Monthly Archives: March 2016

Tacoma Historic Society

imageThe Tacoma Historic Society at 919 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402 has been at this location since March 2014 (two years) and today dear husband and I finally made it for a visit. I was eager to see the Tacoma Candy exhibit (Sweet Success) before it went away on March 26th. While it is not a huge museum like the Washington State History Museum, it is well curated and so very interesting.  I really loved seeing the machine that makes ribbon candy. I thought it was a musical instrument at first! The Mission Statement of the Tacoma Historical Society is as follows “Tacoma Historical Society is dedicated to the preservation, promotion and presentation of the history of the City of Tacoma and its people.” 

While the exact number of Tacoma Candy makers isn’t known, there was about 75 of them. The three remaining ones that I can think of are Brown & Haley, Johnson’s Candy and Emily’s. There is a press release about the exhibit here and the website for the museum and historic society is here.

The Chili Parlor

imageA couple of weeks ago I read in the local paper that a chili parlor was opening up in Tacoma. My husband really, really likes chili so we tried it the other night. The Chili Parlor, 5640 South Tacoma Way, is modeled after Cincinnati chili parlors, which apparently are ubiquitous in that part of the country. I had the chili fries with beer battered french fries topped with their trade mark chili and cheese. Dear husband tried the spaghetti which was also topped with chili and cheese and was served with oyster crackers. We both really enjoyed our meals and the portions were plenty large enough so that I had leftovers. The 50s diner decor is charming and the folks there working provided excellent, cheerful service. My husband is already making plans to take a friend there. The motto at The Chili Parlor is “it’s a great day for a three way” referring to the primary three items in a dish (spaghetti, chili and cheese). A four way also has onions. Maybe next time!

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