Have you heard the saying, ‘Stop and smell the roses?’ Well, now is your opportunity! Point Defiance Park’s Rose Garden provides just such an opportunity.
Azaleas, rhododendrons, Japanese cherry trees, and crabapples adorn the Rose Garden. Attend lectures and demonstrations led by experts in horticulture to gain more knowledge. Indulge yourself by purchasing beautiful annuals, perennials, herbs, or hanging baskets at Vendor Village!
Tacoma Farmers Market
The Tacoma Farmers Market is an engaging local farmers’ market that connects small farms, food producers, and local businesses with their communities. Creating vibrant marketplaces filled with locally-grown produce specialty foods and handcrafted items produced from farmland preservation programs and helping local communities flourish supports their preservation and helps local economies prosper. Open every Thursday until October downtown on Broadway Street;
Point Defiance Flower and Garden Festival offers visitors a showcase of Pacific Northwest gardening. Held outdoors and indoors, this event provides visitors with lectures, tours, shopping, and much more!
Guided tours of the Rose Garden, Japanese Garden, Rhododendron Garden, and Northwest Native Garden are available at an additional cost. These tours highlight unique features and plant species within these gardens with commentary provided by horticultural experts. As tour spaces are limited, and pre-purchased tickets should be sought, pre-booking tickets is highly advised.
Point Defiance Park’s Rose Garden is its crowning glory, featuring over an acre of blooming roses in every hue imaginable and numerous varieties. A wishing well and charming gazebos add extra charm. Cherry trees, azaleas, and rhododendrons surround it and are especially magnificent in spring when blooms reach full bloom.
Festival events include an artisan market, live music performances, and a beer and wine-tasting garden; children may participate in an activities area designed for all ages. All proceeds from this festival support W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory Foundation gardening programs and Metro Parks gardening initiatives.
Tacoma Farmers Market also hosts a Tuesday market in the McKinley District from June through August, offering fresh fruit, vegetables, honey, flowers, baked goods, cooking demonstrations, and accepting EBT payments.
Wine & Beer Tasting Garden
Point Defiance Flower and Garden Festival offers many reasons to visit during Presidents Day Weekend. Explore aviation history and marine life, or stroll through an impressive glass garden! Plus, the festival hosts workshops and seminars to inspire, educate, and delight garden enthusiasts!
No matter your gardening expertise or interest level, this premier gardening event in the South Sound offers something to satisfy everyone. Held outdoors and inside Point Defiance Park on June 3-5th, guests will experience hands-on gardening programming, tours, food trucks, shopping opportunities, lectures, live music, and a beer and wine-tasting garden – something the entire family will enjoy!
The Puget Sound Flower and Garden Show features eight exquisite gardens in an idyllic setting overlooking Puget Sound, filled with spectacular roses and perennials blooming throughout. A Japanese-inspired garden featuring an oriental footbridge, waterfall, and teahouse completes this captivating display.
For the first time, this festival will also offer a curated selection of wines and craft beers from local vineyards and breweries. Tasting packages include five tasting tokens, one logoed glass, and entry into all lectures, demonstrations, and activities; however, access to any happy hour event must be purchased separately (ages 21+ only).
Guided Garden Tours
No matter your level of gardening knowledge or interests, the Point Defiance Flower & Garden Festival has something to offer all types of green thumbs. Spanning outdoor and indoor spaces in Point Defiance Park’s gardens and Pagoda, this festival showcases gardening in the Pacific Northwest with hands-on programming, tours, food trucks, shopping opportunities, lectures, and even a beer and wine-tasting garden!
Point Defiance Park’s most notable feature is the Japanese Garden, built to reflect Japanese architectural aesthetic in 1914. The Garden features beautiful pagodas, waterfalls, footbridges, and cherry trees and is a favorite destination among locals and visitors.
Visitors can explore the garden free of charge, but guided tours of its grounds are available and offer an excellent way to learn about its history and gain expert advice from experienced horticulturists.
Are you searching for something fun and educational to do with the kids? Point Defiance Park features family-friendly attractions like Herb Garden and Dahlia Trial Garden, where children can explore and learn how plants grow. Guests may also wish to visit other gardens like Japanese and Rhododendron Gardens.
Adults will enjoy a Happy Hour in the Rose Garden, where you can sample regional wines and beers while learning planting techniques from professional horticulturists. In addition, this festival also provides various workshops and seminars, such as Herbal Workshop: Natural Care Recipes or Japanese Garden History Tour – with proceeds going toward supporting Tacoma Farmers Market or Metro Parks’ horticultural programs; essential festival passes with exclusive lectures and demonstrations are $12 per person.
Vendor Village
No matter your gardening expertise or interest level, the Point Defiance Flower & Garden Festival should be on your calendar this June 3-4. With hands-on programming, garden tours, food trucks, shopping, lectures, and a beer and wine tasting garden all scheduled in this event at Point Defiance Park’s Gardens and Pagoda, it promises an event full of inspiration!
Visitors of the festival will be able to purchase plants cultivated specifically for Metro Parks Tacoma’s parks in the Vendor Village while getting expert advice from horticulture professionals. In addition, there will be local vendors selling various products.
Tour the Gardens on a guided tour, allowing you to learn about plants and their histories. The Japanese Garden will feature azaleas, rhododendrons, Japanese cherry trees, crabapples, and large and small pines, while the Rose Garden will feature miniature rose gardens and arbors of climbing roses with charming gazebos for relaxation.
Festival attendees will also find it an excellent opportunity to find unique gifts for someone they care about, with plenty of gift shops offering options while taking advantage of free admission and parking at the festival.
Ruston Way Waterfront Park is an idyllic outdoor space with miles of trails and breathtaking views. Stroll along Ruston Way Waterfront to witness Five Mile Drive, Commencement Bay, Mount Rainier, and Tacoma Narrows Bridge, among many other scenic features – making this park a must for any traveler in the area, as well as being an excellent way to spend a day with your family.
Kids’ Activities
Point Defiance, Flower & Garden Festival, offers something for all gardeners – experts, novices, and those interested in flowers! Located indoors and out, this annual outdoor-indoor festival features hands-on programming such as garden tours, food trucks, shopping, lectures, live music concerts, and a beer/wine tasting garden for an enjoyable outdoor/indoor experience.
The park boasts several themed gardens, such as the Rhododendron Garden with its natural display of Rhododendrons in a forest setting; the Japanese Garden with azaleas, Rhododendrons, Japanese Cherry Trees, and Crabapples for peaceful contemplation; the Rose Garden boasting miniature roses arbors of Climbing Roses as well as charming gazebos – and there is even an original Japanese Pagoda from 1914 used as waiting room for streetcars and is surrounded by ponds, waterfalls Oriental footbridges as large and small pines!
There is also a wide selection of kid-friendly activities designed to bring families closer to nature, such as Little Explorers Nature Play Garden, promoting free and unstructured play in a natural woodsy setting, encouraging toddlers’ use of imagination. Children can build towers before knocking them down; get creative using sticks and materials on Builder’s Deck, observe free-range bees and butterflies at Songbird Meadow; and explore various activities.
The park offers several family-oriented attractions for visitors of all ages, such as its zoo and aquarium. Over recent years, both interests moved into the Pacific Seas Building, where you’ll find camouflaged octopi, colorful jellyfish, and a touch pool!
