No trip to Seattle is complete without a stop at the city’s iconic landmark: the Space Needle. It is well worth a stop, as visitors can score the best view of the city from its 520-foot tall observation deck. Local tour companies offer excursions that feature the Space Needle, so visitors can not only enjoy the monument's views and unusual architecture, but learn some of its history too.
The Space Needle is one of the main stops on SeattleTour company's Explore Seattle City Tour. During the three-hour bus trip, a local guide will teach visitors about the Space Needle’s history and make a stop at the landmark so they can see it first-hand and go up to the observation tower. This tour also includes stops at Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square and art galleries. From April to October the tour leaves twice a day, at 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and from November to March the tour leaves at 1 p.m. Tour prices are $48 for adults and $38 for children as of fall of 2010.
SeattleTours
1-888-554-8687
seattletours.com
Professional tour guides lead this three-hour bus tour, which covers 50 miles while bringing visitors to Seattle’s most popular tourist destinations. This busy itinerary includes a visit to the Space Needle, where the guide will tell interesting anecdotes about the sight. During the course of the tour, stops will be made at Ballard Locks and Pioneer Square, and many other sites will be seen from the 24-passenger coach, including Chinatown, Pike Place and Lake Washington. Passengers can be picked up at their hotels for the tours that run throughout the year, with four different departure times in the summer and fall. This tour costs $49 for adults and $39 for children as of 2010.
Seattle City Tour
1-888-293-1404
seattlecitytours.com
Rather than gazing up at the Space Needle, get up right next to it as a passenger on a helicopter tour. Seattle HeliTours offers three different tour options, each flying right beside the Space Needle, as well as soaring above downtown Seattle, Lake Washington and other natural sites. Flight times are either 20 minutes, 30 minutes or 42 minutes. The longest tour includes extra stops, such as a fly by at the rushing Snoqualmie Falls. Prices start at $91 per person (as of 2010) and vary depending on the length of the tour and number of passengers.
Seattle HeliTours
206-767-0515
seattlehelitours.com
