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Neighborhood must-sees

A castle, a glass bridge, a U.S. Open golf course and a garden estate

One of the many iconic settings at Lakewold Gardens, the Tea House offers visitors a relaxing view. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

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In terms of places to visit and things to do, the area surrounding Joint Base Lewis-McChord offers a wide variety of historical sites, artistic, and sports venues to visit and enjoy.

What follows are four well-known locales that new members to the community will enjoy.

Thornewood Castle

This English Tudor/Gothic mansion on the shore of American Lake is one of the few private castles in the United States and the only one on the west coast.

The edifice is sited on four acres and was built to the specifications of Chester Thorne, one of the founders of the Port of Tacoma.  

In 1907, he purchased a 400-year-old Elizabethan manor and then had it dismantled and shipped from England to be used in the building of his castle. The structure incorporates much of the brick, oak paneling, oak staircase and medieval stained glass from the English manor; the red exterior bricks came from Wales. Three ships were used to transport all of the building supplies.

Thornewood currently offers bed and breakfast suites, vacation rentals, and hosts special events.

Thornewood Castle, 8601 North Thorne Lane SW, Lakewood, 253.584.4393, thornewoodcastle.com

Museum of Glass

Dedicated in 2002, the museum is a space for the celebration of the studio glass movement. Within its 75,000 square feet of space, it has 13,000 square feet of gallery space and a 7,000-square-foot hot shop.

The shop is shaped as an angled cone, and it is the museum's most notable architectural feature. Graced with a sweeping concrete stairway that wraps around the exterior of the building, it ends at the edge of three rimless reflecting pools on a spacious terrace.

Connected to the museum is the colorful Chihuly Bridge of Glass, which symbolically and literally connects the structure to Tacoma.

Museum of Glass, 1801 Dock Street, 253.284.4750, museumofglass.org

Chambers Bay Golf Course

A walking-only course, this public course was designed within the traditions of the game and the natural style of links golf. Tucked against the shore of Puget Sound, the home of the 2015 U.S. Open offers a world-class golf challenge amidst a spectacular setting.

Surrounding the course is a 3.7-mile paved trail, which offers walkers a sweeping view of the golf course and Puget Sound. From the islands off in the distance and ferries departing nearby Steilacoom to the passing of freight trains and the remnants of a former gravel and sand operation, visitors leave refreshed and ready to return.

Chambers Bay Golf Course, 6320 Grandview Dr. W., University Place, 253.460.4653, chambersbaygolf.com

Lakewold Gardens

A 10-acre garden estate that began in 1908, the grounds offer visitors an opportunity to stroll at leisure and enjoy a historic estate garden of world-class distinction.  

Lakewold works to successfully maintain the beautiful and tranquil garden estate, which affords visitors the chance to enjoy its uniqueness.

Open year-round, the site not only keeps the gardens up-to-date and evolves as the desires to visitors change, but it also features festivals, discovery walks, concerts and guest speakers.

Lakewold Gardens, 12317 Gravelly Lake Dr. SW, Lakewood, 253.584.4106, lakewoldgardens.org

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