Cool Seattle Tours with a Subculture Twist
Fun Things to Do in Seattle WA, Offbeat Local Stories and Gossip
May 27, 2009
There are about two degrees of separation in Seattle; maybe three at the most. Everyone has a good story about someone, if the storyteller can be cajoled into spilling the beans. Usually, it's just some amusing gossip. Here are the cool Seattle tours featuring tales of subculture figures and offbeat local stories. These are the really fun things to do in Seattle WA.
Sub Seattle Tour
This tour is brought to life by the good folks at Underground Seattle, though don’t confuse the cool Sub Seattle tour with the Underground Tour or the Underworld Tour. This romp is subtitled, “Rule-Breakers, Trouble Makers...Not Your Father’s Bus Ride!” Are you intrigued, yet?
This Sub Seattle bus ride takes people outside the general tourist area and around to some beautiful parts of Seattle that tourists never see. (Drop Granny off at the other Underground Seattle Tour. The other tour is nice, but oldsters won't understand the Sub Seattle Tour.)
In this “90 minute bus ride,” eavesdroppers will hear about “Seattle’s vaunted subcultures.”
The tour covers:
- The International Disctrict (the ID) - Site of Seattle's Wah Mee massacre in 1983.
- The Viretta Park bench, on gorgeous Lake Washington, and the story of how it became a memorial to Kurt Cobain. Can anyone sing all the words to “Teen Spirit”? Nevermind.
- Volunteer Park on Capital Hill, where gay history started in Seattle.
Sub Seattle stories include Seattle rock legends and more:
- Jimi Hendrix
- Japanese internment (prison) camps during WWII
- Courtney Love’s wedding dress
- Seattle’s labor movement
- Bruce Lee
Get your tickets by calling 206-682-4646
- Summer: Monday – Saturday 10am and 2pm
- $30
Fremont Sunday Ice Cream Tour Cruise:
Ride The Duck is a lot of fun and it runs every day (in summer). This is like the duck ride, if it were run by subversive and eccentric guides who liked dogs. (Note: The Fremont Ice Cream Cruise is only on Sundays.) This tour is a cruise around Lake Union aboard an ancient 50-foot steel hulled, vintage style ferry. The whole thing takes about 45 minutes and includes a great guy telling Seattle stories to a background of funky music. It’s kind of like having a friend with a boat and paying for gas. The whole thing is very laid back and shows a different side of the city. Watch for:
- About 400 cool houseboats on Lake Union
- The outside of Dale Chihuly’s studio, a place that most Seatown natives don’t know.
- Gas Works Park
- The sleepless Seattle houseboat
Walk-ons only. (No Reservations.) Board at Lake Union Park near the Center for Wooden Boats. Bring extra dollars to buy ice cream treats, coffee, or pop. $2 to $4.
- Board at the top of the hour: Sundays 11am -5pm.
- Pay at dock: Adults $11, Seniors $10, 5-13y/o $7, under-5 $2. Pets OK. Cash only.
Show Me Seattle Tour
Show Me Seattle is a good overview of the city of Seattle, and it's an eccentric, but Granny-friendly, jaunt. This van tour is a great way for people, who are thinking about moving to Seattle, to get their bearings, learn about the different neighborhoods, and find out what it’s like to live in Seatown from real Seatown people. The tour makes 3-4 stops, so bring the camera. Only 14 people. Ask questions. See these and more quirky things:
- The Fish Ladder
- Amazing Views (of course)
- Pioneer Square
- The Sleepless in Seattle houseboat (What do the owners think of this?)
- The Fremont Troll
206-633-CITY Reservations required. The good people at Show Me Seattle will bring the van to any of the Downtown Seattle hotels. It's totally hassle free.
- $44, 3-12y/o $30, 2 and under free (Actually, the Show Me Seattle brochure shows lesser amounts, so double check.)
Anybody can see the Space Needle. That Seattle icon is mostly used like a sundial or a reference point for Seattleites who are driving around slightly lost. Learn about the really important things in Seattle life: Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Chihuly, sockeye salmon and more. Drive or paddle around Seattle and get some really cool photos to use as pc wallpaper. Climb the Fremont Troll. Throw away that necktie.
Check out these cool Seattle tours.There are lots of offbeat, subcultural, fun things to do in Seattle WA. Forget the rain. Just go.
