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 went to the fair for the first time and immediately realized the animals were better groomed than…read moreI was honestly, the cows, goats, and pigs were so beautiful they looked like model animals by far the best part of the day even though I did get yelled at by a child for petting an animal in the stall. To be honest, valid, I don't realize you can't touch them. I also loved walking through all the competition displays. The garden and flower entries were amazing - everything looked so perfect it almost seemed fake. I did not expect to become emotionally invested in competitive flowers, but here we are. There were also a bunch of art submissions for some kind of contest, and that was really fun to look through too. I liked seeing how different everyone's work was and how much effort clearly went into it. The indoor booth shopping area was also awesome and wayyyy bigger than I expected. There was so much random stuff to look at. I bought some knockoff squishies and tried a remote massager that was surprisingly incredible. I went in expecting animals and fair food and somehow left thinking about whether I needed massage equipment. I also really enjoyed the museum areas because I ended up learning more about Washington while I was there. That was a nice surprise and made the whole experience feel like more than just rides and food. My biggest complaint is the corn dog, and I feel obligated to warn people. It is not a normal corn dog. The outside is more like pretzel bread. If you love pretzels, you might be thrilled. If you were expecting a classic corn dog like I was, you will be disappointed Overall though very fun :)

The Washington State Fair (forever the Puyallup Fair to those of us who grew up around here) still…read morebrings all the classic fair vibes. There's something nostalgic about coming back for the food, rides, games, and people-watching. My biggest tip: go during the week if you can! It's way less crowded, the lines are much more manageable, and you can actually walk around and enjoy everything. And come hungry because the food is half the experience! Definitely grab a piroshky, an elephant ear, and of course the classic fair scones. If you're unsure what to eat, start with those. You really can't go wrong! Parking can be a B so either expect to pay $30+ or walk a long way. You'll be getting your steps in regardless! Always a good time and still has that classic Puyallup Fair feeling no matter what the official name is now.

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.

Go every year to this event and it is pretty much the same vendors and atmosphere. I love some of…read morethe vendors, but do not love the forceful salespeople for cosmetics or home goods. It is kind of off-putting to have to continually say, "no thanks"... I am not pleased with the cranky people at the gate, who were rude and ridiculous when we tried to get in, demanding we move back and come back later. It bothers me when people take their authority and act hostile with it!

Had an amazing time at the electric run. This was my second untimed 'fun run' in recent years, and…read moreit didn't disappoint. The energy was great, staff were super friendly, parking was easy (and free!), the race felt well organized, the lines, though long, moved quickly, the shirts are cute and glow in the dark (of course), and the course was just super fun. Loved the candy land theme with gummy bears and dance party at the end - I'm more of a hip hop R&B girl, but EDM seemed fitting. lol. and loved that they also served scones there! :D :D :D. Best part: I lost my ID somewhere amidst glow sticks, suds, black light and fun... lost and found didn't have it, so I found myself retracing my steps while everyone else grabbed a beer :(..but every staff member was so friendly and helpful.... half way through the course, I miraculously decided to turn right instead of left and a police officer called over to me and asked if I was looking for someone. I told him I had lost my ID and he said oh...what's your name and birthdate? Smiled, and handed me my ID... what are the chances!? :)

This is my 2nd year volunteering at the electric run in Puyallup (or Seattle, as they label…read moreit...even though it's like 40 minutes away from Seattle but oh well!) It's so much fun. The energy is amazing. The people you get to work with are amazing, the whole experience is...amazing. I was stationed at the last stretch of the run last night, the energy of all the runners when they found out it was almost over was so much fun to work with. To be the light at the end of the tunnel for these runners was exciting. After the run is done, you get to go into the pavillion & join a huge dance party. They have a live dj & fun decorations. The atmosphere is high energy!! They threw out a ton of glow Sticks & had huge balloons everywhere. Everything was glow in the dark & black lights. This 5K is one of the bests around. Sign up as a group & run with all your friends. Dress up, dress down, whatever you want! The different courses you go through make it go by quickly & you have fun every step of the way. If you've never done one, make this your first.

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!!!!

For a free park, this one goes hard. I've rarely seen a public park so crowded. It's lovely.read more

So amazing for the community. I come here every mid-August and do an annual blueberry restock for…read morethe freezer. Can't wait to go back a little later in the season!