News
Introducing: Two in Tow’s Kid Picks! 🎉 Where Clara, Wyatt and I list family-friendly events worthy of your kid-calendar.
We’re trying something new here at Two in Tow — a curated roundup of the coolest-sounding events to take the kids (and grandkids!) to — so you can go, too!
I’m always scouting for local stuff to do with Clara and Wyatt — whether it’s for the column or just for my own get-out-of-the-house sanity. My search usually turns into a weekend calendar “top picks” list for our family — which sometimes even becomes a printed version so the kids can pick their own adventures in a visual way. Then I thought, why not share that with you guys!?
Each Kid Picks article will highlight a handful of standout local events that made me pause and think, “Oooh, that looks fun!” Whether it’s a quirky storytime in a garden, a hands-on museum day, a cool class, or a can’t-miss outdoor event, I’ve got your back when you’re looking for kid-friendly happenings in and around Gig Harbor. Confession: I often venture out a little further for organized events in the South Sound, but I typically stick to a 45-mile travel radius from home — just enough to find something fresh to do without needing a whole long road trip to plan for. And I love that approach often brings us to new areas we haven’t been to before.
So keep an eye out for new editions with fun calendar picks finds each time — and here’s to more great family adventures:
High-flying fun is coming to the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This traveling circus, which hails from Las Vegas, promises aerial acts, clowns, glittering stunts and general circus celebrations before packing up and heading to Oregon.
📅 Showtimes: Friday, March 28 at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 29 at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; and Sunday, March 30 at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Each show is 90 minutes. Doors open 1 hour before showtime.
Cost/Tickets: $20/adult; $10/child (ages 3–12); or $34.99 for a “Family 5 Pack” that is for sale online only, but not available on the day of the show). Kids age 2 and younger are free.
💡TIP: On Wednesday, March 26, I found a small flyer from Jordan World Circus on display at the cash register at Thai Hut, 4116 Harborview Drive. The flyer is labeled as a Jordan World Circus “Free Child Pass” and admits one child age 12 or younger for free with one paid adult ticket. It might be worth a little lunchtime visit to the Thai restaurant to see if they still have passes before you go! Being a gluten-free person, I’m happy to report that Thai Hut has gluten free options 🙂
Harbor WildWatch aquarists (the folks who care for aquatic animals in captivity) showcase their animals’ daily feeding sesh inside the Marine Life Center on Gig Harbor’s downtown waterfront. And apparently, it’s quite entertaining to boot! Organizers say their hermit crabs scramble for the snacks while the shiny oval surfperch fish race to grab a bite. The group’s octopus may even make a showing.
Roomba, Harbor WildWatch’s new Pacific red octopus, will live in a small tank at the Marine Life Center for now. When she grows a little bigger she will be transferred to a larger tank in the center, and staff hope to have her there until she shows signs that she is ready to lay eggs. Photo courtesy of Rachel Easton, education director for HWW.
📅 30-minute sessions every Wednesday to Sunday
🕰: 4 to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Harbor WildWatch’s Marine Life Center, 3207 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor
Cost: Free; with no RSVP required; but donations are welcome
Note: The event listing says Feeding Frenzy is not a drop-off program, and all children must be supervised by an adult
RELATED >>> Read Meet Roomba, Harbor Wild Watch’s new Pacific red octopus article in Gig Harbor Now’s Jan. 15, 2025 edition.
📅 Tuesday, April 1, 2025
🕰: This is an all-day event, planned within the park’s day use hours detailed here
Celebrate National Poetry Month with a stroll along Spire Rock trail by the Bresemann Forest in Parkland. The trail will be outfitted with poetry signs that pay tribute to poets from around the world. The poems featured are from “Out of Wonder” by Kwame Alexander. Suitable for all ages.
📍 Location: This event takes place along the Spire Rock trail at Bresemann Forest, 521 Military Road South. Enter the forest through the gate on the west side of the Sprinker Recreation Center parking lot near Spire Rock.
📅 Saturday, March 29, 2025
🕰 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
For sale will be historic clothing, military gear, period accessories, crafting supplies, vintage tools, books, and more. Whether you’re a re-enactor, history buff, or just love unique finds, there will be something for everyone there. Highlights include Civil War-era items, WWII uniforms, vintage sewing machines, period shoes, trade beads, and living history props. Members of the 20th Maine (the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Co. G.) will be there doing Civil War demonstrations and answering questions.
📍 Location: Fort Steilacoom, 9601 Steilacoom Blvd. S.W., Lakewood
Cost: Entrance to the event is free for shoppers. All proceeds support the Historic Fort Steilacoom Association, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the fort’s four original 1857-8 buildings.
Explore the night sky at the Pierce College Science Dome, a 58-seat digital planetarium that’s both immersive and interactive as it allows visitors to view the night sky from anywhere in the known universe on a cloudy day under full-dome images. The Pierce College Science Dome’s children’s show, “Planetary Explorers” is playing at the Science Dome for another month. Showtimes are 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. each Saturday. Children’s shows are live, interactive, and suited for children age 3 to 10. The show runtime is approximately 45 minutes.
Day/Time 📅 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m., Saturdays from March 29 to April 26, 2025
Cost: Ages 3 to 10 years old and age 11+ are $8 each
💡TIP: The planetarium show makes the room dark, so it’s not recommended for children younger than 3 years old.
📍 Location: Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, Rainier Building, Room 263, A Pod, 9401 Farwest Drive SW, Lakewood
RELATED >>> Make sure to check out Gig Harbor Now’s Calendar to see all local events
Skating, music, games, food, and fun. Skate Night at the Key Peninsula Civic Center is a longstanding tradition for local kids. Geared for elementary through middle school aged children, Skate Night is hosted every Friday night from September to June. The venue follows the Peninsula School District’s schedule of holidays and breaks. Families are welcome. Once children are in the building, they can’t exit without a parent or guardian.
Day/Time: 📅 March 28, 2025; 6 – 7 p.m. for kids in grades K-3; and 7 to 9 p.m. for kids in grades K-8
Location: 17010 S. Vaughn Road NW, Key Center
Cost: $6 with skate rentals included, cash only; adults are free when accompanied by a participating child.
RELATED >>> Check out the two Skate Night time slots here and here in the Gig Harbor Now Events Calendar.
See ya out there!
– Tonya Strickland
@two.n.tow
Tonya Strickland is a Gig Harbor mom-of-two and longtime journalist. Now in the travel and family niche, her blog, Two in Tow & On the Go, was named among the 10 Seattle-Area Instagram Accounts to Follow by ParentMap magazine. Tonya and her husband Bowen moved to Gig Harbor from California with their two kids, Clara (11) and Wyatt (9) in 2021. Find them on Facebook for all the kid-friendly places in and around town.
发表回复