Tour the four buildings of Historic Fort Steilacoom in summer 2022

The whole family can learn about daily life in the 1850s in the oldest grouping of buildings still standing in Washington. Fort Steilacoom is a history museum where guests of all ages can explore military life of enlisted soldiers, officers, the families of soldiers, civilians that worked for the garrison and those that visited from the community.

From the U.S. Army’s arrival in 1849 until its departure in 1868, many soldiers and civilians brought the post to life with their daily tasks and calls to duty. As you tour the museum’s buildings, museum interpreters will help you connect with those that came before us and their everyday lives.

Because of the size of our historic buildings and sometimes small rooms, museum capacity will be limited. We require you to reserve a ticket for each person, even if admission for them is free. Printed copies of your tickets are not needed.

It has always been free to visit JUST the first of our four buildings, the interpretive center. If you just want to visit that one building for free, you are welcome to drop in and visit between 1 and 4 p.m. on days you see these tours on this page. If you want to be guaranteed to be able to tour the other three buildings, be sure to reserve a space through this page.

Because of the changing nature of the pandemic, visiting requirements may change. We thank you in advance for your patience. Please bring a mask in case others in your tour group ask for masking.

LARGER GROUPS: We only sell 10 tickets per tour because these are historic homes, and some rooms are small. However, if you're a family or friends group of 11 or 12, maybe you don't mind being a little close together in a few of the rooms. If so, email [email protected], and we can add more attendees to your group if there's space in the tour.

BLUE STAR GUESTS: If you will not be attending, please cancel through Eventbrite or let us know at [email protected]. Because tours are free for Blue Star guests, sometimes people reserve a space and do not show up since they have not paid in advance. That just deprives others of a chance to tour the buildings. So please, join us - but if you have to postpone your trip, please cancel your reservation or let us know. (and we hope to see you soon)

Historic Fort Steilacoom exists on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish Peoples including the Puyallup, Nisqually and Steilacoom Tribes whose ancestors resided here since time immemorial and have stewarded this land throughout the generations. We offer our respect to their elders, past and present.

Our association acknowledges the complex history of the Fort and its role in the colonization of the area. We are actively working to incorporate the diverse perspectives and experiences of all individuals and communities who interacted with the Fort.

Host or Publisher Historic Fort Steilacoom