When you visit a new city, your to-do and must-see lists can be overwhelming. It was for us as we planned our trip to Seattle, Washington. We had information and suggestions coming from all angles, friends that once lived in the area sent us a 20-item checklist, other friends gave us a what not to waste time on list, and then there was our personal list that we were eager to experience. After we chiseled away at all our options, there were a few things that remained constant. We wanted to experience the Space Needle and wanted to get on the water somehow. We looked into the Seattle CityPASS and learned they offer a booklet of coupons for 5 great city excursions for nearly half off the regular admission prices. It was just the thing we needed to see some iconic Seattle venues on our visit.
The booklets are easy to purchase online (for a voucher to print or booklet mailed to you) or at the first location you visit. Once you visit your first attraction, then your booklet is good for nine consecutive days. We were only traveling for 5 days so we hoped to have time to experience as many as possible. Here are the excursions available on the Seattle CityPASS and take note that 2 choices are “select one of two options” which may depend on who you’re traveling with:
1. Space Needle
Includes: Day/Night admission, including two visits to the top: one during the day and a second same-day visit during the last three hours of operation. Head up and see what all the oohhhs and ahhhhhs are about: unparalleled views of Mt. Rainer to the south, the Cascade range to the East, and the majestic Olympics to the West. Zoom in on the action below with a Swarovski telescope, for free. Explore the Space Needle’s history and Seattle’s sights like never before with award-winning interactive technology.2. Seattle Aquarium
Includes: General admission to all major exhibits, plus interpretive shows. Step through a short tunnel into the one-of-a-kind underwater dome. You’ll get a 360-degree view into a mammoth 400,000-gallon tank filled with hundreds of fascinating Puget Sound fish! Meet a fabulous assortment of charming and entertaining marine mammals: gregarious sea otters, river otters, harbor seals and fur seals. Discover some of the most interesting and eye-catching animals that make their homes in the warm waters of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Experience a one-of-a-kind glimpse into life under the surface of Puget Sound at the Window on Washington Waters exhibit, a mammoth 120,000-gallon exhibit filled with more than 800 fish and invertebrates indigenous to the Pacific Northwest’s local waters.3. Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour
Includes: A one-hour narrated Harbor Cruise Tour. Take in amazing views of the Seattle skyline, Elliott Bay waterfront, the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges, shipping terminals, and historic neighborhoods. Discover interesting facts about waterfront piers, Seattle’s maritime history and Space Needle from the expert narration offered on the cruise. Catch a glimpse of container ships and The Washington State ferry fleet — the largest in the U.S.4a. Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)
Includes: General admission. Explore the tools of rock’n’roll in Sound Lab, where you can play instruments, jam out with friends in soundproof rooms, and record your own song. Travel to a pixelated world of wonder and play in Indie Game Revolution, and get the whole family in on the fun by playing one of the twenty featured single and multiplayer games. Trace the historical development of the signature instrument of rock ‘n’ roll in Guitar Gallery: The Quest for Volume, presenting 55 vintage, world-changing guitars from the 1770s to the present. Travel alongside the legendary Jimi Hendrix at the height of his fame in Wild Blue Angel: Hendrix Abroad, 1966-1970.~~OR~~
4b. Woodland Park Zoo
Includes: General admission. See the world’s first sustainable penguin exhibit, using geothermal technology to cool and heat the water. Visit naturalistic habitats that take you from Alaska’s tundra (Northern Trail) to Australia & New Zealand to South America & Africa. Meet a vast assortment of amazing animals at The Temperate Forest, African Savanna and Tropical Rain Forest. Immerse yourself in the desert coast of Peru with the state-of-the-art Humboldt penguin exhibit. Don’t miss the state-of-the-art Banyan Wilds exhibit, home to tigers and sloth bears!5a. Chihuly Garden and Glass
Includes: General admission, plus a complimentary audio tour (smartphone required). Enter the 40-foot tall glass and steel Glasshouse, the centerpiece of Chihuly Garden and Glass and home to an expansive 100-foot long sculpture in a color palette of reds, oranges, yellows and amber. Meander the garden paths lined with trees, plants and flowers, including Crimson camellias, scarlet daylilies, dogwoods, hardy fuchsias and handkerchief trees that provide the setting for the Crystal and Icicle Towers and an installation of Reeds on Logs. At the center of this lush landscape, on a bed of black mondo grass, is the Sun, an explosion of yellow and orange. Explore the comprehensive collection of Dale Chihuly’s significant series of work in the eight galleries and three Drawing Walls.~~OR~~
5b. Pacific Science Center
Includes: General admission. Learn how personal choices can positively affect our health and well-being at Professor Wellbody’s Academy of Health and Wellness, a 7000-square foot permanent exhibit that presents health as a life-long process of balancing exercise, diet, proper rest and hygiene. Enjoy year-round sunshine in the Tropical Butterfly House! Watch beautiful, exotic butterflies fly, sun themselves and feed among tropical flowers. See a brand-new butterfly emerge in the chrysalis viewing window. New butterflies are released into the exhibit each morning. Travel back to the Mesozoic Era in Dinosaurs: A Journey Through Time, where you’ll meet 7 dinosaurs in a lifelike environment. See live creatures of all kinds, from the domestic to the exotic. Animal displays feature reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, including a colony of East African naked mole rats. Get a personal tour of the universe in the planetarium, where you’ll be guided by a live planetarian who will answer your questions and tailor the show to your interests.
Our first adventure took us on the Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour. We visited the ticket booth at Pier 55 and it was quick and easy to exchange our voucher for the Seattle CityPASS booklet and then receive our timed boarding pass. It’s suggested you arrive back 45 minutes prior to departure, but we were lucky to have just 10 minutes to the next boat so we quickly walked over next door to Pier 56 from the ticket booth. The tour is one hour long and during the summer there are between 6-10 cruises each day. Once on board, there’s a full-service bar to purchase both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, snacks, and even a meat and cheese platter. We made our way to the outside deck before we set sail so we could take in all the great sights around Elliott Bay. 
The live narration was both informative and fun as the passengers were involved in a lot of Q&A. The weather was mild with some sprinkles, but you can move about the boat as you wish, with indoor seating available. 
The water was calm, the boat ride was relaxing and close to the middle of our cruise the sun broke through, unfortunately Mt. Rainier was still covered by clouds. Argosy Cruises offer many different cruise types and can be upgraded to from the Seattle CityPASS.
Our next adventure was to the Space Needle. As we drove around the city in our rental car, we would spy it here and there in the distance, and of course we saw it on our Harbor Tour. Built in 1962 for the World’s Fair, up close and personal the Space Needle shoots upward to 605 feet where you can stroll inside and out of it’s observation deck in the “saucer” at 520 feet. Information my civil engineer-husband loved learning was “An underground foundation was poured into a hole 30’ deep and 120’ across. It took 467 cement trucks an entire day to fill the hole, and the largest continuous concrete pour ever attempted in the West. Once the pour was completed, the foundation weighed as much as the Space Needle itself, establishing the center of gravity just five feet above ground.”
The elevator that takes you up reminds me of the “Wonka-vator” in the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory movie, and you’re led up with a guide who fills you in with as much information as 41 seconds allows. There was construction going on (continuing through the summer) but the 360 degree bird’s eye views were phenomenal including a peek at some of the Olympic mountains. 
After your tour, the elevator drops you off into a 360 degree Spacebase gift shop for all the souvenir’s you can imagine, including a Space Needle-shaped foot-long pepper grinder I almost bought!
Because we only had 5 days in the city and we did so many other things, we fit in one last excursion from the Seattle CityPASS. We toured the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPop). This is a great option if the weather is rainy and you don’t want to get soaked exploring! When you walk into the building you’re enchanted by the Sky Church central area that boasts 65-foot ceilings, an awe-inspiring 33’ x 60’ HD LED screen, state-of-the-art acoustics and a wide variety of lighting effects. Michael Jackson’s Thriller was being projected and I couldn’t tear my eyes from it as I sat with a crowd watching and eventually dancing to the experience.
My husband scurried down the stairs to the Infinite Worlds of Science Fiction exhibit where I found him in front of Mork from Ork’s costume. I was immediately transformed to the 80’s watching television at my grandparent’s house after school. With over 150 artifacts from iconic science fiction movies and TV, this was probably my favorite section of the museum.
The Seattle rock band Nirvana has a cool exhibit as does Pearl Jam and Jimi Hendrix, all were my husband’s favorite spots to explore, read, and listen. 
If you are a Marvel fan, you’ll be happy to know there’s a special exhibit (for an additional $8 charge for CityPASS holders) featuring more than 300 original artifacts including iconic artwork, costumes, and props from comics and films.
The sound lab was totally fascinating and was clearly the most popular area of the museum. I scratched like the best of them in the DJ Hallway and watched a few people jam on the guitar. There are also twelve acoustically isolated rooms known as studio pods, containing interactive devices, gear, and traditional instruments. I’d hope to “take a lesson” but this area was jam-packed with people and many creating a waiting line.
We clearly spent nearly 3 hours here and feel as we only touched the surface. It was a pleasant surprise on our itinerary.
Our Seattle CityPASS gave us the opportunity to experience what we wanted in the city as well as introduced us to a few other excursions we didn’t have on our radar but welcomed. CityPASS discount booklets are available in 13 nationwide cities like San Francisco, New York City, Boston and also Toronto, Canada. If you’re interested in saving money while you travel, check out their website and pick one up for your next vacation, https://www.citypass.com.
Booklets were given for review, all opinions are 100% our own.
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