# Federal Way

Federal Way is a city in King County on the Puget Sound of Washington State. It is the home of the Pacific Bonsai Museum and Rhododendron Species Botanical Gardens. With a population of 96,000 (2016), Federal Way is one of Seattle's largest suburbs.

## Understand

Federal Way is home to the world headquarters of Weyerhaeuser and World Vision.
The City of Federal Way has a huge population of Korean Americans and used to host the annual Hanwoori Korean Festival, which was a huge event sponsored by the City of Federal Way, Washington State, and various business organizations.

### Tourist information

* Visit Federal Way website

## Get in

Federal Way is just north of Tacoma, and is less than 10 miles south of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

### By car

* Interstate 5 (I-5) runs along the east edge of the city. There are four exits into town:
** Exit #142 A & B ("SR 18/S 348th St")
** Exit #143 ("S 320th St") goes to Federal Way Commons, the closest thing to a 'downtown'
** The S 317th St exit and merge lanes (accessed from the left lanes of both directions) are restricted to carpools (2 or more) and buses.
** Exit #147 ("S 272nd St")
* Pacific Highway S (SR-99) passes through town as Pacific Hwy from Kent/Des Moines in the north and Fife in the south. It runs parallel to I-5 with multiple stores, restaurants, malls and motels along the road. SR-99 provides direct connection between Federal Way and the airport in Sea-Tac where it becomes International Blvd.
* State Route (SR) 18 into S 348th St Connects Federal Way and I-5 corridor to the I-90 corridor near Snoqualmie (Exit 25 of I-90) through Auburn, Covington, Maple Valley and Issaquah. SR-18 ends at its junction with I-5 and becomes S 348th west of the I-5 corridor in Federal Way. It is the shortest way to reach Snoqualmie Pass and anywhere east via I-90 from Federal Way, Tacoma and anywhere south along I-5 WITHOUT going into Seattle or Bellevue.
* Enchanted Pkwy S Connects Federal Way to Mount Rainier via Edgewood, Puyallup, South Hill and Graham in Pierce County. It goes through town as Enchanted Pkwy S which becomes 16th Ave S north of its intersection with S 348th. It ends at its intersection with SR-99 at S 340th Pl.
* SW Dash Point Dr/East Side Dr Connects the SR-99 corridor at the 29700 block into downtown Tacoma via Dash Point State Park and Port of Tacoma Tideflats / Fife. It goes around Federal Way through local residential neighborhoods offering a scenic drive and views of the Sound in some places. Going north from the 29700 block, SR-509 runs concurrent with SR-99 to its intersection with Kent Des Moines Hwy (SR-516) in Des Moines. It is Dash Point Dr in Federal Way and becomes East Side Dr in NE Tacoma.

### By bus

For intercity bus service outside of the region, travel to Seattle or Tacoma.

## Get around
### By car

Federal Way lies approximately between S 272nd St (27200 block) and S 373rd St (37300 block), which run east and west. 1st Ave S (goes north-south) divides 'South' (east of 1st) from 'Southwest' (west of 1st) as it goes from S 291st St (29100) at Redondo Beach to S 368th St (36800) as a major throughfare.
Federal Way's street designation is a continuation of King County's street designation system in South Seattle (S) and West Seattle (SW). The house numbers decrease from south to north; and from the east and from the west towards 1st Ave S. Roads south of the King-Pierce County line, south of Federal Way, change to a Northeast (NE) directional (in the suffix) which is based on Tacoma's directional system as that part of town is in Tacoma but is closer and more connected to Federal Way then it is to Tacoma.

### By public transit

The transportation hub (bus station) in Federal Way is the 47.31754-122.304951 Federal Way Transit Center on South 317th St and 23rd Ave S. The FWTC offers routes with service to Sea-Tac Intl. Airport (A, 574); Downtown Seattle (177,577,578); First Hill (193); Univ of Washington in the U-District (586); Tacoma (500,501,586,574); Puyallup (402,578); Auburn (181, 578).
* King County Metro, ☏ +1 206-553-3000. Operates bus, streetcar, and monorail routes in King County. Communities within the county served by this operator's routes include Auburn, Bellevue, Bothell, Burien, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Mercer Island, North Bend, Redmond, Renton, SeaTac, Seattle, Shoreline, Tukwila, Vashon Island, White Center, and Woodinville. (updated Jun 2023) Offers local bus service on the following routes:
** 177 Express bus to Downtown Seattle via I-5 during weekday peak hours only. At other times use 577 or 578 buses.
** 181 Twin Lakes P&R, Federal Way, Outlet Collection Seattle, Auburn, Green River College. Goes down towards Twin Lakes P&R via S 320th & 21st Ave S
** 182 Northeast Tacoma, South Federal Way, Federal Way Transit Center.
** 183 Federal Way, Camelot neighborhood, and Star Lake towards Kent.
** 187 Federal Way Transit Center, Twin Lakes via S 320th, 47th SW/Hoyt Rd, etc
** 193 Express bus to First Hill in Seattle via I-5 during weekday peak hours only. At other times use 577 or 578 buses to downtown Seattle.
** DART 901 Federal Way, Mirror Lake
** DART 903 South Federal Way, Twin Lakes
** RapidRide Line A operates frequently to Tukwila, including the airport, from Federal Way Transit Center on Pacific Hwy/International Blvd (Hwy 99)
* Pierce Transit offers additional local service to areas south of S 320th on their way into Pierce County.
** 402 Travels along Meridian (via multiple stops) from the Federal Way Transit Center to Puyallup through Milton.
** 500 Continues south from Federal Way to downtown Tacoma on Pacific Hwy (Hwy 99) through Fife.
** 501 Goes down towards Tacoma through Edgewood, Milton, and Fife on different turns onto various roads.
* Sound Transit, toll-free: +1-888-889-6368. Has regional public transit routes including Sounder trains, Link light rail, and express bus in King County (e.g. Bellevue, Federal Way, Kent, Renton, Seattle), Snohomish County (e.g. Everett, Lynnwood), and Pierce County (e.g. Puyallup, Tacoma). (updated Jun 2023) Bus routes serving Federal Way include:
** 574 Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Kent-Des Moines Hwy (SR-516), S 272nd St, Federal Way, Tacoma Dome & Lakewood. Passengers transfer to Metro #182 to get to NE Tacoma from Federal Way. No direct Pierce Transit bus connects downtown Tacoma to NE Tacoma
** 577 Downtown Seattle and Federal Way
** 578 Downtown Seattle, Federal Way, Auburn and Puyallup
** 586 Downtown Tacoma/UW Tacoma, Tacoma Dome, Federal Way University of Washington/U-District. Operates during weekday rush hours only. No stops in downtown Seattle
Construction is underway to extend the Link light rail 1 Line to Federal Way from SeaTac and downtown Seattle, expected to complete in 2026.

## See

* 47.2936-122.30211 Pacific Bonsai Museum, 2515 S 336th St. Tu-Su 10AM-4PM. An outdoor museum of living art with more than 50 outstanding bonsai trees elegantly displayed in a beautiful woodland setting. Free tours Sunday at 1PM. donation suggested. (updated Jul 2019)
* 47.29308-122.302272 Rhododendron Species Botanical Gardens, 2525 S 336th St, ☏ +1 253-838-4646, info@rhodygarden.org. Tu-Su 10AM-4PM. Over 10,000 rhododendrons grow in a beautiful woodland setting covering 22 acres. The garden displays over 700 species native to four continents. $8/adult, $5/concession, free for children/military. (updated Jul 2019)

## Do

* 47.2725-122.3121 Wild Waves Theme & Water Park, 36201 Enchanted Parkway S, ☏ +1 253 661-8000, Info@WildWaves.com. It is the main attraction in Federal Way, being the only existing water amusement park in Western Washington.
* 47.34308-122.33342 Redondo Beach. A place to enjoy Puget Sound. (updated Jun 2023)
* 47.3157-122.4073 Dash Point State Park, 5700 SW Dash Point Rd, ☏ +1 253-661-4955. 8AM-dusk. (updated May 2021)

## Buy

Federal Way's main shopping "district" is the Pacific Highway (SR-99) corridor from S 272nd to S 356th and along S 320th from I-5 to Pacific Hwy. It consists of a variety of small stores, small strip malls, large malls and small standalone restaurants along the road.
* 47.2879-122.31621 Federal Way Crossings, 35009 Pacific Hwy S (SE of the intersection of Pacific Hwy and S 348th. Between Pacific Hwy and 16th Ave S/Enchanted Pkwy (SR-161)). LA Fitness/Esporta, Office Depot, Sportsman's Warehouse, McDonald's, Starbucks, Blue Island Sushi & Roll, Panda Express, etc (updated Feb 2022)
* 47.2877-122.31122 Campus Square, 34900 Enchanted Pkwy S. Costco, Hobby Lobby, Seattle Children's South Clinic, Popeye's, Olive Garden, Mattress Depot USA, etc. (updated Feb 2022)
The closest thing to a "downtown" is the area bounded by Pacific Hwy in the west, S 324th on the south, I-5 on the east and S 312th in the north. This area consist of The Federal Way Commons, a variety of strip malls, standalone stores/restaurants, hotels and the Federal Way Transit Center (bus station) separated from each other by massive parking lots.
* 47.3133-122.30943 The Commons (The Commons at Federal Way), 1928 S Commons, ☏ +1 253 275-3303. Amazon Fresh, Century Theatres, Dick's Sporting Goods, Famous Footwear, Five Guys, Kohl's, Target, etc. This mall is where the first Cinnabon opened. (updated Aug 2018)
* 47.32-122.3154 Pavillion I, 31217-31523 Pacific Hwy S (Strip mall along west side of Pacific Hwy between S 312th St & 316th.). Large strip mall location for H-Mart, Hallmark Creations, Joann, Barnes Noble, Party City, Petco, 85c Bakery, Pho Tai, Taco Bell, etc. (updated Feb 2022)
   * 47.3219-122.31545 H-Mart, 31217 Pacific Hwy S (North Anchor of the Pavilion Mall at Pacific & S 312th St.), ☏ +1 253 528-0500. Large market for Asian groceries and other imported goods. (updated Aug 2018)
* 47.3178-122.31526 Pavillion II, 31601-31835 Pacific Hwy S (SW of the intersection of Pacific & S 316th. Between 316th & 320th.). Large strip mall location for Best Buy, Office Depot, Papa Murphy's, Pet Smart, Sole Perfection Shoes, Trappers Sushi, Chipotle, Tokyo Steakhouse, Village Inn, etc. (updated Feb 2022)

## Eat

* 47.3169-122.30061 East India Grill, 31845 Gateway Center Blvd S, ☏ +1 253 529-9292. M-Th 11AM-10PM; F-Sa 11AM-11PM; Su 11AM-9PM. Atmospheric restaurant with an Indic menu. (updated Aug 2018)
* 47.3129-122.315332 Legendary Doughnuts, 32085 Pacific Hwy S, ☏ +1 206 460-5942. Daily 5AM-6PM. Western Washington chain of doughnut bakeries. (updated Aug 2018)
* 47.30716-122.335573 New Peking Wok, 32921 1st Ave S, ☏ +1 253 838-2688. Daily 11AM-8PM. Chinese restaurant available for banquets and catering. (updated Aug 2018)
* 47.30644-122.335974 Pizza Pizazz, 32925 1st Ave S, ☏ +1 253 661-6161. Independent pizza joint with a rock music theme. (updated Aug 2018)
* 47.30479-122.312925 Señor Taco, 33120 Pacific Hwy S, ☏ +1 253 661-9915. M-Sa 11AM-8PM. Authentic, family-owned taqueria. (updated Aug 2018)
* 47.32137-122.312946 Akasaka, 31246 Pacific Hwy S. Japanese restaurant (updated Feb 2025)
* 47.31618-122.312337 Koharu, 31840 Pacific Hwy S Suite C. Japanese restaurant (updated Feb 2025)
Federal Way is best known for its Korean cuisine, thanks to the high concentration of Korean Americans living in the city.
* 47.32078-122.312618 Mirak Korean BBQ, 31260 Pacific Hwy S #1. (updated Feb 2025)
* 47.31838-122.31049 Shin Sung, 1805 S 316th St #106. (updated Feb 2025)

## Drink

* 47.3131-122.31881 Poverty Bay Cafe & Coffee Company, 1108 S 322nd Pl, ☏ +1 253 945-0012. W-Su 7AM-2PM. Cafe that also serves light diner fare. (updated Aug 2018)

## Sleep
### Jct I-5 and S 320th St

* 47.3182-122.30871 La Quinta Inn, 31611 Pete von Reichbaur Way S (Pete von Reichbaur/20th Ave S & S 316th St), ☏ +1 253 941-6000. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: Noon.
* 47.3159-122.29972 Courtyard Seattle Federal Way, 31910 Gateway Center Blvd. South, ☏ +1 253 529-0200, fax: +1 253 529-0220.
* 47.3139-122.30113 Staybridge Suites Federal Way - Seattle South, 32124 25th Ave S, ☏ +1 253-945-9833. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: Noon.
* 47.3169-122.29824 Hampton Inn & Suites, 31720 Gateway Center Blvd S, ☏ +1 253 946-6000. (updated Feb 2022)

### Jct I-5 and S 348th St

* 47.2889-122.31885 Days Inn, 34827 Pacific Hwy S. (SW of intersection of Pacific & S 348th St), ☏ +1 253 237-6374.
* 47.29116-122.314966 Quality Inn, 1400 S 348th St, ☏ +1 253 835-4145. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. (updated Feb 2022)

## Connect

The area code for the Federal Way and South King County is 253.
* 47.31552-122.320891 Federal Way 320th Library (King County Library System), 848 S 320th St, ☏ +1 253 839-0257. Tu W 1-8PM, Th-Sa 10AM-5PM. (updated Feb 2022)
* 47.29461-122.331812 Federal Way Library (King County Library System), 34200 1st Way S, ☏ +1 253 838-3668. Tu W 1-8PM, Th-Sa 10AM-5PM. (updated Feb 2022)
* 47.28802-122.386433 Tacoma Public Library - Kobetich Branch, 212 Browns Point Blvd NE, ☏ +1 253 280-2920. Tu W noon-8PM, Th-Sa 10AM-6PM. (updated Feb 2022)

### By mail

* 47.3071-122.31434 Federal Way Post Office (US Postal Service), 32829 Pacific Hwy S, ☏ +1 253. M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa 9AM-1PM. Serving zip code 98003. A convenient place to mail gifts to someone or mail your purchases back home after shopping. (updated Feb 2022)
* 47.300084-122.3575215 Twin Lakes Post Office (US Postal Service), 1815 SW Campus Dr, ☏ +1 253. M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa 9AM-1PM. Serving zip codes 98023 and 98422 (updated Feb 2022)