Your last real stretch of the Pacific Northwest dry season — so get outside now. Mount Rainier, the trails, the water, because the rain starts working its way back in toward the end of the month. The Washington State Fair runs all month in Puyallup, kids are back in school, and this is the month to lock in your routine before the wet season settles.
Real events, pulled fresh. On-post and off. Verified against JBLM MWR, city, and Puget Sound calendars.
Not sponsored. Not Yelp. Where we'd actually send you.
Military discounts change often — always ask at the counter. We only badge a spot when it's confirmed.
Evergreen spots worth your time — parks, trails, and local landmarks.
760 waterfront acres with old-growth forest, gardens, beaches, the zoo, and the Vashon ferry. Your all-purpose weekend spot.
"The Mountain" you'll see from post. September means fewer crowds and the first fall color at Paradise. Go before the high roads close for the season.
Live glassblowing in the Hot Shop, plus the free Chihuly Bridge of Glass connecting downtown to the waterfront.
A tram tour through free-roaming bison, elk, moose, and bighorn sheep with Rainier behind them. Kids love it.
Walk the Chambers Bay loop or hit Steilacoom's beach — the closest saltwater, 10 minutes from post.
One of the world's largest auto museums, right by the Tacoma Dome. A rainy-day winner for gearheads and kids.
Pike Place, the Space Needle, ballgames, and museums. Easy day or overnight when you want the big city.
Record shops, indie boutiques, coffee, and the city's best casual food strip. The place to wander an afternoon.
Downtown Tacoma's Odd Otter was founded in 2014 by military veterans — physicians and enlisted alike — in a Pacific Avenue building that housed USO operations during WWII. It closed briefly at the end of 2023 and was brought back in early 2024 by new local owners, with the original head brewer still running the tanks.
Why it's on this page: military members and first responders get happy-hour pricing all day, there's a permanent food truck out front, and it's an easy first "we live here now" night out — karaoke Tuesdays, trivia and movie nights Wednesdays. Small-batch beer, no pretense.
716 Pacific Ave, Tacoma · oddotterbeer.com
September is the month the Pacific Northwest turns. The dry stretch usually holds through mid-month, then the rain comes back for real and settles in until spring. Knock out the Rainier and Sound trips while the weather cooperates. Then set up for the wet months: rain shells for the kids (locals don't do umbrellas), headlights and wipers checked for the dark late-afternoon commutes, and a mudroom routine before school-morning chaos. If you PCS'd this summer, lock in your school, gym, and commute routine now — it's a lot harder to build in November. Confirm current training schedules and gate hours on the JBLM garrison site.