I’ve yet to find another place that encapsulates Autumn so perfectly than a stroll through Tacoma’s Wright Park. Nothing tickles my fancy quite like coffee on a crisp sunny day and walking the leaves.

Here you will also find a small conservatory, as well as a plethora of trees whose leaves paint the ground in shades reminiscent of a fiery sunset – bright yellows, pumpkin oranges, and deep reds.

Near the end of September, the leaves begin to change color and the park turns into a leaf-filled wonderland of absolute fall excitement. By mid-October, the trees are in full swing and the ground is covered in piles of leaves just begging to be jumped into. No matter if it is my first time visiting for the season or my 18th, I am in full-on fall mode when I arrive. I kick up leaves, jump on piles, make leaf snow angels – the absolute works.

a quick history

Wright Park, in the heart of Tacoma, was originally developed in 1886 and spans 27 acres, or 10 city blocks, of pure magic. I began writing this post with the intention of geeking out over trees and my favorite time of year, but it slowly became a small ode to Tacoma and the park’s history – which I can geek out on at an equally high level. 

The Tacoma Public Library is a treasure trove for historical-fiends such as myself, and while exploring their collections, I found a few neat pictures that are a blast from the past. Throughout this post, there are a few side by sides from their image archives and my day in the park. I’m always enthralled with pictures from over 100 years ago of the spaces I still love today. In a fast-paced world, it’s nice to see that somethings remain as good as the day they were made.

LET’S TALK ABOUT trees

I lived on one side of the park during college and then on the other side for a short time before moving up to Seattle. Yet in the 8 or so years I’d lived in Tacoma, I never took notice of the trees in the park. I mean, I clearly am in love with them and can see them bright and clear, but I didn’t really look at them. The other day, my friend and I walked through the park and read a sign we’d passed so many times before and it informed us that in 1903, President Teddy Roosevelt himself addressed the good people of Tacoma in front of the Red Oak that stood just a mere hundred yards from where we were standing.

How did I never know this!? Teddy Roosevelt is my favorite president and I love trees!

We walked up to this apparently famous tree and read the lovely little sign attached to it and soon realized that ALL the trees had a little sign on them, with each specifying the type of tree, its native country, and the year it was planted. And just to throw me for another loop – there were 600 trees in the park! 600! And there are 130+ species throughout the park! My mind was blown.

As you can imagine, my excitement level was clearly on the up and up and I rode that high for the rest of the afternoon. I clumsily ran between trees, picked up different leaves and, of course, jumped in colorful (and yes, probably very dirty) piles that were just too good to pass up.

Don’t worry, I recognize that I am really nerding out over these trees and that it’s a little weird, but I can’t help myself, I just really like plants. In fact, I’m currently sitting in a coffeeshop with my newest plant sitting on the table with me. In my defense, I walked from my apartment to the farmer’s market and stopped for coffee on the way back. I don’t just casually carry large plants around (though I’m not entirely opposed to it either).

THE great TREE HUNT

As we explored the park with new eyes, we set upon what felt like a very important mission: Find All the Trees. If there was ever a mission for me to embark on, this was it. This was my time to shine, and you better beleaf it when I say I shined bright. I was galloping between trees and reading the signs like I finally stumbled on the final X on a map. Only there were 130 X’s involved…

While I didn’t find all 130 species of trees, I think I did a decent job of identifying different leaves and it proves to be a good foundation for my valiant efforts.

W. W. SEYMOUR BOTANICAL CONSERVATORY

The fall fun didn’t stop there. After passing the lovely W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory for years, we finally meandered inside. I’m not sure if I thought it was closed all this time or just a very pretty glass building, but having never stepped foot inside the conservatory until just the other day still baffles me beyond belief. In the spirit of fall, they even had it decked out for Halloween when we visited!

The conservatory was originally built in 1908, which is heavily reflected in its Victorian-style details. The conservatory’s wings and 12-sided dome are made of nearly 3,500 glass panes and its permanent collection houses approximately 500 plant species. It also rotates floral displays throughout the year

A WALK IN THE PARK

I’m happy that I moseyed back down to my former stomping ground and strolled through my favorite park during (arguably) the best time of the year. Although I love visiting new places, sometimes going back to old places is just as good, and in the case of Wright Park, it felt as new as the day I first saw it.

For images, courtesy of the Tacoma Public Library:

• Division Street Entrance Statue, 1900

• Inside W.W. Seymour Convservatory; 1948

• Car Outside Conservatory, 1920

• Conservatory Ladies, 1940