Pacific Northwest – Trains & Planes
5 Days | May-October
Starting At $Flexible Pricing
Oregon and Washington host a legacy of Railroad and Aviation History. One is home to the famous Spruce Goose the other is home to Boeing and its world-class museum. We connect the two states with rail service. Add travel by float plane and visit America’s Car Museum, This is a fantastic inter-modal tour!
Seattle Seaplane Tour
Highlights
Tour Highlights:
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Tour Inclusions:
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U S Tours Flexible Pricing:
- Customizable Comps
- Net Rates
- Luxury or First Class Hotels & Meals
- Motorcoach Transportation & Professional Tour Managers are available
Whatever you want, U S Tours will be happy to structure tour prices to match your needs. Just let us know!
Itinerary
Day 1 – Portland, OR
Arrive in Portland, OR this afternoon. Enjoy a tour of Bob’s Red Mill. Here knowledgeable “grain guides” will show you historical milling equipment on display and modern factory production lines in action. Hear the inspiring stories of how Bob got started in the milling business and overcame challenges to make Bob’s Red Mill the thriving employee-owned company that it is today.
Following the tour, lunch is included at the Mill’s nearby café and time to visit the Whole Grain Store and Bakery.
Travel next to McMinnville, home of the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum and its star attraction, the Spruce Goose. Conceived by Howard Hughes as a low cost air freighter, the giant floatplane flew only once! Then check into your suburban hotel for a two night stay. Dinner is on your own this evening. (L)
Day 2 – Mount Hood Railroad – Multnomah Falls – End of Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
After breakfast, travel into the Columbia River Gorge and discover the small town of Mt. Hood. Here you enjoy a ride and box lunch on the Mt. Hood Railroad. Sit back, enjoy the great views as you travel along the river, through forests, meadows and numerous fruit orchards to the town of Odell or Parkdale. During the layover, have a picnic in the park, browse the shops and take in stunning views of Mt. Hood. Be sure to bring a camera!
This afternoon you stop at beautiful Multnomah Falls, a 611-foot-tall roaring waterfall, en route to the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. A historically-clothed interpreter will guide you through the exhibits and the feature film, “Bound for Oregon.” This 30-minute film traces the true stories of four pioneers making their way to Oregon.
Returning to your hotel, dinner is on your own this evening. (B,L)
Day 3 – Portland City Tour – Oregon to Washington on Amtrak’s Cascades
This morning after breakfast, enjoy a city tour of Portland. Your tour will include a visit to the well-known Japanese Gardens. Lunch is included at Union Station in Wilf’s Restaurant prior to boarding Amtrak’s Cascades bound for Tacoma. The cars of the train are European made and European in style – completely unique for the United States!
Once in Tacoma, your home for the next two nights is the Hotel Murano. It is a showcase for glass art, featured throughout the lobby and on every floor. Dinner is on your own this evening. (B, L)
Day 4 – Seattle – Space Needle – Pike Place – Float Boat Option
This morning you travel to downtown Seattle for a city tour and a visit to the Space Needle. Built for the World’s Fair in 1962, it remains Seattle’s most iconic sight. Drop into Dale Chihuly’s Garden of Glass at the base of the Space Needle and see the artist’s famous glass art installations, both inside and out!
Then you enjoy some free time at Pike Place Market, the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the country. The market offers farm-fresh produce, butcher-paper clad bouquets, abundance of shops, restaurants, and bars—not to mention some of the best people-watching in the city. From wader-clad fishmongers slinging salmon to street buskers playing for passersby, there’s always something going on here.
You also have the option to add a float plane tour of Seattle. Soar high above the city and Puget Sound with the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula to the west and the mountains of the Cascade Range to the east.
For those who want a different way to get off the ground, visit Seattle’s Giant Wheel, a Ferris Wheel along the waterfront. A farewell dinner along the water closes out your evening. (B,D)
Day 5 – Boeing Museum of Flight – Depart for Home
This morning, you visit the Boeing Museum of Flight, the recreated workshop of William Boeing and Conrad Westervelt who developed their first airplane in 1916 for the U.S. Navy.
Today Boeing is the largest aeronautics company in the world. At the museum you will view dozens of restored aircraft and aviation equipment including a former Air Force One Presidential Jet and Concorde Supersonic Airplane, both of which you can walk through.
After your tour, depart for home. (B)