🇺🇸 Where to Honor Veterans in the South Sound This Wednesday, November 11

Veterans Day lands on Wednesday, November 11, and there are meaningful ways to mark it all around the South Sound, from a ceremony overlooking the Narrows to free zoo days for the people who served.

Tacoma's 20th annual Veterans Day service starts at 11 AM at War Memorial Park, near 6th Avenue and Jackson, with views of the Narrows bridges. The Tacoma Historical Society hosts it with the Edward B. Rhodes American Legion Post #2, and a Veterans Information Fair runs from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. It happens rain or shine, so dress for the weather.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is saying thanks with Veterans' Appreciation Days, November 11 to 15. U.S. military veterans and active duty members get in free with proof of service, and immediate family members get half off general admission. The offer is only at the zoo's admission window, not online, and the zoo is open 9 AM to 3:30 PM each of those days, including a special Wednesday opening on the 11th.

In Gig Harbor, the Kiwanis Club hosts its Veterans Day Celebration at the Gig Harbor Vintage Aero Museum from 11:30 AM to 2 PM. It's free for veterans, active duty, and first responders, and $15 for everyone else, with tickets through Eventbrite and limited seating.

In Olympia, the state's Veterans Day celebration on the Capitol Campus begins with the American Legion band at 10:30 AM and the program at 11 AM. It's also streamed on TVW if you can't make it in person.

Details:

• Tacoma: Wed Nov 11, 11 AM, War Memorial Park (info fair 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM)

• Point Defiance Zoo: Nov 11 to 15, 9 AM to 3:30 PM, free for veterans and active duty with proof of service, family half off at the window

• Gig Harbor: Wed Nov 11, 11:30 AM to 2 PM, Gig Harbor Vintage Aero Museum, free for veterans, active duty, and first responders, $15 for others

• Olympia: Wed Nov 11, 10:30 AM, Capitol Campus

Real estate note: with Joint Base Lewis-McChord next door, military families are woven into every South Sound neighborhood. Traditions like these are part of what makes Tacoma, Gig Harbor, and Olympia feel like home for the people who serve and the families who move here with them.