Future of Flight Aviation Center and Boeing Tour

The Museum of Flight was a pleasant surprise. It's a big, open building with huge, windowed galleries, located right by Boeing Field and close to SeaTac airport. Despite the name, the emphasis here is overwhelmingly on airplanes, with a few small displays on spacecraft, kites and gliders. They do a great job showing off their impressive collection of early and more modern aircraft, both civilian and military. The most impressive display is in the great gallery, with dozens of aircraft suspended from the ceiling and more on the ground. There's currently a display on hydroplanes there, as well. There's enough here indoors and outside (you can board a Concorde and an Air Force One) for half a day's exploring, if you have any interest at all in aviation and aircraft. It's kid-friendly; probably more so for older children. Admission is free one Thursday night a month; otherwise, if you're going with 4 or more people (or more than once), it pays to buy a membership. more

I dragged my sister to the Museum of Flight against her will, but several hours later she had to be kicked out by the docents to get her to leave. The displays are engaging and there really is something for everyone. We were very lucky to arrive just as a tour was beginning, and I can't recommend enough trying to do the same. We were given a fantastic 90 minute tour that was filled with first-hand accounts of the early days of local aviation, and insight and stories that we wouldn't have gotten any other way. Of course, the Concorde was great, but we really got a kick out of being able to soak up the atmosphere of the first Air Force One. I can't recommend this museum enough. Don't miss it. more

The Museum of Flight has got some of the neatest exhibits I've ever seen at a museum. From the story of the Boeing Company to the recently-donated British Airways Concorde, for anyone who's remotely interested in planes, travel or things that hang out in the sky, will really enjoy this place. There are many films shown, and for school groups, you can go on a neat simulation of a space-shuttle mission. more

The museum of flight in Seattle is one of the premier flight museums in the world. It houses a fantastic and growing collection of everything aeronautical from kitty hawk replicas to the Concorde. Everything about this museum is first class from the continuous movies in the theatre to the docents to the excellent cafeteria. If you've ever flown in an airplane you must come here to understand the dream of flight and also to understand Seattle's unique roll as the home of Boeing. Before they moved their corporate headquarters to Chicago, Boeing and Seattle were synonymous in many people's minds. Seattle is 'Jet City'. Our basketball team is the 'Supersonics'. The world's largest manufacturer of airplanes was the bedrock industry of the city and the entire western half of the state. When the corporate heads decided that investors' return was more important than the nine decades of partnership between this community and the company founded in 1916, many in the city and state felt like they had just learned they were being divorced. There was much gnashing of teeth and self questioning: "Was it something we did?", "Are we no longer attractive?" In the end, there was no turning back. Our partner's eyes were fixated on investors' bottom line. But at least we get to keep the museum! Admission is $11. more

The museum of flight just keeps getting better. It was already fun then they added Air Force One and the Concorde and Personal Courage wing with WWI and WWII aviation exhibits. There is something for young and old—there’s even hot dogs and macaroni and cheese in the cafeteria if your picky young eaters get hungry. The control tower is a wonderful location to watch planes taking off and landing from Boeing field. One last note: The museum of flight is the best place in Seattle to lose something—I dropped my wallet and digital camera on separate occasions and both were returned to me intact! Get the one year pass and go again and again. more

If you like airplanes this is the place for you. They have all types of planes to see. There is also a place on space crafts and a tower you can go into and listen to aircraft transmissions at Boeing Field. My favorite part was getting to walk through a retired Air Force 1. It seemed very small compared to what I am sure the President rides around in now. There is also a great gift shop with all kinds of things to purchase. more

This is a fantastic place for anyone who loves flight. From World War One era planes to the Concorde, its all here. The collection here is simply astounding, the only thing that compares is the Smithsonian. The tours here are very informative and entertaining, and I even bought some really cool stuff from the gift shop. more

One of the unique things you can see while in Seattle is the Boeing Tour. Boeing will let you in to take a tour of their assembly plant, where you can see various planes -- 757, 777, 767, and maybe some others, getting worked on. It may sound like something geeky, but seeing the huge planes up close, in pieces, and being worked on is amazing. You also learn some great trivia about how these wonderful machines are put together. I've told friends that this tour is required if they come visit -- it's one of my favorite tours and definately worth the price. more