This was my first time at this event and I really didn't know what to expect…read more Upon arrival I could see that it was a street vendor event, however, what I didnt' anticipate was the vast number of vendors that were there and the number of streets that were blocked off for the event. It started to rain shortly after I arrived but the rain only lasted about 15 minutes so the "party" kept rolling and I got a free Alaskan Airlines umbrella in the interim. Although I was tempted to purchase a cutting board with a swanky etching, I only ended up buying a hot dog from Dawg Eat Dogs. It was good and I probably should have had two. Well, I did also get a nitro cold brew coffee. They had a few classic cars out there and a stage. I did spend some time gawking over the 66s and 67s - good cars that they don't make anymore. I didn't get to hear or see any performances on the stage but I'm sure that they had something at some point during the Festival. Overall not bad, it was an okay way to spend a dreary day outside without getting too soaked.

This was my first time at a Meeker Days Festival. I was really just in the area for the market and…read morethis happened to be here, so why not, right? This is a street fair that takes up many blocks and on that Saturday just so happened to collide with the farmers market. Surprising number of multi-level-marketing shills here (bleh!!), including Pure Romance...I thought this was a family event!! Many business here to choose from, some of which are actually local. 2 stages for live entertainment, a little classic car show, and a good number of food trucks so you can get the feelings of going to the fair. Overall it was okay.

I've been going to the Puyallup Fair (THAT'S WHAT IT'S CALLED) since I was a child. It's been a…read moreyearly tradition for my family and now that I'm a parent, it's a tradition for my kids too! We recently took our kids for a Dizzy Pass day and MAN those are expensive now. I remember when they use to be like $40 and for both of my kids to get a Dizzy Pass it was $140 which is crazy work. I will say it's worth it to make sure they can do a ton of rides, but still. I feel like they added some rides to Sillyville this year which is always a bonus. My kids had such a blast and they did basically every ride. We were smart in terms of food and packed them lunches because they never end up wanting to eat any actual food from the fair so when we do buy them a $20 meal, it goes to waste. So pro tip - pack your kiddos their own food and cut that cost! My husband and I went back for a date night a week or so after taking the kids so that we could check out the new 1900 Food Hall and Rooftop Bar. The new food choices are good additions - we tried the sandwich spot and the new Asian spot. Both were decent, but next year I definitely want to try the Seattle Dog style corndog. The rooftop bar is a VIBE! Especially at night. They did an awesome job with the space. It's pretty big, with lots of different seating options. Bartenders were nice and tried their best to get through the very long line. Prices were shockingly not bad for the fair and were comparable to a regular bar's prices. Overall it was another great year at the fair and we'll be excited when it rolls around next year!

Came here with Chooksedo Sam and it was a good time, but what the heck was that parking situation?…read moreThe people controlling the traffic were doing so poorly that I parked my car where it was open and free, but they started to come up to my car to have me park again for a third time. The staff trying to control too many cars at once when we could just have road guards managing parked cars or cars in "park mode" then moving staff to guide the cars to drive into certain spots of the lot

I'm still not entirely sure what makes the unique taste of the Northwest food scene. Like in…read moreprevious years, many of the dishes I've encountered don't seem to be specifically Northwest-inspired. Additionally, the "five-dollar sample" might be a bit misleading because many vendors don't offer it as a discounted price like they do for their full-priced entrees, so you don't really get a sample as much as you might think. I understand that vendors are selling food and that they do offer full-priced meals with sample portions. However, the variety of food offered to entice customers isn't consistent. There were free live performances, which was a nice touch. The event was conveniently held over by the tequila bar, which was pretty cool. Lastly, I want to emphasize the inconsistency in the sample platters or products across all the vendors. Customers may not want to pay the full price for all this offer. They might want a sample of their most prominent dishes for the advertised five-dollar agreement that is consistently stated when mentioning the taste of the Northwest. This is what has driven me to this event for the last couple of years, and I believe it needed to be refined. Other than that, I think it was pretty decent. Overall, it's definitely something entertaining and fun to take your family to. It's like a 50% reduction of the state fair-style event, usually held on the fairgrounds.

Tried The Taste NW for the first time and from my experience I enjoyed small samples for a few…read morebucks each from various local food vendors, the shopping, drinks, live music and fun things to do for the whole family. Would recommend to any one!

The venue, lines, and number of people is so much better than previously. They only allow people…read morewho bought tickets online. There is a lot more space to walk around - not bumping shoulders in a crowd - and more lines for each activity keeps the wait way down. However, there still isn't much to do, and if there is, it's not labeled well so we had no idea. The shows aren't good, as the audience was mostly silent during every joke. Even the puppet show had kids leaving. Pricing is obscene. The rides (swings pushed by people) are $9. Turkey legs are $21. Axe throwing is around $10 for three throws. The shops are unaffordable by most people. I never once saw anyone holding a bag of something they bought. If prices were lower, I guarantee sales would be through the roof.

Always a great time! Loved the newer Snoho location. Feels like there are more vendors and better…read moreentertainment this year.

This was a very underwhelming event. The amount of booths and sellers in costume was impressive but…read morethe Santa area was depressing and bereft of people and things for kids to do other than coloring. Both my friend and I commented on the gate fee ($10 ahead, $12 at door) when the primary purpose for the fair seemed to be shopping. There were quite a few fabulous local vendors that I loved supporting. I was a little taken back by the amount of MLM booths (Scentsy, Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, Tupperware to name a few). There was not much in the way of entertainment other than some music which was back in a theater. No music piping over the loud speakers or anyone wandering around in costume or things I might expect. The food was standard fair food. I had a beef and cheese piroshki which was tasty. My husband had an excellent veal sausage and great sauerkraut from the food stands. Overall a fun community event but not for the door price. It seems like you would want people spending money on the vendors versus at the door. Wish they had a bit more to engage those who weren't just there to shop shop shop.

I think the Victorian Country Christmas is a great place to support local small business.read more

The Daffodil Parade is an awesome event that happens every year in Pierce County, spanning 4 cities…read moreand this year is the 83rd year that it has taken place. Such a great annual tradition! I was surprised to look it up On Friday night & realize that it is this weekend, April 9th on Saturday in 4 locations around Pierce County. This is a can't miss opportunity for us. It's such a fun one with the Daffodil Princesses on a big float & all the other cool floats filled with spring flowers & bands from local area schools! It's definitely our one of favorite parade of the year here in the Northwest. My girls love seeing the Daffodil princesses all dressed up! The Daffodil Festival, April 8-10, 2016 Here's the schedule for the parades: Tacoma - 10:15 AM Puyallup - 12:45 PM Sumner - 2:30 PM Orting - 5:00 PM

Spring only in Knutson Farms!…read more Tulip town in the south, our go to destination for every Spring. this is the second time we are here and we love it. what we love is the number of activities to keep the my toddler occupied - the cycle track, large bouncy area, bubbles spot, the new hay pyramid was a welcome addition, the barn and the cute animals, the corn pit, the tractor ride to the tulip farm. the tulip farm isn't as grand as the skagit valley but does pleases you heart especially with small props like benches that are kept on the field. the flowers display throughout the farm is very cute. the food scenes could be improved with more additions. the restrooms are the cleanest porta potty you can find on any farm! the lemonade stand is amazing. the OG lemonade is without much sugar and tastes perfect. buying ticket online is recommended as it gives you faster access to the farm than waiting in the line to buy the ticket. plenty of parking available!

We visited this pumpkin patch in October and absolutely loved it. There were plenty of fun rides…read morefor the kids, including tractor rides, horse-drawn rides, and barrel rides. The property is large, spacious, and very well maintained. There were also great food options on site, like roasted corn, apple cider donuts, and a small coffee shop. The pumpkin selection was huge, and the corn mazes and bounce houses kept the kids entertained for hours. Overall, this has become our favorite pumpkin patch and our go-to spot every fall.

This will be my last time ever going to the Puyallup's Oktoberfest. $9 for one drink ticket and $45…read morefor a ticket entrance? You can save money by bringing your own cup, but you still have to pay $9 for a ticket to get a drink. Some drink capacities take 2 tickets vs just 1, depending on the size of the cup. Regular plastic cups are only 1 ticket. They dont charge parking, but the parking charge is definitely included in that $45 ticket. I will say this feels more organized than previous years. You have more beer options, more games that are separated out across the venue, and the dance area has decreased giving more room to walk around the venue comfortably. Overall, save your money elsewhere.

This is the lamest excuse for an 'Oktoberfest' I have ever seen. They have an Oktoberfest band that…read moredoesn't even have a tuba, and they're playing Jimmy Buffett songs. There's absolutely nothing to do inside after you pay your $16 entry fee, except to pay nine dollars for a beer. They have three games, and incredibly poor "Entertainment." It's $18 for a pretzel (and an extra $3 if you want a ketsup size container of liquid plastic cheese) and it's a REALLY bad pretzel. I cannot believe I actually wanted to come do this. Everyone wanrts a tip (even the girls selling tickets for beers!) I am mortified at how incredibly embarrassingly bad it is. Save your money!!!! Save yourself!!!!

We came mid-August on a rainy day when I saw an IG post about this place and thought it would be…read morefun for my Mom and the pups to get out. It was. Mom put a bowl in a bag so she could go hands free as she picked the berries. Unfortunately we were too early, as there were some berries that were ripe, but they were all very small, maybe the size of peas. We made note and plan to come back at the end of August to let things ripen a bit. Mom only got a handful of berries, but we'll probably put them in a smoothie or on a parfait.

This place is awesome, full stop…read more What was once a private u-pick farm is now open to the community where you can come get your blueberry on free of charge! Boasting 5 different varieties of blueberry over 20 acres, if you're willing to take the time you can end up with quite the bounty! As I write this the blueberries aren't quite ready to go, but they're mostly definitely working on it and will be delicious in the very near future. There's a ton of space so there's room for everyone. Bonus points if you're petite - some of the bushes are pretty close together and you just know that's where all the ultra-plump berries will be hiding! There's also a small community garden and playground on site if your kiddos need to burn some energy. Easy street parking. The area looks and feels a little iffy, but likely perfectly fine during the day.

There are lots of festivals in the area, but this is probably the one most tightly focused on great…read morehand-made food. It's unbelievable how many people turn out to make snacks, dinners, and desserts for this. Even speaking as someone who grew up in this town, I never really noticed this church and all the space it has. You get in free, so they need that space--it gets *packed* by the end of the night. The main space is the big tent out back, ringed by food vendors and craft vendors. You eat very well. Sausages made to order and available only at the festival, tons of other entrees, and especially all the different pastries and cookies...all this stuff is just outstanding. Virtually everything costs just a few bucks. There's music and dancing and traditional garb around, too. They DO want this to be a genuine heritage festival, and among the older generation, there are a bunch of people either born in the old country or whose parents were. I'm the least thing from Greek myself, but just digging around looking for interesting food and interesting stuff to take home, I had a ball. I was out of line all those years I didn't attend (this was the first time).

Heaven. It's just heaven. First off when you enter, you can either go upstairs or downstairs or to…read morethe left? The left is the bakery and should not be missed! Upstairs is the church, downstairs is where it's at....bypass the people in line and head out to the tent. Do yourself a favor and pick out a few enticing items to box up out of the pastry case or grab a box of baklava at the bakery on the way out. My favorite thing at the festival are tiropitas (phyllo dough with Greek feta) they are light and crispy but also very rich and savory. FIND THEM! They are not in the food tent. I enjoy the gyros and the calamari with the garlic potato dipping stuff. (Please forgive me as I know not the proper words for some of this glorious food)..They make little tiny donuts with hot honey sauce over them..and dolomites (not my thing. Grape leaves taste like crap). Sausages. You can purchase a traditional Greek "dinner" for sit down in the church (near the tiropita window!), or nibble your way through the food tent if that's more your style. Any item is just a few dollars. It is a fun experience to watch the greek dancing every hour or so. Go sit in a pew and listen. Light a candle for a loved one. Learn something about the culture you are immersing yourself in. You can purchase Greek food like olive oil and excellent cheeses and other Greek products in the food tent. They use tokens for the food so be sure to stop at the huge line right when you walk in the main food tent to get some..(hope you've had your flu shot. Touching money is bad enough!! But wait! Touch these tokens too)..there is beer and wine available for purchase. It is buffet style seating and I wouldn't have it any other way. Part of the charm is the people watching for sure. I've been going here since I was a kid. So glad to see it's still wildly popular and just as hard as ever to find a parking spot. It is one of the first fall events in Tacoma I get excited in which to participate.