Frommer's Review
Before Bill Gates and Microsoft, Boeing was by far the largest employer in the Seattle area. Although the airplane manufacturer no longer has its corporate headquarters in Seattle, Boeing is still a major presence in the city, and it still has something that Microsoft can never claim: the single largest building, by volume, in the world. The company's Everett assembly plant could easily hold 911 basketball courts, 74 football fields, 2,142 average-size homes, or all of Disneyland (with room left over for covered parking). This impressive building is open to the public by guided tour, and a visit to the plant is one of the most interesting tourist activities in Seattle. On the tour, you'll get to see how huge passenger jets are assembled. In the Future of Flight Aviation Center, from which the tours leave, you'll find lots of interesting hands-on interactive exhibits about commercial jet aviation and manufacturing. You can stick your head inside a giant jet engine, climb into the cockpit of a Boeing 727, design your own jet on a computer (and get a color print-out of your design), or go for a ride in a flight simulator.
The guided 1-hour tours are offered on the hour from 9am to 3pm, and tickets for same-day use are sold on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8:30am; in summer, tickets for any given day's tours often sell out by noon. To check availability of same-day tickets, call one of the numbers below. It is also possible to make reservations 24 hours or more in advance by calling tel. 800/464-1476 or 360/756-0086 between 9am and 5pm, or by booking online at the website listed below. If making reservations, you'll pay an extra $2.50 per ticket. Keep in mind that children must be at least 4 feet tall to go on the tour.
If you're in town without a car, you can book a tour to the plant through Customized Tours (tel. 800/770-8769 or 206/878-3965; www.customizedtours.net), which charges $50 and will pick you up at your Seattle hotel.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
