Go back in time at Fort Nisqually

One of the Puget Sound's best "hidden treasure" day trips is the historic Fort Nisqually campsite at Tacoma's Point Defiance Park. Billed as a reconstruction of a Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post straight from the latter half of the 1800s, the fort is part history tour, part time travel, and all family fun.

Flash back to when the fort was in operation. Built in what is now the City of DuPont, the trading post was the first white settlement in the northern Puget Sound. The fort, which was firmly under the flag of the United States 150 years ago, also waved the British Union Jack. The Pacific Northwest was disputed territory, claimed by the fledgling United States as well as the mighty British Empire.

The fort operated for a generation but then was abandoned when the beaver fur market collapsed and the Brits realized they couldn't outpace the swarm of American settlers buzzing around the region. The fort sat vacant for decades, until Tacoma boosters received federal dollars during the Great Depression to move the remaining fort buildings to Point Defiance as a tourist attraction and museum to a bygone era.

The fort's main house serves as its museum, while its granary holds the distinction of being Pierce County's oldest building. A replica wall and series of guard towers give the fort its "trading post" feel. Walking through the grounds and seeing what early settlers did enables visitors to travel back in time and experience life in Washington Territory during the fur trade era. Adding to that experience are the staff and volunteers wearing period clothing as they carry out the duties of the day.

This effort kicks into overdrive on select days this summer, when hundreds of re-enactors take over the fort. One of those days, for example, is July 29. That will be Family Fun Night, when families can enjoy an evening of old-fashioned fun starting with a picnic dinner on the grounds. There will also be a brigade encampment on August 13 and 14.

Tours are offered 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Starting times are on the half-hour with tours lasting approximately an hour and a half. Tickets are $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, and $2 for students. Call Fort Nisqually at 253-591-5339 or visit their website for more information.