What can you put on a Stadium District calendar in November and know it will happen? Two of the area's most anticipated storefronts have no announced opening date. A third space emptied in January. The glass dome at the corner of Wright Park is different. Its schedule is published through January 3, 2027, and it includes one week when the building goes dark. That closure week is the date to plan around this November.
The calendar that's already printed
Parks Tacoma runs four seasonal displays a year inside the W.W. Seymour Conservatory at 316 S. G St. Two of them overlap with the next six weeks. The Autumn Flower Show opened October 7 and runs through November 29. It features sunflowers, exhibition and garden chrysanthemums, ornamental peppers and coleus, all grown by the Parks Tacoma Greenhouse team. The suggested donation is $3.
From October through March, the building is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A 3 p.m. close puts every visit in daylight, so a weekday lunch break or a Saturday morning works better than a late-afternoon walk.
| Date | What's happening at the Conservatory |
|---|---|
| Through Sunday, Nov. 29 | Autumn Flower Show, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday |
| Thursday, Nov. 19, 11 a.m. | Story Hour at the Conservatory |
| Thursday, Nov. 26 | Closed for Thanksgiving |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| Monday, Nov. 30 to Friday, Dec. 4 | Closed for the fall changeover |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 to Sunday, Jan. 3 | A Very Merry Tropical Holiday Display |
| Sundays, Dec. 6, 13, 20 and 27, 11 a.m. | Holiday Creation Stations |
The week the dome goes dark
Parks Tacoma lists a fall closure from Monday, November 30 through Friday, December 4. The building is available for private rentals during those days. That week falls right between the two shows, so the timing gets tight at the end of November.
The Conservatory is already closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and it's closed on Thanksgiving Day. That leaves the chrysanthemums with four public days in their final week: Wednesday, November 25, then Friday through Sunday, November 27 to 29. Black Friday is a regular open day, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If out-of-town guests are staying through the holiday weekend, Friday or Saturday is the best chance to show them the fall show before it comes down.
If your guests arrive the following week, they'll find the building closed. The holiday display opens Saturday, December 5. Parks Tacoma describes it as tropical foliage with "whimsical touches" throughout the historic conservatory, at the same $3 suggested donation. Holiday Creation Stations start the next morning and run every Sunday in December at 11 a.m.
For families with young kids, the November date to note is Thursday the 19th, when Story Hour at the Conservatory starts at 11 a.m.
Outside the glass, a self-guided tree tour
The Conservatory sits inside Wright Park, a 27-acre arboretum with more than 600 trees of roughly 145 species, many of them over 100 years old. The first plantings came from North America and Europe, and later plantings added trees from Asia and South America. The arboretum doesn't close for changeovers, and Parks Tacoma publishes a free Champion Tree Tour booklet you can download and walk on your own.
The tour comes with some history. Eighteen of its trees were recognized as Washington State Champion Trees by Dr. Robert Van Pelt in his book Champion Trees of Washington State. Parks Tacoma notes that rankings can shift over time and that no comprehensive survey has been published since 1996. So read the booklet as a map of the park's biggest specimens as they were measured then, not as a current ranking. That still makes for a good November loop, ending at the Conservatory before its 3 p.m. close.
The storefronts are still a forecast
On N. 1st St., the ground floor of Stadium Apartments was home to Sandwich Starr, which The News Tribune reported posted its last day as January 16. The next tenant is Kokovoko, from Chris Keil, the owner of Proof in Old Town. In a September profile in The News Tribune, Keil called the concept "an imaginary beach bar." The bar takes its name from the home island of Queequeg in "Moby-Dick." The paper also reported that Keil is a Tacoma native who grew up nearby and played in Wright Park as a kid, which makes the Stadium Apartments location a homecoming of sorts.
Here's what The News Tribune reported about the plans:
- Cocktails first, with familiar drinks given subtle "beachy" notes, developed with bar lead Brandi Dickerson.
- Latin American-inspired snacks and shareables, including tacos built on ideas like a potato pavé with ancho chile crema.
- Daytime grab-and-go, with sandwiches, breakfast burritos and drip coffee likely from Tacoma's Naomi Joe Coffee. There won't be an espresso machine.
- A room split into zones, including a bright, colorful nook, a moodier corner and a lounge with overstuffed couches. And no sand.
The paper listed the address as 705 N. 1st St. with a target opening of fall 2026. In a photo taken September 14, a pending liquor license application was posted in the window. The paper pointed readers to kokovokotacoma.com and the bar's Instagram for updates. Until an opening date is posted there, you can preview the menu at Proof, 2312 N. 30th St. The News Tribune reported that Keil's team has been testing Kokovoko recipes there Tuesday through Saturday, especially on its rotating Thursday "Cover Nights."
On N. Tacoma Ave., the corner unit at 29 N. Tacoma Ave. is set to become Lil Woody's, the Seattle burger and shake shop from Marcus Lalario. In its 2026 openings roundup, The News Tribune said the shop should open "later this year." The space was formerly home to Harvester, and the rest of the historic building is being heavily renovated for tenants who haven't been announced. The Lil Woody's locations page doesn't list a Tacoma shop yet, so for now this is a plan, not a place to go for dinner.
The fixtures that never needed a launch date
While those two spaces wait, two long-running spots can anchor a November walk from Wright Park.
Parkway Tavern, at 313 N. I St., describes itself as serving craft beer since 1935. Shake Shake Shake, at 124 N. Tacoma Ave., opened in 2013, according to The News Tribune. Its own site currently offers reservations and online ordering. Check each place's current hours before you go.
Here's an order that works within the Conservatory's daylight hours on any open day through November 29:
- Walk the Champion Tree Tour through Wright Park in the late morning.
- Go into the Conservatory for the chrysanthemums before the 3 p.m. close.
- Head north on Tacoma Ave. for a late lunch at Shake Shake Shake, or end the afternoon at Parkway Tavern on N. I St.
Up the hill, a playground with brand-new equipment
The other new fixture this fall is in North Slope Historic District Park, the 0.23-acre pocket park at N. 8th and N. K streets. It opened in 2002 on what had been a vacant lot, and its play equipment had never been replaced until this year. Parks Tacoma reported that construction began in August and wrapped up in late September. The new equipment includes covered circular swings that kids can crawl inside, two slides and a climbing structure, along with an ADA-compliant picnic table and a wide path to reach it. The project was funded by a voter-approved bond.
More than 325 people gave input on the redesign and asked Parks Tacoma to make the most of the small space and emphasize nature-based play. The reopening on Saturday, October 24 included a neighbor planting party to add greenery around the park. It's one of five bond-funded playgrounds Parks Tacoma is designing or building this year. Like the arboretum, it has no changeover week, so it's open while the Conservatory is closed from November 30 to December 4.
We follow the Stadium District closely, including which openings have actually happened. If you're thinking about a move within North Tacoma or curious what your home on the North Slope is worth this season, The Network would be glad to talk it through. Schedule a free consultation.
