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1300 1st Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: 206- 720-7222
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Jonathon Boronsky’s giant sculpture “Hammering Man” welcomes visitors to the museum, and the collection inside is no less impressive. This bright and airy building was built in 1991, and a massive expansion was added in 2007, giving a stroll through the museum an uncluttered and relaxed feeling. To be sure, there are plenty of classic works on hand, but the SAM isn’t afraid to take the road less traveled either. There’s a gallery dedicated to African Art, as well as numerous innovative textile works. All in all, the Seattle Art Museum’s diverse collection is probably the best in the entire Pacific Northwest, giving visitors plenty to take their breathe away, and a few things that might even induce the occasional head scratch or two.
Tillicum Village
Blake Island
Phone: 888-623-1445
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This re-creation of a Native American Longhouse was built for the 1962 World’s Fair, and has been welcoming visitors ever since. The four-hour excursion to Tillicum Village starts inside the long house with a delicious meal of Chinook salmon prepared in native potlatch style. The fish are first filleted, cut open and then strung across specially made cedar stakes. They are then slow cooked over an open fire of alder wood, which quite frankly puts the average back yard barbeque to shame. The result is some of the best salmon you can get anywhere, served up buffet-style with fresh vegetables and plenty of other mouth-watering side dishes. After dinner, the lights in the Long House dim, and visitors are treated to a live show of Native American music and dance.
University of Washington
022 Odegaard
Seattle, WA 98195
Phone: 206-543-9198 (Visitors' Center)
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Since its founding in 1861, this school’s academic reputation has steadily grown, and, according to one recent survey, it now ranks among the top twenty universities in the entire world. But beyond all the booklearnin’ and the beautiful campus, there’s a couple of attractions that draw visitors here as well -- the Henry Art Gallery & the Burke Museum of Natural History.
301 Mercer Street
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: 206-441-2424
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Performing at McCaw Hall in the Seattle Center complex, this company was originally formed as part of the Seattle Opera, but became an independent company back in the 1970's. This excellent troupe is said to have the highest per capita following of any ballet company in the United States, boasting some 11,000 subscribers.
Pioneer Square/Underground Tour
Leaving from 608 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206-682-4646
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After the Great Seattle Fire of the 1889, the city fathers built downtown on mudflat in Pioneer Square, which made drainage near impossible, and led to more back-up sewers than anyone cares to remember. So when it came time to rebuild the city, a new main street was built smack dab on top of the old one, turning what had been the street level into a huge basement. It’s this subterranean remnant of the old city that is explored in the Seattle Underground Tour. Started over 40 years ago by local journalist Bill Speidel, this lighthearted tour takes visitors on a down-under look at life in early Seattle. Fittingly enough for this sometimes bawdy tale, the tour begins in a restored 1890s bar, where you’ll hear about the speculators, dreamers and roughnecks that made up most of the population of Seattle back in those early days. Then, it’s on to the catacomb-like underground, where the remains of Seattle’s first downtown can be found. Knowledgeable guides lead the way and you might be surprised at some of the things you’ll learn. Though it’s hard to imagine it today, the underground continued to be open for business well into the first decade of twentieth century, and relics from that commercial past still dot the tour route. Served up with a heavy dose of wit and humor along the way, the Seattle Underground Tour is great way to explore this fascinating chapter of local history.