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And the winner of Tacoma’s most romantic park is…

Friday, Feb 11, 2022

couple is married in the Point Defiance Rose garden

And the Winner of Tacoma’s Most Romantic Park Is…

Point Defiance Rose Garden voted Most Romantic Park in Parks Tacoma poll, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

It’s official – Point Defiance Rose Garden is Tacoma’s Most Romantic Park. The historic garden filled with a rainbow of rose varieties was voted the winner in a Parks Tacoma public poll this week, leading the Ruston Way Waterfront and Browns Point Lighthouse Park by a wide margin at 50% of the vote.

The announcement handily comes just in time for locals to make their plans for a romantic rendezvous this Valentine’s Day, Monday Feb. 14.

But be aware: Roses are dormant in the wintertime, so the only blooms you’ll see are on the cheeks of your beloved. And take an umbrella just in case: Monday’s forecast for Tacoma is a chilly 47 degrees, with a chance of showers. The park closes at sunset.

The historic Point Defiance Rose Garden has boasted dozens of rose cultivars for decades, with over an acre of beds dating back to 1895. It features a garden of miniature roses, a wishing well and quaint gazebos and arbors, beloved of brides and photographers alike.

Photo credit Wallflower Photography

This spring the vintage rose arbor is getting a dramatic makeover, with new supports that are stronger and wider to support healthy canes, and a new gate sculpted with three-dimensional metal vines. The gate will be installed at the end of the arbor closest to the road and path, inviting park visitors to wander in while keeping out hungry deer.

With lush blooms from more than 1,500 bushes lasting from June through October, the garden was accredited by the American Rose Society as an All American Rose Selection display garden – a recognition of the many hours spent by park staff and the Tacoma Rose Society caring for the plants.

The gazebo. and big border are both available for rentals.

The rose garden is just one of seven gardens in the 760-acre forested Point Defiance Park that juts out into the deep waters of Puget Sound. The park also includes miles of forest trails, waterfront, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, a boathouse and marina, the Wilson Way pedestrian bridge, slides and stairs, and the new Dune Peninsula Park. Owen Beach, another romantic destination, will reopen this summer after a year-long closure for major renovations.

Runners up in the Most Romantic Park poll were Browns Point Lighthouse Park (14.7%), the Ruston Way Waterfront and Wright Park (both 11.8%), Titlow and Wapato Park (both 2.9%), plus other parks suggested by voters.

browns point bride
Browns Point Lighthouse Park