Seattle: The Emerald City
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FEATURED ATTRACTIONS
Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour explores
the five-block area around Pioneer Square with
its turn-of-the
century storefronts. The tour includes subterranean
sidewalks and storefronts created when street levels
were raised 8 to 35 feet following a fire in 1889.
The guided tour highlights Seattle’s history
in the aftermath of the fire that destroyed 30
blocks of downtown Seattle as well as 10 piers
on the wharf. Evergreen Point Floating
Bridge in
Seattle, is the world’s largest floating
bridge. Consisting of 33 separate pontoon units,
it has a total length
of 7,578 feet. One section is a telescoping floating
span that can be opened to allow passage of large
ships, or relieve stress on the bridge during high
windstorms. Lake Washington Ship
Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden
Locks connects saltwater Puget Sound with the
large freshwater harbor comprising Salmon Bay,
Lake Union
and Lake Washington. The locks are among the
busiest in the Americas with acres of botanical
gardens. Museum
of Flight features exhibits in the restored Red
Barn, Boeing’s first manufacturing plant,
document flight from the 13th-century through the
late 1930’s. The Great Gallery Complex contains
more than 40 aircraft, more than 20 of which are
suspended from the ceiling. Pier 59 is a highlight
of Seattle’s waterfront
development.
Seattle Aquarium features more than 360 species
of birds, fish, invertebrates and marine mammals.
Highlights
include the 400,000-gallon Underwater Dome, Pacific
coral reef, a tide pool exhibit and discovery
lab and sea otters. Seattle Space Needle In 41 seconds you’ll go
from ground level to wow. Grab a free telescope and
see the marvels beyond – from Mt. Rainier
to the Olympics to Lake Union.
VANCOUVER FEATURED ATTRACTIONS
Science
World a popular educational family attraction with numerous
exhibits and one of the largest Omnimax
screens in the world. The silver geodesic dome
building is located at the Expo 86 Centre.
Burnaby Village recreates the sights and sounds
of an 1890-1925 village in lower mainland British
Columbia.
Townsfolk in period costumes welcome visitors
to their shops and homes with demonstrations,
displays
and hands-on activities. You will view activities
such as printing, blacksmithing, early education
and use of herbs. A restored 1912
Parker carousel is on site. Gastown a historic district
that celebrates the birthplace of Vancouver where “Gassy” Jack
Deighton talked a group of loggers and trappers
into building
him a saloon in exchange for a barrel of whiskey.
You will see a lot of old historic 19-th-century
buildings, shops, restaurants, the world’s
first steam-powered clock and of course a statue
of “Old Gassy” where he built his first
saloon saloon. Grouse Mountain offers a panorama of Vancouver
from a height of 3,609 feet. An aerial tramway
operates
all year to the chalet, a striking winglike building
at the 3,701-ft level.
Queen Elizabeth Park is
on 492-ft Little Mountain, the highest point in
Vancouver. The park offers
magnificent views of the city, harbor and North
Shore Mountains.
Other highlights include an arboretum; rose,
sunken and quarry gardens; tennis courts; and pitch
and
putt greens. Storyeum located in historic Gastown,
it is a multimedia journey through time and tells
the story of British
Columbia from prehistoric time to today. Using
live actors, special effects and lighting to
bring history
alive, you will descend in one of the world’s
largest passenger lifts and take a 72 minute guided
tour through a series of underground theatres.
Vancouver Maritime Museum From
the wooden ships of the hearty explorers whom
first settled the area
to the hi-tech submersibles that explore the
depths of the oceans, the museum is a fun and educational
experience. The centerpiece of the museum is
the
fully-restored St. Roch, a RCMP boat that patrolled
across Northern Canada in the 1940’s.
VICTORIA FEATURED ATTRACTIONS
Butchart Gardens contains the Rose Garden, Japanese
Garden, Italian Garden, Star Pond, Concert Lawn,
Show Greenhouse and Ross Fountains. The Sunken
Garden was created by the Butcharts on the site
of their depleted limestone quarry.
Parliament
Buildings The
seat of British Columbia’s
Legislative Assembly, the buildings have elaborately
carved facades and are surrounded by 12 –acres
of lawns, gardens, fountains and statues of dignitaries.
Whale
Watching Tours can be taken between March and
November. The best time to view migrating
gray whales is during March and April. The
Orca (killer)
whales are best viewed from May to November. | 
Hotel accomodations (in
quads) 
