Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

Save
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

Photo: Smart Destinations · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Flickr

🦒 Zoo · Tacoma

4 hours · $$$ · Check website for reservations

age fit
0–1 yr
★ 4.0
1–3 yrs
★ 5.0
3–5 yrs
★ 5.0
5–10 yrs
★ 5.0
  • 🚗
    About 45 min drive
    From Bellevue · Parking: Free lot
  • 🍼
    Stroller-friendly
    Flat surfaces — bring the stroller
  • 🌳
    Some shade
    Great on sunny days · Good on cool days · Rain-OK
  • ⏱️
    Typical visit: 4 hours
    Best seasons: Spring · Summer · Fall · Winter

Tacoma's zoo and Pacific aquarium in one: a big shark tank, walruses, polar bears, red wolves, and a Kids' Zone with a spray area and animal encounters; parking is free and crowds are thinner than at the Seattle zoo.

💡 Tips
Tickets are about $25-30 for adults; animals are most active in the morning. Zoolights, from late November to early January, is the longest-running light show on Puget Sound. Pair it with Owen Beach in Point Defiance Park.

What this place offers

✓zoo
✓aquarium
✓sharks
✓polar bears
✓kids' zone
✓carousel
✓restrooms

Featured in these guides

This weekend's weather in Tacoma

Forecast at the destination itself (coast and hills often differ from home)

🌧️
Sat 10/17
Rain · 53–62°F · 44% rain
☁️
Sun 10/18
Overcast · 44–60°F · 0% rain

Location

Tacoma, Washington

More like this

Woodland Park Zoo
Kid favorite

Woodland Park Zoo

5.0

Seattle · 30 min drive

4 h · stroller-friendly

$$$ · Parking: Zoo lot about $8-10; free street parking nearby but hard to find

Seattle Aquarium
Kid favorite

Seattle Aquarium

5.0

Seattle · 25 min drive

2.5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed

$$$ · Parking: Waterfront garages about $15-25; 10-minute walk from Symphony light rail station

Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
Kid favorite

Northwest Trek Wildlife Park

5.0

Eatonville · 80 min drive

4 h · stroller-friendly

$$$ · Parking: Free lot

Cougar Mountain Zoo

Cougar Mountain Zoo

4.0

Issaquah · 15 min drive

2 h · stroller-friendly

$$ · Parking: Free lot