend try to combine it with a ride on the train to Snoqualmie or a trip to the factory outlet mall and make a whole day out of the trip.