Tacoma: Whiskey Row History & Drinks Tour

Overview

This isn’t a typical bar or brewery tour—it’s a storytelling experience set in Tacoma’s historic Whiskey Row. Through live narration and Robert Service poetry, you’ll step into the lives of the railroad workers, lumbermen, and sailors who built this frontier town. With drinks included throughout, the experience blends history, atmosphere, and performance to create something immersive, memorable, and uniquely Tacoma. The evening begins inside the historic Olympus Hotel building, where you’ll enjoy your choice of a cocktail, beer, or wine at the Forum while learning how Tacoma transformed from a rough railroad outpost into the “City of Destiny.” From there, we explore Whiskey Row, uncovering stories of saloons, vice districts, and the characters who shaped early Tacoma. We’ll also explore the unique interior of the remarkable McMenamins Elks Temple before concluding at Odd Otter, Tacoma’s most whimsical brewery, where an exciting game caps off a truly memorable evening.

Itinerary

1. Guests begin the tour inside the historic Olympus Hotel building, home to The Forum, in the heart of Tacoma’s original Whiskey Row. Here your guide introduces the frontier story of Tacoma’s founding, when railroad workers, sailors, and lumbermen filled the saloons of this booming port town. Surrounded by the atmosphere of one of Tacoma’s most storied buildings, guests enjoy a classic “beer and a buddy”—a Rainier tall boy paired with a shot of whiskey—echoing the working-class drinking culture of the era. As the experience begins, your guide brings the past to life with dramatic recitations and performances of Robert Service poetry, setting the tone for an evening of history, storytelling, and Tacoma’s rough-and-ready beginnings.

   · 1 h

2. The tour concludes inside the historic Elks Temple, a grand 1916 building that now houses multiple bars and hidden spaces. At this final stop, guests visit one of the building’s unique bars while the guide explores Tacoma’s experience during Prohibition—when saloons were forced underground, bootlegging thrived, and the city’s “open” character was tested but never fully disappeared. You’ll hear stories of speakeasies, enforcement efforts, and how Tacoma’s drinking culture adapted during the era. Guests enjoy a final drink while reflecting on how Prohibition reshaped, but never erased, the social life of Whiskey Row.

   · Non-stop passage

3. Odd Otter Brewing Company

   Guests visit a local craft brewery in the heart of downtown Tacoma to explore the city’s deep-rooted brewing history. Here your guide traces Tacoma’s beer culture from early frontier saloons and working-class taverns through Prohibition and into today’s craft revival. You’ll learn how brewing was tied to the daily lives of lumbermen, sailors, and railroad workers who helped shape the city. Guests enjoy an included pint of locally brewed beer while hearing how Tacoma’s brewing traditions have evolved yet still reflect the independent spirit of its past.

   · 45 min

How to use your ticket

Look for your guide near the entrance by the bar. He will be wearing a name tag and easily identifiable.

Meeting and end point

What to know before you go

• Wheelchair accessible
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Travelers

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

• From 1 days before : 100% refunded
• From 0 days before : 0% refunded

Reviews

Product code: 5570699P11

Activity offered by PNW Adventures And Tours via Viator.