Really, you should appreciate your mom all year round, but once a year comes a day when it’s time to send up one big thank you to all moms. Sure, you could opt for chocolates and flowers, but why not also venture out into your community? Tacoma and surrounding cities have plenty of places to enjoy a delicious brunch, relax with a spa treatment, explore a museum and more.
Half Price Mom’s Day at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Take mom to Point Defiance Zoo for Mother’s Day and you’ll get half price on her ticket at the gate. The usual zoo offenders will all be out in force, from tigers and monkeys and penguins, but some special guests will also be visiting starting just before Mother’s Day. The budgies are back! Most years, a flock of budgies comes to roost at the zoo and visitors can buy seed sticks and spend some time feeding and hanging out with more than 100 of these friendly birds.
Mother’s Day Brunch
Brunch is classic. It’s quintessential. It’s tough to go wrong. Tacoma is a brunch kind of town any day of the year, but for Mother’s Day, keep an eye out for Mother’s Day brunch buffets, especially if you enjoy endless breakfast treats or seafood.
One of the top brunch options in town is also one of the top Mother’s Day brunch spots – The Lobster Shop. If your mom of choice loves seafood, this is the place to be with crab legs, salmon, oysters and steamed clams galore. There’s also a solid representation of omelets and other egg dishes, breads and pastries, carved meats, fruit and more.
Just a little farther down the Waterfront, C.I. Shenanigan’s also has a brunch buffet each Sunday that fits well with Mother’s Day. Expect seafood, a meat carving station, salads and entrees, and – the best part – plenty of desserts.
Yet another solid option for brunch (and dinner!) is Pacific Grill in downtown Tacoma, which also pairs well with spending a day at the museums, if mom enjoys art, history or cars. Dine at the restaurant for brunch or dinner, or enjoy a meal paired with Tacoma Art Museum.
Mother’s Day at Tacoma Art Museum
Mother’s Day at Tacoma Art Museum is a special treat. The event includes museum admission, your choice of a buffet or plated meal catered by Pacific Grill, a complimentary drink for mom and a family portrait. Exhibits at the museum currently include the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery The Outwin 2016: American Portraiture Today, as well as Cultural imPRINT and Familiar Faces & New Voices. Reservations are required and start at $45.95 for adults and $25.95 for children 10 and under for a general reservation, and $55.95 for adults and $35.95 for children for premier reservations.
Spa Packages at Gene Juarez
No one deserves a spa break like mom! And Gene Juarez – with locations in Tacoma and South Hill – has a number of specials and spa packages for Mother’s Day. Spa package specials include The Perfect Start (a European facial and therapeutic massage, two hours, for $220); The Space Sampler (a manicure and pedicure, 60-minute European facial and 60-minute therapeutic massage, four hours total, for $310); Day of Beauty (a full-day, six-hour retreat that includes makeup, blow dry, catered lunch, 90-minute massage, 60-minute facial, manicure and pedicure for $475). All spa packages are discounted for the day, with the Day of Beauty discounted by $75.
Spa memberships are also discounted at $450 for a six-month membership. If you sign up before May 22, you get a month free and $100 to spend toward beauty products. Members receive a spa service of their choice each and every month.
Gift cards are also on special for Mothers Day – buy $150 and get $15; buy $300, get $40; buy $500, get $75; buy $1000, get $165. Gift cards can be used on a range of products and services at Gene Juarez, from microblading to bayalage and beyond.
Tea at Meeker Mansion
For a cozy Mother’s Day idea, reserve a spot at Meeker Mansion’s Mother’s Day Tea on either May 13 or May 14 (and there are other dates throughout the year, if you want to book another weekend). Tea includes a tour of Meeker Mansion, as well as all the high tea treats you might expect – cucumber sandwiches, scones, tarts, fruit and tea served in English bone china cups.
Lakewold Gardens
Lakewold Gardens is a picturesque formal garden on the shore of American Lake in Lakewood. On a sunny day, it’s a lovely and fairly secret spot in the South Sound for a stroll, a quiet moment of enjoying nature, or a place to enjoy one of the events the gardens hold throughout the year. On Mother’s Day 2017, Lakewold Gardens will hold a Jewelry Fundraising Sale with new, used and vintage pieces galore, as well as scarves and bath products on sale too. Shop or stroll the day away. Lakewold Gardens also has a small plant nursery where you can buy mom a plant to take home (including a variety of Japanese maples).
Mother’s Day Jewelry Sale at Museum of Glass
Mother’s Day at the Museum of Glass can easily be a standalone activity, or combine it with your day at Tacoma Art Museum or exploring the Bridge of Glass. At MOG, explore the galleries or take time out to watch some glass being blown live at the Hot Shop. On Mother’s Day as well as days leading up to and after, the museum is also holding a jewelry sale with 20% off jewelry for everyone and 30% off for museum members.
