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Live Tours

Fort Nisqually offers educational programs for all ages and group sizes (8-90) Larger groups will need additional time slots. Advance registration is required for all Tours.

Questions?
Call us at (253) 404-3970

About our In-Person Tours

Preschool and Primary Group Tours

Come join Wally Nisqually, our friendly beaver mascot, as we discover the fun of Hands-On History. These guided tours of Fort Nisqually Living History Museum are offered to preschoolers from age 4 through third grade. Watch the past come alive for your students as they experience life in 1855 with visits to our historic buildings, stories, songs, and time for old fashioned play.

Groups of  up to 90 students can be accommodated on the preschool and primary tours.

Reservations

Click on the tour request button to complete a reservation request. Be prepared with a choice of dates and times you would like to reserve.  This will be followed up with an email about paying your deposit. After a $90 non-refundable deposit is received, you will receive a reservation confirmation by email. Call Fort Nisqually at (253) 404-3970 if you have other questions.

Tour Reservation Request Form

Fees

The tour fee is $9 per person. There is a minimum charge of $90. Group leader is admitted free and one adult chaperone is admitted free for every 10 students. Payment should be made at the end of the tour by cash, check, credit card (Visa, MasterCard and Discover) or pre-arranged purchase order.

Dates and Times

Tours are offered Wednesday through Friday from 10 am to 2 pm Start times are on the half-hour with tours lasting approximately 1½ hours.

Prices are subject to change without notice.

Third Grade and Beyond

Guided tours are offered to groups year-round. An educator in period clothing will teach your students about the history of Fort Nisqually as part of a global fur trade and agricultural business. Students will visit our historic buildings where the focus is on daily life of Fort Nisqually’s 19th century employees and their families. Each tour includes hands-on opportunities.

Groups of up to 90 students can be accommodated on these tours.

Limited Scholarships are available for school age groups through the Fort Nisqually Foundation. Please fill out our Scholarship Application for consideration.

Scholarship Application

Reservations

Click on the tour request button to complete a reservation request. Be prepared with a choice of dates and times you would like to reserve. After a $90 non-refundable deposit is received, you will receive a reservation confirmation by email. Call Fort Nisqually at (253) 404-3970 if you have other questions.

Tour Reservation Request Form

Fees

The tour fee is $9 per person. There is a minimum charge of $90. Teachers are admitted free and one adult chaperone is admitted free for every 10 students. Payment should be made at the end of the tour by cash, check, credit card (Visa, MasterCard and Discover) or pre-arranged purchase order.

Dates and Times

Tours are offered Wednesday through Friday from 10 am to 2 pm Start times are on the half-hour with tours lasting approximately 1½ hours.

Prices are subject to change without notice.

Multi-Age and Homeschool Tours

Guided tours are offered to groups year-round. An educator in period clothing will teach your students about the history of Fort Nisqually as part of a global fur trade business. Students will visit our historic buildings where the focus is on daily life of Fort Nisqually’s 19th century employees and their families. Each tour includes hands-on opportunities.

Groups of 90 participants can be accommodated on these tours at this time.

Reservations

Click on the tour request button to complete a reservation request. Be prepared with a choice of dates and times you would like to reserve. After a $90 non-refundable deposit is received, you will receive a reservation confirmation by email. Call Fort Nisqually at (253) 404-3970 if you have other questions.

Tour Reservation Request Form

Fees

The tour fee is $9 per person. There is a minimum charge of $90. Group leader is admitted free and one adult chaperone is admitted free for every 10 students. Payment should be made at the end of the tour by cash, check, credit card (Visa, MasterCard and Discover) or pre-arranged purchase order.

Dates and Times

Tours are offered Wednesday through Friday from 10 am to 2 pm Start times are on the half-hour with tours lasting approximately 1½ hours.

Prices are subject to change without notice.

Adult Tours

Guided tours are offered to groups year-round. An educator in period clothing will teach your group about the history of Fort Nisqually as part of a global fur trade business. You will visit our historic buildings where the focus is on daily life of Fort Nisqually’s 19th century employees and their families.

Click on the tour request button to complete a reservation request. After a $130 non-refundable deposit is received, you will receive a reservation confirmation by email.

You can call Fort Nisqually at (253) 404-3970 to make specific arrangements so we can tailor the tour to your group’s specific needs and interests.

These tours will take approximately 1.5 hours and are $13 per person with a $130 minimum.

Tour Reservation Request Form

Women's Tours

Explore the feminine side of the fur trade on Puget Sound. Those interested in women’s history are invited to learn about the daily life and concerns of the women living at Fort Nisqually during the mid-nineteenth century.

The tour begins with an introduction to Fort Nisqually in the Trade Store by a female interpreter in period clothing and continues on through the Fort buildings. The tour focuses on women’s perspectives through personal stories of Fort women of various classes.

Participants will gain an appreciation for this lesser known side of history through discussion and display of items which reflect the women of Fort Nisqually. Appropriate for 6th grade and beyond, especially Women’s Studies groups, Girl Scouts, and Senior Citizens groups interested in local women’s history.

These tours will take approximately 1.5 hours and are priced at $13 per person with a $130 minimum. A $130 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your time.

Tour Reservation Request Form

Senior Tours

Fort Nisqually offers tours specially designed for groups of seniors. These tours can be customized to meet the physical needs of your particular group and/or area of interest.

These tours emphasize not only the Hudson’s Bay Company history, but also the ongoing restoration work that began in the 1930s. The tours start with a brief talk about how Fort Nisqually came to be located in Point Defiance Park in the 1930s. We’ll also discuss the important role of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) played during the Great Depression in the restoration of the Fort.

These tours will take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes and are priced at $13 per person with a $130 minimum. The tours work best with 20 people or fewer.

Please call Fort Nisqually at (253) 404-3970 to make arrangements so we can tailor the tour to your group’s specific needs and interests. A $130 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your time.

Payment should be made at the end of the tour by cash, check, credit card (Visa, MasterCard and Discover) or pre-arranged purchase order.

Tour Reservation Request Form

Prices are subject to change without notice

Teacher Orientation Packet

  • Overview
  • Registering for a Guided Tour Visit
  • Before you Visit
  • When you Arrive
  • During Your Tour
  • After you Visit

Thank you for bringing your students to Fort Nisqually Living History Museum! As you visit the museum, we hope it is a time for students to take the lead and make space for curiosity and wonder. To help make your tour the most seamless experience possible, please be sure that teachers and parent chaperones accompanying the group are aware of the recommendations and guidelines below.

Click here to view the tour scheduling page to book your tour.

Please note:

  • Guided tours are only offered on weekdays during the school year unless otherwise specified and staffing allows.
  • Tours begin at the front gate to the museum and last for 1.5 hours for a group of under 35 students, and up to 2 hours for a group of 35-90 students.
  • Take the following into account as you plan for your tour: there is no break for lunch during your tour, and a stop at the gift shop is not included in the tour.
  • Please email or call ahead of time if you have a preferred topic to focus on for your group, or if your total number changes by ten students or chaperones more or less than listed on your reservation.
  • Limited scholarships are available through the Fort Nisqually Foundation, if you receive a scholarship, please bring the information included in the scholarship letter with you to the museum on the day of the tour.
  • Tour fee for student groups: $9 per person, with a minimum charge of $90. For adult groups: $13 per person with a $130 minimum.
  • Teachers and one adult chaperone admitted free for every 10 students.
  • For accessibility information if anyone in your group would benefit from a specific accommodation, please visit ParksTacoma.gov/accessibility-at-the-fort/.

There is a deposit due two weeks before your tour. The payment can be made:

For all groups over 25 participants, please park in the “Fort Nisqually Picnic Area” parking lot (see map). This parking lot is the only location that has the capacity for bus parking, so if you are using buses as your transport direct the drivers to park in the “Fort Nisqually Picnic Area” as well.

When you arrive, feel free to use the restrooms outside the museum. When your tour is scheduled to begin, a staff member will meet you at the front gate to the Fort. The tour will start as one large group, and once we bring it inside the fort wall, we will ask you to split your group into smaller groups.

If your group brings lunches we will direct you to a location to store them until the tour is complete.

During the tour, each group will visit five different stops around the fort where they will learn about a topic from a historical interpreter. Each group should have at least one adult chaperone, and chaperones and teachers are responsible for the students at all times.

If you plan to eat lunch at Fort Nisqually, please utilize the covered picnic shelter outside the museum. Trash cans are provided in this location. Do not bring food inside the historic structures.

If your group has time, they are welcome to visit any other buildings in the museum that they haven’t had the chance to see yet after the tour is completed. During this time chaperones and teachers still need to be with the students at all times. When you are ready to exit the Fort, follow the exit signs out or ask a staff member to assist your group through the walk through gates.

Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or comments, and we look forward to your visit!

Book Tour

Activity Packets

Under 8 Activity Packet

3rd-5th Grade Activity Packet