Hotel at a Glance: Red Lion Hotel Tacoma

A granite entryway welcomes guests to the renovated Red Lion Hotel Tacoma, located on the south side of town. If you're in Tacoma to do a little shopping, look no further than the Tacoma Mall, which can be found less than 3 miles from the hotel.

• Start the day right with an extended complimentary continental breakfast.
• Whirlpool tubs and walk-in glass showers in king suites
• Take a dip in the indoor swimming pool and spa.
• Break a sweat in the fitness center.

Tacoma, Washington: Port City with Thriving Cultural District and World-Class Aquarium

Tacoma is a midsize city located 30 miles south of Seattle on Puget Sound. It boasts the state's largest port, a rail terminus, and a free downtown streetcar. After the early 1990s, the city reinvented itself as a cultural and intellectual hub, adding a University of Washington branch campus, a thriving museum district, and a rejuvenated waterfront to its formerly industrial landscape.

Located less than a mile from the hotel, under the backdrop of Mount Rainier, the Museum of Glass houses stunning structures such as the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, and a 90-foot, cone-shaped studio where artists put on live glass-blowing demonstrations. At LeMay – America’s Car Museum, a 9-acre campus features an extensive collection of classic cars, trucks, and motorcycles.

Another popular attraction is Point Defiance Park, a 700-acre peninsula jutting into Puget Sound. While beautiful flower gardens, hiking trails, and paved bike paths draw crowds year-round, the park's biggest draw is probably the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Exhibits include an Asian forest sanctuary, a polar bear habitat, and a tropical coral reef aquarium that's home to dozens of sharks.

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