August 18th, 2010 by
admin
The World’s Greatest Seattle Walking Tour is the humble name for a two and a half hour tour around downtown Seattle, Belltown, and Pioneer Square. The tour takes you up close to the many sights of the City as your tour guide gives you insights about the characters and events that grew Seattle from fledgling backwater outpost to burgeoning 21st century city.
Pike Place Market (watch out for flying fish), WTO riot, grunge, Nordstroms’ headquarters, Pioneer Square, Belltown, Seattle Art Museum, the original Starbucks store, Klondike Gold Rush, Great Fire of 1889, Post Alley, the monorail, Smith Tower, the city’s rich sports history, and more all help this walking tour earn its name.
The tour starts at Westlake Park across Pine Street from a… (wait for it) a… Starbucks! How perfect is that?
The World’s Greatest Seattle Walking Tour is also now a part of the World’s Greatest Seattle Attraction Pass! OK so it’s just called the Go Seattle Card, but it’s pretty great. Along with the Walking Tour, the Go Seattle Card provides free admission to 35 of the City’s best sights and activities, including the Space Needle, the Museum of Flight, the EMP, Argosy Cruises, and a whole bunch more. Check out the complete list HERE.
For those worried about the effort involved in taking a 2.5 hour walking tour, the distance covered is about 1.5 miles which is almost entirely flat or downhill. So put on some comfortable shoes and enjoy a great way to see and learn about the City.
Planning a trip to
Seattle?
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April 7th, 2010 by
admin
“City Passes” — sometimes known as “Sightseeing Passes” or “Attraction Passes” — are becoming more and more a part of the travel landscape. While long a feature of the European travel scene, they are a more recent arrival in the U.S. and can be a great way to take in the many great things to do in and around Seattle.
In many ways they are overdue. Nobody walks into a hotel to request a room or walks up to the airline ticket counter and expects to get the best price, and yet that is still largely the case when it comes to people purchasing things to do while on a trip. City Passes let people buy their admissions in advance to get the best deal and to do so in a more convenient way that trying to by individual tickets separately.
The basic idea behind any city pass is that it bundles together the entry tickets for multiple museums, sights, and tours and puts them on a single ticket. In doing this, the pass provides a discount compared to the cost of buying separate tickets. It may often have other benefits such as the ability to skip lines and/or come with a free guidebook.
One popular example is the Go Seattle Card. 35 of Seattle’s top sights accept the Card as an admission ticket. Travellers choose the number of days they want to sight-see and buy a Card for that number of days. The Go Seattle Card then works for that many days for whichever of the participating sights the holder wishes to visit. For example if a customer bought a 3-Day Pass, they could then use it to visit the Space Needle, the Museum of Flight, a Harbor Cruise, the Ground Zero Museum, Pacific Science Museum, the Experience Music Project… and/or any other sights they wanted to see over the three days.
Other examples include the Musee Pass which covers 60 museums and monuments in Paris, the Go Oahu Card with 30 sights and activities in Hawaii, the Smartvisit Card that covers sights in and around Sydney, Australia, and so on.
In addition to being available directly from their own websites, these passes are available from leading travel sites. There are even sites like Smart Destinations that are dedicated exclusively to selling city passes and offer them for a variety of destinations. They also have a video explaining how passes work, so if you need more info access the video on their home page.
And for those who don’t want to plan ahead, passes can often be bought directly in their locales. The Go Seattle Card discussed above lists four locations where it can be bought in the City and the surrounding area.
If your next trip involves taking in the sights, its worth doing your research on your in destination activities just like you would for your flights and hotels. The savings can be significant.
Planning a trip to
Seattle?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go Seattle Card.
February 1st, 2010 by
admin
Starting in mid-February 2010 holders of the Go Seattle Card get free admission to even more area attractions. Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville are joining the program.
“We’ve been impressed with how Smart Destinations has grown both in Washington and in their other destinations,” said Whitney DalBalcon, Marketing and Public Relations Manager of Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. “Their focus on the visitor mirrors our own commitment to providing a world class experience. We’re looking forward to working together.”
Point Defiance is not only a wonderful zoo and aquarium, with its innovative Animal Avenue and Asian Forest Sanctuary exhibits, but also boasts breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and Puget Sound. Northwest Trek is home to more than 200 animals that are native to the Pacific Northwest. Visitors can scout for moose, bison, elk, mountain goats, and more from trams as the animals freely roam around them.
For a single price, the Go Seattle Card offers free admission to over 35 museums, tours, and other attractions for a low, fixed price. The Card also provides discounts at popular restaurants and shops and the ability to skip the lines at many attractions. Each Go Seattle Card also comes with a color-printed, pocket-sized guidebook full of maps, travel tips and itineraries for the Seattle area.
“With the help of our newest partners, we’ve taken a great product and made it even better,” said Cecilia Dahl, founder and President of Smart Destinations. “Customers already got a great value using the Card as a ticket to the Space Needle, the Museum of Flight, and our other Seattle partners. Were really excited to have Point Defiance and Northwest Trek. They truly are gems.”
Among the top attractions included in Go Seattle Card are The Space Needle, the Argosy Harbor Cruise, the Experience Music Project, the Pacific Science Center, and many others. In addition to the Zoo and the Northwest Trek, the Go Seattle Card covers a number of activities beyond Seattle such as Deception Pass tours, a number of cruises, the Tacoma Art Museum, a Woodinville Wine Tour and more.
Planning a trip to
Seattle?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go Seattle Card.
June 17th, 2009 by
admin
Woodinville has become a haven for fine winemakers. Their commitment to quality is quickly becoming legendary among serious wine enthusiasts, and their wineries have more than doubled in number. Many tasting rooms are open to the public and provide the opportunity to sample and purchase wines straight from the wineries.
Three tasting rooms are open year round and 4 or 5 additional tasting rooms are open to the public on weekends. Visit and taste why Seattle is becoming one of the premier wine regions of the world.
The Go Seattle Card includes a wonderful Woodinville Wine tour as one of 35 Seattle area attractions and tours included in the price of the card. Tours are run on Saturdays and include such wineries as Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Winery, Matthews Estate, and Efeste. The tour will pick you up right from your hotel in the morning and have you back in town in time for dinner.
Planning a trip to
Seattle?
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Go Seattle Card.
May 27th, 2009 by
admin
From May 23rd through August 16th, 2009, the Experience Music Project|Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (EMP|SFM) will be hosting an amazing exhibit and a number of accompanying events on the magical work of the late Jim Henson.
Jim Henson’s Fantastic World is a deep dive into the work of the man behind the Muppets of “The Muppet Show,” “Sesame Street,” and “Fraggle Rock.” The exhibit features artifacts ranging from puppets to cartoons and storyboards to movie props as well as photographs of Henson at work. There is even a hands-on puppet theatre.
In addition to his iconic Muppets, Henson’s creativity encompassed music, multimedia, and all the components of story-telling that have made his creations into such a compelling and beloved legacy. While best known for characters like Kermit the Frog, Henson also branched out in a variety of other directions, including the darker creatures of The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth.
Jim Henson’s Fantastic World is a joint effort of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and The Jim Henson Legacy. Entrance to the Experience Music Project and to the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame is included in the Go Seattle Card, so there is no reason not to check the exhibit out before it moves on.
Planning a trip to
Seattle?
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Go Seattle Card.
January 23rd, 2009 by
admin
The Seattle Art Museum is hosting a focused exhibition of Edward Hopper’s iconic paintings entitled “Edward Hopper’s Women.” The exhibit is set to run through March 1, 2009. One of the highlights of the exhibit is Hopper’s famous 1929 composition Chop Suey which represents one of Hopper’s first forays into urban settings with his paintings.
Use your Go Seattle Card to get into the Seattle Art Museum and see their impressive collection of art from around the Pacific Rim, Europe, the Middle East and local works from the Pacific Northwest.
Planning a trip to
Seattle?
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Go Seattle Card.
May 1st, 2008 by
susan j
Avenue Q cast photo courtesy of
Puppets singing about politics, racism, and life in the city. It’s an improbable combination, but somehow it works. I’ve seen Avenue Q twice and listened to the cast album countless more times, but I still can’t get enough of this infectious musical comedy. It’s the type of show that charms even people say they don’t like musicals.
Seattle’s Paramount Theatre will present Avenue Q June 10-22, and I highly recommend checking it out. The story centers on Princeton, an eager graduate with a “BA in English” and no career prospects, Kate Monster, the adorable monster next door, and their neighbors (a lovable cast of monsters, people, and puppets). Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster.
Planning a trip to
Seattle?
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Go Seattle Card.
April 16th, 2008 by
susan j
Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.
~John Ruskin
Planning a trip to
Seattle?
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April 11th, 2008 by
susan j
Bumbershoot 2007 in Seattle Photo uploaded by
If you’re planning a trip to Seattle, WA during Labor Day weekend, then you’ll definitely want to check out , which is an annual music and arts festival that attracts over 125,000 visitors to Seattle Center each year.
Running August 30 to September 1, 2008, this year’s Bumbershoot will feature performances by Beck, Stone Temple Pilots, Lucinda Williams, Neko Case, Ingrid Michaelson, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, and other bands and solo artists to be announced. The festival will also feature literary programs, visual art, dance performances, and a film festival curated by the Seattle International Film Festival.
While at Bumbershoot, you might check out other popular Seattle attractions like the Space Needle, Pacific Science Center, and the Experience Music Project (EMP). All are within the Seattle Center area.
Planning a trip to
Seattle?
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Go Seattle Card.
April 3rd, 2008 by
jamie a
Indie Craft Show Wares Photo uploaded by
Looking for something special to spruce up your wardrobe or home? Look no further than the on Sunday, April 6th!
Featuring over 40 of “the Northwest’s most innovative indie designers,” it’s held on the first Sunday of every month at Chop Suey. In addition to the multitudes of eclectic handmade wares, there’s a live DJ and admission is always free.
For more information, visit their website at and be sure to check out the of the fair!
Planning a trip to
Seattle?
Read about attractions, tours, discounts, and more with the
Go Seattle Card.
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