November is when the gray season settles in around JBLM: more rain, short days and sunset around 4:24pm in Tacoma by the end of the month. It is also Veterans Day month, with a free run on post, free zoo days for service members, and the holiday lights switching on the day after Thanksgiving. Here's what's worth a spot on your calendar.
Real events with 2026 dates confirmed on the organizer's own page: JBLM MWR, Point Defiance Zoo, Pierce County Parks, the City of Auburn, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma City Theaters and more. Times and prices appear only where the source posts them. On-post events need installation access if you don't have a DoD ID.
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. Check the park's road status before you go; snow closes the high roads for winter.
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
By the end of November the sun sets around 4:24pm in Tacoma, so a lot of drives home happen in the dark on wet roads. WSDOT flags I-5 through the JBLM corridor as a regular congestion point. Give yourself extra time, run your headlights, and leave more room on slick pavement. Veterans Day is Wednesday, Nov 11 (federal holiday). Clover Park School District has no school Nov 11, early release for conferences Nov 18–20 and on Nov 25, and no school Nov 26–27 for Thanksgiving, so plan childcare and pickups ahead.