Tacoma Travel
Travel To and Around Tacoma
Getting to Tacoma
Additional information will be added to this page as it becomes available. If you do not see the information you require email shot@virginia.edu for assistance.
By Air
SEATAC, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, is the airport code you want when you or your travel agent makes your reservation. SeaTac International Airport has a good Website that will provide you with a wealth of information about the airport, traffic conditions, weather, ground transportation, etc.
By Train
Amtrak offers several options to Tacoma. The Amtrak Cascades serves Tacoma with daily stops.�Tacoma is on the Cascades route connecting Vancouver (BC) to Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland. �Amtrak’s Coast Starlight (connecting Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles) and Amtrak’s Empire Builder (connecting Chicago, St Paul, Portland and Seattle) are longer distance options. You can connect to the Amtrak Cascades at either Seattle or Portland to make your way to Tacoma. The Amtrak station in Tacoma is located at 1001 Puyallup Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98421 and is a short walk away from the Tacoma Dome Station where you can hop on the FREE Tacoma LINK Light Rail which will take you into downtown Tacoma. The Amtrak station is also a short taxi ride to the Hotel Murano. Taxis are not in abundance so you are strongly advised to call ahead to reserve: King Cab NW (1-253-474-8294) or (1-888-904-7770).�Contact Amtrak (1-800-872-7245) for schedule information.
By Car
If you are planning to drive to the meeting, Google Maps or MapQuest will give you all the information you need. Parking in downtown Tacoma is relatively inexpensive.�Delegates can park at the Tacoma Dome Station for FREE and take the LINK Light Rail for FREE to downtown Tacoma and the Hotel Murano. Please keep in mind that the parking garage at the Tacoma Dome Station is primarily used by commuters and fills up quickly Monday-Friday. For more information on the Tacoma LINK Light Rail see the "Getting Around Tacoma" section below. Parking is available at the Hotel Murano. For information on overnight parking rates for hotel guests, email: transportation@hotelmuranotacoma.com.
Driving Directions from Interstate 5 Southbound (coming from Seattle):Follow I-5 South towards I-5/Portland. At Exit 133, turn RIGHT onto ramp towards I-705/City Center.�Keep LEFT to stay on ramp towards City Center/I-705. Turn LEFT onto ramp towards A Street/City Center. Keep LEFT to stay on ramp towards S. 15th Street/Pacific Avenue. At the stoplight, go straight to head up the hill. Turn RIGHT at Broadway Plaza. Hotel Murano will be to your left hand side.
Driving Directions from Interstate 5 Northbound (coming from Portland):Follow I-5 North towards I-5/Seattle. At Exit 133, turn RIGHT onto ramp towards I-705/City Center. Keep LEFT to stay on ramp towards City Center/I-705. Turn LEFT onto ramp towards A Street/City Center. Keep LEFT to stay on ramp towards S. 15th Street/Pacific Avenue. At stoplights, go straight to head up the hill. Turn RIGHT at Broadway Plaza. �Hotel Murano will be to your left hand side.
Getting Around Tacoma
The Tacoma Link Light Rail-the FREE downtown service-is a great way to see the city! �It operates year round and the trains arrive at stations about every 10 minutes. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday: 5:30 am-10:30 pm; Saturday: 8 am-10:20 pm; Sunday: 10:10 am-6 pm.� Stops include 1. Dome District 2. 25th Street 3. Union Station 4. Convention Center 5. Theatre District.�The Hotel Murano is one block from stop 4 for the Convention Center.�For more information, visit the SoundTransit Website. You may also want to download a SoundTransit system map (PDF).
Taxis are not readily available in Tacoma and so you are strongly advised to call ahead to reserve: King Cab NW (1-253-474-8294) or (1-888-904-7770). You can also visit the King Cab Website.
Maps of Tacoma
The Web provides a dizzying array of maps of Tacoma and the greater Seattle-Tacoma region.�Especially for those attendees who plan to go on one of the SHOT tours, we recommend that you spend a few minutes on Google Earth or your own favorite map site simply to look at the area from various levels of elevation.�Simply type in the address of the Hotel Murano (1320 Broadway Plaza, Tacoma, WA 98402) and use the satellite view to explore the city from above.