A Visit to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

April 05, 2025

Happy Hour and Dessert in Capitol Hill

Happy Hour Street Tacos with Carne Asada and a Miami Vice from Poquitos. Poquitos is located in Capitol Hill and they're serving up authentic Mexican cuisine and cocktails. Their happy hour deal is a good one- during Ocho hour, everything on the happy hour menu is just $8! I went with a Miami Vice, a classic Pina Colada with Strawberry. This blended cocktail was so fruity and delicious. To eat I had two Carne Asada Street Tacos and a Birria Poquitos Burrito. The Burrito was small and served with a side of Consommé sauce. Both food items were tasty and satisfying. My husband also had some Street Tacos and a Margarita from the happy hour menu. My sons had a Cheese Quesadilla and beans and rice. Everyone enjoyed their dinner. I first visited Poquitos in 2012, also for happy hour, and I remembered liking it then, too. It was time for a meal there again. For dessert, we walked about ten minutes west to Voodoo Doughnut . The Seattle location opened late last ye...

It had been a while since my family and I visited a zoo. The last time was in 2019, so we were excited to see some animals and aquarium exhibits again. I chose Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma since we hadn't seen the new aquarium they built a few years ago. They also have free parking and timed tickets. You reserve your time slot and purchase your tickets ahead of time.

My sons rode the carousel first and then we had lunch in the cafe. The food is pretty pricey for what you get and isn't anything too impressive. We had Chicken Strips and Fries. They have a pretty nice kid's playground that my boys really liked. We saw some goats, penguins, tigers, and the back of a polar bear. That part was a little underwhelming. But I was cheered when I saw the soft serve ice cream stand. I got a cone with a cherry swirl and it was tasty. The ice cream was super creamy and refreshing.

We really liked the aquariums. There are two there. The Jellyfish were so pretty to look at. There were a nice amount of colorful displays with them. My boys like sharks so it was really fun to see those. In the newer part you can watch them swim over your head. We really liked the Hammerhead Sharks. We had a fun few hours at the zoo. My highlights were the ice cream and the sharks!