Fort Nisqually Living History Museum in
Tacoma (WA)

Such an amazing experience! Great gift shop, and a wonderful place to walk around. The hand made tin items are a great touch. The oldest building in Washington State is here! Super rich in history of that is your thing.

This is such a special place! I have participated in an “Immersive Weekend” (amazing!), the “Bread & Butter Workshop” (so fun), “Candle Light”, “Dine We Must” (delicious!), and so much more. There is no where else in Western WA that you can take part in the kind of activities Fort Nisqually offers but the best part is the quality time I get to spend with my granddaughter while we are there!!! The staff is so knowledgeable & friendly they never tire of sharing with visitors. Definitely a must visit for anyone interested in history💜

Nicely rebuilt fort. The period dressed staff really knew their history and appeared to genuinely their roles. Only spent about an hour.

Nice teaching place about the early settlers.

Under some construction. Beautiful!! Apparently they were closed. 😬 I didn't know, walked in.. 😳

Fabulous step back into time at Fort Nisqually! We're a homeschool family and really appreciate what they offer here. We heard about it by reading Douglas Bond's The Battle of Seattle and he includes Fort Nisqually in his historical fiction book, which my kids LOVED! After reading the book, we wanted to visit the current living history museum and we had a great time. Very educational and the staff were knowledgeable and kind. Wish we had known about the surrounding area ...nice woods, great spot for a picnic. Also, don't miss Wren's Nest bakery nearby...AWESOME bakery. If we're ever in the area again, we'll return.

My great-grandson's 15 yo friend said it best when we visited here... he said "you know we learn about this in history classes but it's just words.... this place brings it to life and you FEEL it!" Both boys (12 & 15) loved it here. They even sat & played cards with an old card deck that had no numbers. The entire experience was incredible.

Too expensive for what it is. Should be free or donation based because it doesn’t take long to walk through all the buildings. I take it back, they already run off donors. You don’t even get a guided tour and everyone’s a volunteer so what am I paying for?

They are always worth a trip, in my opinion, but special events like today are the best! My husband, kids (8 and 6), and I were there for almost the whole day. We had an absolute blast! They people are extremely knowledgeable about what they do and/or the area in which they volunteer. They are ready to answer any question, and if for some reason they don't know the answer, they will tell you so (though they may offer an educated guess, letting you know it is a guess.) If you are ever in the area, stop by! They would love to have you.

Great place to visit and learn some history about Fort Nisqually. Walk around and sometimes they do have events inside. Just need to check out their website and the schedule before visiting.

It's the great fort of nisqually protecting the south sound from the north, or well it's actually just a historic wooden fort with a view of the sound. There is reenactors and events going on all the time, and a couple of nearby parking lots. Great place to visit and as a jumping off point to walk the nearby trails of the park. There is also a nearby picnic area and bathrooms. Just try not to get lost if you go exploring outside of the fort, never know when a squirrel might pop out behind a tree.

Great place to learn about Fort Nisqually as a supplier to many groups in the Pacific North West region. Lots of documentation and placards with opportunities to learn about the fort, its history, and the many people and groups in the region that were supported by this Hudson Bay Company operation. Fun for adults, history buffs, and kids. Not so large you'll be stuck there all day.

It was my teenage son's first visit. He was intrigued by the bastions, loved the blacksmithing demonstration, and was excited for the opportunity to ask questions. He is still talking about it two days later.

We had a great time exploring. My mom got a tour of their vegetable garden, my dad chatted with the blacksmith, I got to see the smokehouse & kitchen, & my niece played with the 2 cats that roam around.

We decided to go here instead of the Zoo since it was Mother's Day and the Zoo was a zoo. What a great decision, very enjoyable .The people that work there are very nice really enjoyed our time there. Totally worth it.

We loved this historic stop and spent all afternoon there. The staff dress in period appropriate clothing. We got so much information about how this fort was built, and the relationship between the Native Americans and the English settlers and European immigrants worked together and intermarried. Many projects for youth learning. We went into most of the buildings, and a lovely guide approached us and we started discussing everything! She was so friendly and happy! She took pictures of us and explained many tools and customs. The giftshop is great with authenticly recreated items. On our way out, when we went to say goodbye, we spoke with another young woman about her clothing, sewing and farming. They host a number of special events throughout the year to enjoy. We highly recommend a visit! 👌

Haven't visited fort nisqually in years but it was a very enjoyable visit talking with the blacksmith and a wonderful lady cooking. Both were very knowledgeable with information. Make the trip through the park and parking is easy

A wonderful place to visit and experience "living history". All the volunteers are amazing and you truly feel transported back in time. We so enjoyed the Christmas Regale and have decided it will be a new holiday tradition for us! Definitely recommend!

A lot of fun, a lot of learning. The guide was super informative. Would 100% recommend to bring kids so they can learn about the history of the area, as well as the history of just how things used to be.

It's nice place and it amazing to see the things they have but everytime I was walking over to the dressed up people they would walk into "staff only" areas.

Wonderful piece of “living history”. Well preserved layout, knowledgeable actors in costume walking about, and a bunch of neat things to explore and learn about. We enjoyed our visit to the fort; highly recommend if you enjoy history to check this place out!

First time visiting the museum with our family. I didn't expect us to spend so much time here 🙈 kids didn't want to leave! We did the scavenger hunt, talked to all the people we saw dressed up. Had a picnic on the lawn. Spent quite a while playing the games they have displayed. When we just came there was a school on a field trip so it was a bit loud. We just went to the opposite area from where they were touring. When they left it was extremely peaceful like you are transported back in history. Thank you for a great afternoon!

We didn't get to spend much time at Fort Nisqually so we'll definitely be visiting again. What we did experience was wonderful. It was a step back in time with beautiful scenery and a reminder of times both simpler and harder than our own. A great place to take kids to learn about history, especially if you are homeschooling.

This is a really cool historical site. There's a lot of accessible buildings and they're all presented really well. There are a few staff members at certain places to talk about the site with, and plenty of placards with additional information. The gift shop has a bunch of neat things as well.

Great place to visit and learn about the old ways here in the PNW. In expensive and interesting things to see with the kids and explore the grounds. Come in the summer when more staff are here to interact more with living history. We will be back aging in the summer.

We had an awesome time at the museum, complete with a picture with Father Christmas. We will definitely be back. I would say that this museum is great for people of all ages; lots of activites and information. The employees and volunteers were very dedicated to their costuming and roles.

We explored around the living history museum and the store. Very friendly and welcoming staff that we chatted with. Can't wait to go back and see more of the characters in costume.