Each time a military family makes a PCS move there are all sorts of things to do.  Find new schools, a new church, music instructors, grocery stores… and the list goes on.

But when the dust settles and your routine is set it’s time to get your children and venture off the beaten path.

Here are some activities that you can do with your children to get to know the Puget Sound area:

Visit Art in the Park, which includes outdoor sculptures, at Wright, Point Defiance, and Ruston Way Parks in Pierce County.  For more information: www.co.pierce.wa.us.

Take the Steilacoom Ferry to Anderson Island to the Johnson Farm.  Each year a variety of activities are held at the nearly 100-year-old farm.  Activities include an annual salmon bake, and an apple squeeze where kids can learn to make apple cider.  Visit the Web site at: www.andersonislandhs.com.

Take the whole family and go on a bike ride through the parks of Pierce County.  For a complete list and maps, visit www.co.pierce.wa.us.

Walk over the Dale Chihuly Bridge of Glass and visit the Museum of Glass in Tacoma.  Admission is free on the third Thursday of each month between 5 – 8 p.m.  Also the museum offers children a chance to design a piece of art.  Children up to age 12 can draw and submit an original drawing to be considered.   The MOG glassblowers select an item to create from the drawings.  The child and their family are then invited to watch the glassblowers make the piece.  The child gets one and the museum gets one.  One item is selected for display in the museum, and some are chosen for the museum’s traveling exhibit.  For hours, and directions visit the Web site at www.museumofglass.org.

Visit www.metroparkstacoma.org to schedule a kayaking, white water rafting, or rock climbing excursion.
 
Visit the Lake Quinault Rain Forest in Olympic National Park.  This park has short and long interactive trails throughout.  For more information visit : www.nps.gove/olym/planyourvisit.

Taking a hiking trip at one of the nearby hiking trails. One family favorite is the Grove of Patriarchs, which is 1.5 miles roundtrip, and is located at the Stevens Canyon entrance to Mt. Rainier National Park.  It includes Douglas fir trees and Red Cedars that are 1000-years-old and about 25 feet in circumference.  For a list of more hiking trails, visit www.rei.com/passport.