The Port of Tacoma’s annual boat tours brought about 1,200 people to Pierce County’s working waterfront on Sunday, giving visitors an up-close look at Port operations. 

Over the course of the day, Argosy’s Goodtime II tour vessel ran six one-hour cruises from the Foss Waterway Seaport into the Blair Waterway. 

Passengers passed several cargo terminals and habitat sites, saw cranes loading a large container ship, and learned about the Port’s work on economic development and environmental protection.  

The free narrated tours are the Port’s biggest event of the year. Spots filled up within three days of tickets becoming available online. 

In addition to the boat tour, visitors were able to go inside a twenty-foot container to learn how goods move through the Port, see the Foss Waterway Seaport museum, take photos at a special selfie station, make giant bubbles, ask questions of Port commissioners and employees, and meet the author of a new book about the Port’s history. 

To be among the first to learn about next summer’s boat tour, you’re invited to join the email list for the Port’s monthly newsletter, Pier Side.  

The Port also offers free public bus tours throughout the year, giving visitors an opportunity to see Port habitat sites in the Tacoma Tideflats and visit cargo terminals. 

On September 30, the Port will offer Touch-a-Truck, a free event for families.