Tacoma Art Museum
Tacoma Art Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Celebrating 81 years, Tacoma Art Museum is an anchor in the city’s downtown and a gathering place for connecting people through art via thoughtful exhibitions, exciting events, and enriching programs. The museum’s collection of more than 4,500 works emphasizes the art and artists of the Northwest and broader western region. Highlights of the collection include: -the largest retrospective museum collection of glass art by Tacoma native Dale Chihuly on continued view; -the largest collection of studio art jewelry by Northwest artists; -key holdings in 19th century European and 20th-century American art; -one of the finest collections of Japanese woodblock prints on the West Coast; and -the Haub Family Collection, one of the nation’s premier western American art collections, with approximately 300 works spanning 200 years. The Haub Family Collection is the first major museum collection of western American art in the Pacific Northwestern region. Named by USA Today as one of the “Top 10 Great Places to See Art in Smaller Cities,” the museum has developed a national reputation for presenting art in a thought-provoking yet accessible manner, with a strong commitment to Northwest art through its acquisition and exhibition programs. In addition to dynamic exhibitions, nationally touring shows, and historical retrospectives, TAM serves the diverse communities of the region through innovative programming and learning opportunities for all ages, including free community events. TAM is located in Tacoma’s Museum District, near the Museum of Glass, the Washington State History Museum, Children’s Museum of Tacoma, and historic Union Station.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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How to get there
- Convention Center/South 15th St • 4 min walk
- Union Station/South 19th St • 5 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
265 reviews
Excellent
147
Very good
82
Average
28
Poor
6
Terrible
2
scott r
Silver Spring, MD701 contributions
Jul 2021
Had I paid $18, I would have given this a 3 - it's a smallish museum in terms of exhibit space and some of that was closed. By this time, I was Chihulied out / how much of the same stuff can you see again and again. It's all over the place in PNW, but it's all over the place everywhere (Hollywood FL for example has a large display), and while it's always at least visually interesting, it's also variation on a theme. So, Chihuly, regional art and a smattering of native / outsider pieces. OK, all good fun, and the 5-8 pm freebie made it a worthwhile close of day: but at a full freight ticket, this would be secondary to the museum of glass and maybe get bumped off the list. Beautiful view from the top floor gallery though.
Written August 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
maryellenbradley
Olympia, WA231 contributions
Jan 2020
The museum is in down town Tacoma. It’s a beautiful building. We visited to see the Impressionists exhibit. It was very well done. We also toured the Chihuly wing and Northwest wing. Seeing Monet, Degas, and Renoir paintings and sculptures was exciting. Parking behind the museum was easy. I will be returning often.
Written January 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lathanNewark_Uk
Newark-on-Trent, UK55 contributions
Nov 2019
A lovely collection of artwork - from contemporary Simpson graphics to works by masters such as Monet. A large collection of bronze sculptures, as well as glass art and Native American art. My only criticism is that I expected the museum/galleries to be larger, to be reflective of the entrance fee. We viewed the entire collection in approx 75 minutes. However would definitely recommend a joint visit with the Museum of Glass, located a few hundred yards away.
Written November 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bob_in_ONT
Toronto, Canada6 contributions
Oct 2012 • Friends
Visited here recently, found it very disappointing, place is almost empty. Nice location and facilities, but the art is so minimal, displays not clean..... it really needs to be free. Skip this one
Written October 18, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marie
Philadelphia, PA201 contributions
Jul 2019
We came here on a rainy day before they were closing and this was a great afternoon activity. We have young children and this museum was small enough that they could enjoy the art but not get too bored. The museum has rotating exhibits and they were currently in the process of changing up so we didn't get to see everything. They were setting up an exhibit on the Simpsons but we got to view a lot of local art.
However, if you are looking for a different place to visit I would recommend this art museum. It is close to the Chihuly Bridge of Glass and also the Glass Museum.
However, if you are looking for a different place to visit I would recommend this art museum. It is close to the Chihuly Bridge of Glass and also the Glass Museum.
Written August 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David G
Brooklyn, NY75 contributions
Feb 2019 • Couples
The museum is convenient to the Tacoma Museum of Glass and works well as a pair. TAM has a superb and quite varied glass collection, which complements TMOG. Its non-glass collections are well presented and interesting. Not a large museum but well worth a visit.
Written February 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JetCityJim
Seattle, WA21 contributions
Mar 2017 • Solo
Every exhibit I have visited at TAM has been superlative. The space transforms to highlight the art and the meaning behind it without overpowering either. The American Portrait Gallery show from the Smithsonian was no exception. The Permanent Glass Art exhibit is also interesting, but my favorite is the Western Art collection and I am not a fan of cowboy art. Always worth a visit to Tacoma, along with other destination museums in the area. Cruise ships should stop here.
Written May 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
austinjjc
Mill Valley, CA327 contributions
Mar 2015 • Couples
We spent a weekend in Tacoma and went to four museums – The LeMay American Car Musuem, The Glass Museum, The Washington History Museum and the Tacoma Museum of Art.
We really enjoyed all four museums and recommend them all with a few caveats. For the Glass, History and Art Museum, you can take a pass for all three that will save you some money (even more with the various discounts such as AAA or Microsoft employee). That is what we choose to do and it worked out great.
The Art Museum is a reasonable size space and takes no more than a couple of hours to see everything at a very leisurely pace. The admission price includes an audio guide which they proudly told us had recently been rated the third best celebrity narrated audio guide. Clint Eastwood does the narrating. The guide was easy to use and helpful.
There is a special exhibit right now about Georgia O’Keefe. They have a few of her pieces and a small movie about her life. It is a nice addition and good chance to see some of this wonderful artist if you have not already done so.
We would probably tell you that we are not particular fans of “Western Art.” That being said, we really did enjoy the collection at TAM. There are numerous paintings and some small statues and bronze pieces.
There are lockers available at no charge which is a nice touch.
From what we saw, this is a place for adults. We did not see much that would interest children unless you happen to have some art loving prodigy.
We really enjoyed all four museums and recommend them all with a few caveats. For the Glass, History and Art Museum, you can take a pass for all three that will save you some money (even more with the various discounts such as AAA or Microsoft employee). That is what we choose to do and it worked out great.
The Art Museum is a reasonable size space and takes no more than a couple of hours to see everything at a very leisurely pace. The admission price includes an audio guide which they proudly told us had recently been rated the third best celebrity narrated audio guide. Clint Eastwood does the narrating. The guide was easy to use and helpful.
There is a special exhibit right now about Georgia O’Keefe. They have a few of her pieces and a small movie about her life. It is a nice addition and good chance to see some of this wonderful artist if you have not already done so.
We would probably tell you that we are not particular fans of “Western Art.” That being said, we really did enjoy the collection at TAM. There are numerous paintings and some small statues and bronze pieces.
There are lockers available at no charge which is a nice touch.
From what we saw, this is a place for adults. We did not see much that would interest children unless you happen to have some art loving prodigy.
Written March 3, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Linda T
University Place, WA70 contributions
Dec 2014 • Couples
Just finished my second visit to the new Haub collection of Western Art. Quite amazing. I was surprised at the emotions I felt walking through the the sculptures and paintings. The free audio is also quite good, narrated in part by Clint Eastwood. I would recommend this exhibit,as well as the rest of this great museum. A treasure!
Written December 27, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DeborahALosAngeles
Los Angeles18 contributions
Jun 2012 • Family
lovely museum, just very small. an hour at most. worth seeing!
Written July 3, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How much to get in museum
pat m
Sequim, WA36 contributions
Look on the website for rates. adullt, child, senior and family admission. They don't charge veterans and active military. My husband had his veteran`s ID card and they admitted us both at no charge
froon
Medina, OH90 contributions
where can you park and how much does it cost?
TacomaArtMuseum
1 contribution
Museum parking is managed by Republic Parking Northwest and costs $2/hour. All-day rate is $12 for up to 10 hours. More info: bit.ly/TAMvisit
On-street parking on Pacific Ave is free on Sundays, but spaces fill up quickly. You can also park at the Tacoma Dome Link Station for free and take the Link Light Rail to the museum. Schedule: bit.ly/LightLinkRail
Price if entry?
Ashlee B
Portland, OR15 contributions
$15 for each adult
$13 students, military, seniors
$40 for families (2 adults and up to 4 children)
Children under 5 are free
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Frequently Asked Questions about Tacoma Art Museum
- Tacoma Art Museum is open:
- Tue - Sun 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- Hotels near Tacoma Art Museum:
- (0.10 mi) Courtyard by Marriott Tacoma Downtown
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- (0.36 mi) Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tacoma Downtown, an IHG Hotel
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- Restaurants near Tacoma Art Museum:
- (0.08 mi) TheKoi Sushi & Sake Bar
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