Seattle Mid-Year Program 2011

 
Sightseeing

The biggest attractions in Seattle are big for a reason: They’re a great way to get immersed in the city’s culture and a boatload of fun, too.

Pike Place Market. Open year-round, this is Seattle’s most iconic attraction — and it’s filled with tasty treats. Aisles of gleaming fruits and vegetables, tables overflowing with fresh floral bouquets, and booth after booth selling all manner of locally made jewelry, clothing and gifts. It’s also a great place to enjoy many fantastic eateries serving prepared dishes

Seattle Center. Four museums, 11 theaters, five gardens, six fountains, more than a dozen restaurants, a skate park and an events arena. In short, this is Seattle’s entertainment hub, with plenty of fun for arts and culture lovers of all stripes. Big-name attractions on site include Experience Music Project | Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, Pacific Science Center and, of course, the skyline-defining Space Needle.

Seattle Art Museum. Located in downtown Seattle on the corner of First and Union, SAM presents items from its collection as well as blockbuster traveling exhibits such as the highly anticipated Picasso exhibit coming in the fall of 2010. If you’re exploring the permanent collection, you’ll want to see the Native & Meso-American collection with works by the area’s original inhabitants. Other highlights include contemporary works by Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol; European masterpieces of portraiture and sculpture; and Asian pieces dating back to the second century. The Seattle Asian Art Museum, in Volunteer Park, features noteworthy collections of Chinese, Korean, and Southeast Asian art, and its Japanese art collection is among the most distinguished outside of Japan.

Museum of Flight. As the longtime home of major airline manufacturing companies, Seattle is no stranger to the miracle of flight. Little wonder then that one of the finest aviation museums in the nation is located here. More than 150 historic artifacts are on display, including the legendary SR-71 Blackbird (capable of speeds up to Mach 3 and altitudes above 85,000 feet), an original Concorde jetliner and the actual 707 jet used as Air Force One during the ’50s, ’60s and early ’70s. Many of the exhibits are hands-on and perfect for kids, including flight simulators, a control tower and the Kid’s Flight Zone, where they can strap on flight gear and test their piloting skills.

Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour. A unique interpretive center dedicated to exploring the very limits of technology as they apply to the world of commercial aviation, this one-of-a-kind attraction is part of the Boeing manufacturing plant. The museum provides an active learning environment where visitors can test ideas, experience the magic of flight through simulator rides, learn about next-generation technology soon to be found on passenger planes and even touch the highly advanced composite skin of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

And much more... Visit the Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau