Wright Park is a wonderful place to spend time in the downtown area of Tacoma. It doesn’t matter what the weather is – there is always something to see.
The 27-acre Park has so much to offer the visitor. There are more than 600 native and exotic trees in the park, some of whom change their looks as the seasons change. Besides the glorious trees, there are so many other areas to explore.
The Victorian-style “glass house”, is a characteristic of conservatories of Queen Victoria’s era. Seymour Conservatory – one of the oldest buildings in the park, was originally built with a $10,000 donation from W. W. Seymour in the early 1900s. The “Glass House” has been almost completely rejuvenated in the most recent remodel. When you walk into the door, you’ll see Birds of Paradise and other seasonal plants. Just before you go into the “hot house”, there is Koi pond of exotic fish that travel into the “Hot House”. Of course the “hot house” is where the exotic plants are kept and sprayed at intervals. They come from South America and other tropical lands. They include bromeliads – air plants that have no roots in dirt, and many other flower, plants and vines.
The original manager of the Conservatory even sculpted an almost familiar animal, like a caiman (a smaller tropical variety of a crocodile) that resides in the hot room. The Conservatory features monthly floral displays with characteristic color and wonderful smells. A few of the most anticipated are the Easter and Christmas displays.
The Gift Shop has wonderful items to interest anyone from babyhood to grand-motherhood. The displays do change for the holidays, as well. During the most recent remodel, there are now indoor bathrooms and some other small rooms for classes. There is also a small gazebo to the left of the entrance to the Conservatory. In the summer time, couples rent it to come to get photographed in their wedding splendor.
There is a lawn bowling court with its own club house on Sixth Avenue. The lawn is kept well clipped to keep the balls rolling and players and guests happy. The players have their own club house and maintain the court.
There are ponds for the kids to watch the plants and wildlife grow seasonally. Another summertime activity is the playground and the sprayground; the sprayground is only open in the summer.
But no matter what the weather, there’s always something to see – people on their lunch hour hiking around the park, reading a book or just taking in a light breeze and the fresh air. Today Don saw a woman lying on the grass reading. Peaceful is peaceful. Come pick your favorite past time.
Don says that he could run all around Wright Park taking various pathways, see each tree, each feature, all the people using the park, and then fall on the grass and wait for the ambulance. Tacoma General Hospital is just a block away. (Don runs. Peg walks. Peg does not run!)
THANK YOU Don and Peg Doman, and THANKS to Vito and staff and hundreds of caring Tacoma-Pierce County citizens and civic leaders over the past century for their keeping stewardship of this regional treasure. Let’s hope the civic vitality of Lakewood finds similar inspiration over the century ahead.