Lakewood, Washington is not a large city, with a population of around 60,000, but it has places to visit that run the gamut. Lakewood is a suburb of Tacoma, so many residents work and play in Tacoma and vice versa. Although many locals may not immediately think of Lakewood as their favorite place to have fun, this city has a variety of things to do, from places to shop to a stellar selection of Asian restaurants and supermarkets. It can also be a great place to find affordable housing not far from the city, ranging from below-average price to incredibly unique homes along picturesque lakes.
Lakewood is popular with those who live or work at JBLM as it is just outside the base gate, but its neighborhoods also offer proximity to Tacoma and the Olympia area.
Things to do
One of the best known places in Lakewood is the Lakewood Towne Center. After the Lakewood Mall was mostly demolished in the early 2000s, this collection of department stores and restaurants grew. You can find a bit of everything from Michael’s to Bed Bath and beyond to Target, plenty of sit-down and fast food restaurants, grocery stores and more. This is the main area to shop in Lakewood.
Lakewood Playhouse is also located in the Towne Center. The playhouse offers a variety of plays and musicals. While it is a community theater, the production value is high and the shows are a lot of fun.
Lakewood is served by the Pierce County Library System and the Lakewood Library is one of the largest in this system. It is located at 6300 Wildaire Road Southwest, on the west side of the Lakewood Towne Center. The library has space for community meetings, as well as computers for the public.
Lakewood, of course, has many lakes, including American Lake, Gravelly Lake, Lake Steilacoom, and Lake Louise. American Lake is the largest and also has two of the Tacoma area beaches along its shores. This lake is ideal for boating and its nearby park is a good place for walks, picnics and lounging outdoors.
Lakewood has some surprisingly beautiful spaces, one of which is Lakewold Gardens. These gardens were designed by Thomas Church and showcase many of the Northwest’s most iconic plants, the most popular being probably the 900 rhododendrons! There is a Georgian mansion on the grounds. This is a great venue for events, especially summer weddings. It is also a great place to spend a few hours on a sunny day. You can bring your own picnic, shop at the garden store, or look for public events. There is an admission fee to enter.
Hotels
Lakewood is about a 20 minute drive from downtown Tacoma, so if the hotels located in Tacoma are not right for you or if you just want more options, it is possible to stay in Lakewood.
The best place to stay in Lakewood is Thornewood Castle. This 500-year-old Tudor mansion was shipped piece by piece from the English countryside to Washington State in 1907. Today it is the best bed and breakfast in the area. It’s not cheap, but you won’t be disappointed. This is also a great place to look if you want to splurge in the Halloween season as most years the castle offers haunted tours with its overnight stays during October.
If spending a few hundred dollars to stay in a fancy castle room is a bit out of your reach, don’t worry, there are plenty of cheaper hotels in Lakewood too. These include:
- Best Western Lakewood Motor Inn – 6125 Motor Avenue Southwest, Tacoma – (253) 584-2212
- La Quinta – 11751 Pacific Highway Southwest, Lakewood – (253) 582-7000
- America’s Best Value Inn – 4215 Sharondale Street Southwest, Lakewood – (253) 589-8800
- Candlewood Suites – 10720 Pacific Highway South, Lakewood – (888) 299-2208
- Western Inn – 9920 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma – (253) 588-5241
Living in Lakewood
Lakewood is an affordable area to live for the most part, somewhat similar to East Tacoma and South Tacoma in terms of cost. Homes here vary in square footage with the highest percentage of homes being 1,000 to 1,800 square feet. You will also find many parts of Lakewood with very small and often dilapidated houses, and just the opposite: grandiose lakefront mansions. The largest percentage of homes in this area were built between 1960 and 1989. Many military families live in Lakewood due to its proximity to Joint Base Lewis McChord, as well as I-5 as it is close to Olympia, DuPont and Tacoma.
You will find a wide range of apartments in Lakewood, from inexpensive locations to large complexes with amenities like a pool. There is almost a total void of apartments in the area between the main lakes (American, Steilacoom and Gravelly), but you will find many options just north and west of the base.
You’ll find another pocket of apartments near Pierce College. Explore along Military Road and Steilacoom Boulevard to see them.
Getting to and from Lakewood and Seattle or Tacoma
If you have a car, Lakewood is easy to get to from Seattle or Tacoma via I-5 exits 123 through 129, depending on which part of Lakewood you want to get to.
If you don’t have a car, the area is well served by Pierce Transit buses. Multiple buses serve the Lakewood Towne Center transit hub, making it easy to transfer in downtown Towne to buses going to all parts of Tacoma, Steilacoom, as well as various Express buses, including the airport bus. Bus routes here include routes 2, 3, 4, 48, 202, 206, 212, 214, and 574.
