Are you in need of some farm-fresh goods or gifts during your stay at our Puyallup motel? You can’t go wrong with the Puyallup Farmers’ Market! Held at the Pioneer Park and Pavilion, this market represents a downtown tradition going back over thirty years. Buy certified organic produce and flowers directly from local growers, check out the wealth of arts and crafts from regional innovators, then take in the wine garden and live music. It’s a great way to get quality goods for less while supporting local farmers and businesses!

The market season runs from April to October, with markets running every Saturday from 9AM to 2PM. Starting in May, you can experience the Wednesday market from 3PM to 7:30PM. Visit the Puyallup Main Street Association website for more information.

Remembering Freedom Day in a Historical Mansion

The Meeker Mansion was the home of Ezra Meeker, built and completed around 1890. Meeker was known as the ‘Hop King of the World’, becoming wealthy through the production of hops, ingredients in beer for flavoring and stability.

He dedicated himself to tracing and marking the Oregon Trail, the famous wagon route and emigrant trail, worked many hours writing about it and the history of the Puget Sound, producing twelve books on the topics. The Meeker Mansion was the social and political center of the valley, during Ezra Meeker’s life.

The Meeker Mansion attracts many visitors not only for historical significance but because the structure itself is The 15-rooms and 12-feet high ceilings of the mansion are impressive, decorated with frescoes and plaster sculptures.

Gold-leaf molding, fancy metal doorknobs and hinges, built-in bolt locks on the doors, and inside blinds were part of every room. Speaking tubes are used for communication throughout the mansion, and gas lights for lighting. The exterior of the house is truly representative of the period’s architecture.

The Puyallup Historical Society at Meeker Mansion is now responsible for the restoration and preservation of Meeker Mansion, to preserve and promote the historical aspects of the Puyallup Valley and its links to the Oregon Trail.

There are self-guided tours conducted for visitors, school tours, community events like psychic fairs, art fests, tea parties, antique sale, and special events like weddings and parties are accepted. For the 4th of July, there’s the free Meeker Mansion 4th of July Family Games & Concert.

Family games will be held on the lawn at 2pm. Strawberry treats are available for purchase. The concert called Puyallup Community Band Concert will start at 3pm. People are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets. Snacks are available as well.

A History-Rich Celebration with Family

Are you used to a noisy 4th of July celebration since you can remember? Sans the fireworks, staying with us at our hotel in Puyallup will afford you a quieter 4th of July but one not lacking in family fun activities and historical significance. We invite you to come to a more relaxed celebration.

Looking for a souvenir to take home after your stay at our Puyallup motel? If you’re staying with us this April, you can’t go wrong with the Great Junk Hunt.

The Great Junk Hunt started right here in Puyallup, when Linda Albers closed her antique store to go on the road. Today, this travelling flea market serves as a place for junkers and collectors to assemble, buying and selling unique treasures of all kinds. Here you can find vintage items, one-of-a-kind artwork, clothing, furniture, crafts, collectables, and a host of other untold goods. An avid treasure hunter can spend hours at a time browsing!

This spring, the Great Junk Hunt returns to Puyallup’s Washington State Fairgrounds Pavilion from April 22nd to the 23rd. Hours are from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Friday and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday. Visit the official Great Junk Hunt website to learn more about the market. Visit the website of the Washington State Fairgrounds to learn more about the upcoming event in Puyallup.

Nothing serves to welcome the winter holidays quite like a tree-lighting ceremony. If you find yourself at our motel in Puyallup this Thanksgiving weekend, make your way up to Tacoma’s Pantages Theater to experience the classic fun of this long-standing South Sound tradition.

The Holiday Tree Lighting has been an annual tradition for the past seventy years. It is here that the community assembles together for Christmas carols, pictures with Santa, and other holiday festivities. This year, attendees are invited to catch Chris Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience before and after the lighting. Featured on shows like David Letterman, Ellen, and the Tonight Show, these dogs are famous for their dancing, comedic antics and high-energy tricks. Popular demand is bringing these amazing canines back to the Pantages Theater.

This year’s Tree Lighting is scheduled to take place on November 28th at Tacoma’s Broadway Center for the Performing Arts. You will need a ticket for the Stunt Dog Experience, but the Tree Lighting itself is free. You can read more at the official Broadway Center website.

Puyallup’s own Skookum Archers range is one of the very oldest and largest surviving archery clubs in all of Washington State. This range can be found across thirty-nine acres of scenic forested land up on South Hill. Test your archery skills on the fifty-six targets while you take in the sights of Washington’s beautiful wilderness, or try the flat range with targets at distances from twenty to 101 yards. Facilities also include targets for FITA shooting, with distances between eighteen and ninety meters.

The archery range is open to the public from dawn until dusk. Fees amount to $5.00 per person for the flat range and walk-through courses, while children under the age of twelve are allowed to shoot for free when they are accompanied by an adult. A pro shop is available to take care of all of your equipment needs, or provide you with private archery lessons. Visit the official Skookum Archery website to learn more about the facilities or to check the club’s calendar for upcoming events.

Maintained by the Washington State Historical Society, the Washington State History Museum is a fun and engaging place to learn more about the fascinating people and events that shaped our state. Take a walk through the past with the help of the walk-through dioramas that depict the life of the region’s early inhabitants. Visit the museum’s 1,800 square foot model railroad to learn more about the railroads that helped the state flourish. Take in an assortment of interactive exhibits, historical artefacts, and theatrical storytelling by a collection of famous figures from the past. From the rich cultures of the area’s indigenous peoples, to the women’s suffrage movement, to the mystery of DB Cooper, it’s all waiting for you at the Washington State History Museum.

The Washington State History Museum is located up in Tacoma, a short drive to the northwest of our motel in Puyallup. Visit the official Washington State Historical Society website to learn more about the museum, its permanent exhibits, current and upcoming exhibits, and upcoming events.

There are many stunning and fascinating theater venues throughout the area around our motel in Puyallup, but very few combine the magic of the stage with the natural beauty of the outside world. If you are looking for a good outdoor theater, you can’t go wrong with the Kitsap Forest Theater.

Located in Bremerton, just an hour outside of Seattle, the Forest Theater is run by one of the oldest non-profit theater groups in the country. This community theater is nestled amid a stunning rhododendron preserve. It is here that you can sit in the shade of a conifer canopy and see quality, family-friendly musical theater inspired by the natural surroundings. The theater puts on two productions every year, one in the spring and another in the summer. Past productions have included Mary Poppins, Seussical, The Music Man, Shrek: the Musical, and many other old favorites. Visit the official Kitsap Forest Theater website to learn more about the theater, to read up on its current or upcoming season, or to purchase tickets right away.

The Rhododendron Species Foundation & Botanical Garden is an organization dedicated to conserving the rhododendron species and giving the public a chance to experience these fascinating flowers as many of their natural habitats face destruction. Featuring over seven hundred different varieties of rhododendrons from around North America, Europe, and Asia, this garden is one of the world’s largest collections of the flower.

The rhododendrons are in bloom starting in January, reaching their peak from mid-March to mid-May. Even when the rhododendrons are not in bloom, there is always something to see. Visit the Victorian Stumpery, the world’s largest public stumpery, for an amazing fern display amid one hundred forty stumps and logs. Take in the Rutherford Conservatory for blossoming flowers throughout the year, including not only rhododendrons but also orchids and other companion plants.

You can find the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden in Federal Way, a short trip north from our motel in Puyallup. Facilities are available to reserve for weddings and other private events. Visit the garden’s official website for more information.

Washington’s State Fair is the single biggest annual event in the state, and this year promises to bring the same brand of fun and excitement that it has come to be known for. Join in with the fair food, the rides, the contests, and other regular fair classics. Catch the concert series, including big names like Duran Duran, Kool & the Gang, and Keith Urban. All of this and much, much more is waiting at the fair!

The 2015 Washington State Fair is scheduled to take place from September 11th to September 27th. It is held in Puyallup’s own Washington State Fairgrounds, within easy reach of our motel in Puyallup. Visit the official fair website to learn more about this year’s events.