Fairway

We are heading to Seattle this summer and it is a must that we visit all 3 of these museums. There is an aviation fanatic in my family and this is the highlight of the summer.

Boeing Tour: is there a better time to go - morning vs. afternoon? do the assembly lines shut down for a lunch time etc? Somewhere I read that the Boeing workers begin their shifts early and end early. We need to see the operation in motion. I was thinking of calling Boeing to get that answer?

We were definately planning to get tickets ahead of time so we are sure to get there. I can't wait for the same day admission because I don't want the look of disappointment staring at me all the way home.

Thanks for any help! Always get the best advice on this website.

tchoiniere

Definitely think you should do the Boeing tour in the morning as there will be less possibility of shift change / lunch break. Their 1st shift is probably 6-3.

I went to the Museum of Flight last year and really liked it. Take your time going through it. Make sure to go to the exhibit across the street with Air Force One, etc.

dfr4848

We did the Boeing tour late on a Fri afternoon (one of those last minute decisions and we were lucky to get in). It was certainly busy, but how much more/less than the mornings I don't know. Given more planning, I'd probably opt for a morning tour.

Fairway

Thanks for the excellent responses. I was thinking of a morning tour on a weekday... so it sounds like I am on the right track.
I have to search the 3 museums and get more particulars on each.
Thanks again!

Gardyloo

The FoF is not so much a museum as a waiting area for the factory tour. There are some interesting exhibits, but probably not a lot more than 30 or 45 min. will do ya. There's also a snack bar and a big souvenir shop selling lots of $200 leather jackets with the Boeing logo (stolen from McDonnell Douglas, stolen from Douglas) on the front/back.

I would shoot for something like a 10AM tour on a weekday. After the tour I'd catch a ferry down at the Mukliteo dock (10 min. from the factory) and head over to Whidbey Island and have lunch in Langley, a very cute village at the south end of the island.

From there, you could drive north all the way up the island and over spectacular Deception Pass, then cut back to the I-5 freeway and return to Seattle. Or, you could go up Whidbey to the Port Townsend ferry, cross over to PT (hopefully the ferry will be running a full schedule by the time you visit - currently a lot of repairs and substitute boats on that run.) From PT you can drive back over the Hood Canal bridge and return into downtown Seattle via the Bainbridge Island ferry - by far the most spectacular way to enter our fair city.

As for the MoF, be sure to go to their website - www.museumofflight.org - and go through the calendar of exhibits, seminars and all that. They have a marvelous and packed schedule.

Also the MoF gift shop will knock your socks off. One of the best museum shops anywhere.

If you're coming during Seafair (first part of August) the Blue Angels use the ramp in front of the MoF as their base, sometimes sharing it with B-17s and other war birds. Lots of crowds around then, and for good reason.

enzian

Much of the FofF "museum" seemed like a promotion for the Dreamliner. But there are some other exhibits, our favorite of which was the actual cockpit from a 727. You can sit in there and try to figure out what it what. It would be great for the aviation fanatic.

Fairway

Gardyloo,
I've never been to Seattle so I love the idea of going to Langley and taking ferries.

The Museum of Flight shop sounds like he better bring lots of that hard-earned cash along since he's going to want everything in there.

Can you recommend a few places in the area (either Seattle or Everett) for lunch? Should we be considering staying in the Everett area a few days or making this a day trip from Seattle? Thanks.

Fodorite018

Do this as a daytrip from Seattle vs staying in Everett. There really isn't anything else there. If you want to have lunch after the Boeing tour, there are lots of places. In Everett, there is Anthony's, Lombardis, and the Scuttlebutt Brewery all on the waterfront. At the Mukilteo ferry dock, there is an Ivars which has really good chowder.

Gardyloo

When are you coming? Summer is very busy in Seattle, with cruise ships coming and going, the Seafair festival (last weekend in July/first in Aug. this year), then the big Bumbershoot festival at Labor Day.

Lunch - hoo, boy... Pike Place market, Uwajimaya food court or dim sum in the International District, various fishy places on the central waterfront, lots of designer beer, cold cracked crab, fresh bread and a jug of local stuff somewhere... What's your poison?

As for staying in Everett/Mukilteo, probably best as a day trip. However if maybe you'd like one night at a reasonably affordable place on the water - 5 min. from the Boeing plant and a 90 sec. walk to the ferry, try the Silver Cloud Inn in Mukilteo - http://scinns.com/12home.htm.

goddesstogo

We did the Boeing tour and it was great! Bought lots of nice gifts in the shop (a wide variety of prices) but don't eat in the restaurant there. It was dreadful.

Have a wonderful time! Oh, and across from Pike Place Market, right near the original Starbucks, there's a fabulous little bakery called Piroshky Piroshky. Yum!