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Join us on a unique 7-day luxury adventure tour of the beautiful sites in and around Seattle, Washington. You'll travel on the scenic Coast Starlight route aboard four restored cars from the golden age of rail travel, and stay in the historic Mayflower Park Hotel in downtown Seattle. On our three days of fully escorted tours you'll enjoy lunch at the top of the Space Needle, visit Experience Music Project, the world-class Boeing Museum of Flight, Victoria BC, Butchart Gardens, and enjoy tea in the Empress Hotel. We'll also visit Tacoma and the Museum of Glass complete with a live glassblowing demonstration, and Mt. Ranier National Park.
OUR VINTAGE PRIVATE RAILCARS
Colonial Crafts, a 1949 Pullman sleeper-lounge built for the Pennsylvania Railroad. In addition to an inviting and spacious lounge Colonial Crafts features 3 double bedrooms sleeping two, each room with an annex containing toilet and sink, and a drawing room accommodating up to 3 guests, again with annex containing toilet and sink. Guest amenities include a large shower, and beverage service in the lounge.
Silver Rapids, a 1948 Budd roomette-bedroom sleeper, also built for the Pennsylvania Railroad as its contribution to the California Zephyr equipment pool for transcontinental service. Silver Rapids features eight roomettes accommodating one person each, and six double bedrooms, each accommodating 2 persons. Bedrooms each have an annex containing a toilet and sink; roomettes have a sink in the room. If two couples or a family are traveling together two rooms may be opened ensuite. A shower room has been added. Limited hot and cold beverage service is available.
Silver Lariat, a 1948 Budd Vista-Dome coach built for the California Zephyr, converted to a diner-lounge. 24 deeply cushioned seats in the dome and 42 reclining chairs on the lower level provide a comfortable setting for meals aboard the train as well as for sightseeing.
Silver Solarium, a 1948 Budd Vista-Dome sleeper-lounge-observation car built for the California Zephyr. The observation lounge in the boat-tail of the car is a pleasant place to enjoy the passing scenery as we hurry on our way through the west. Silver Solarium accommodates 24 guests in its Vista-Dome. Sleeping accommodations include 3 double bedrooms, each accommodating 2 guests, and 1 drawing room, accommodating up to 3 guests. The drawing room and bedrooms each have an annex that includes toilet, sink and shower. Under the dome is a bar, which is an excellent spot to gather for a late-night libation.
Day 1 Friday May 8: (L-D) We will board our private cars, located at the rear of Amtrak's Coast Starlight, in time for a 10:15 AM departure. Tour guests will meet at Union Station's North Patio, and will be greeted by a member of our staff. Our staff will make arrangements with the Redcaps to take guest luggage to the private cars, where it will be stowed in the rooms. Guests may also board at any Amtrak station served by this train to and including Sacramento. Our route takes us along the Pacific Ocean from just north of Oxnard for 103 miles to a point just past Surf, near Lompoc. There we turn inland towards San Luis Obispo, then over Cueata Pass to the Salinas Valley toward San Jose and Oakland. We indulge in some late night vistas of San Francisco Bay as we head toward a midnight arrival in Sacramento.
Day 2 Saturday May 9: (B-L-D) Morning finds us near beautiful Mount Shasta and traveling through volcanic rangeland on our way to Klamath Falls, OR. Departing Klamath Falls, we begin our ascent of the Cascade Range as we wind ever higher through the dense conifer forests and lakes of the region. We emerge in the valley of the Willamette River, home of Oregon's finest vineyards, and some of its most important cities, from Eugene to Portland. Between Portland and Vancouver, WA we cross the Willamette and the Columbia Rivers on a series of massive bridges, then we enter the high-speed line that will take us on into Seattle. Our cars will be removed from the train and parked in King St Station for the night.
Day 3 Sunday May 10: (B-L) After breakfast aboard the train we embark on a tour of Seattle's highlights. During the tour luggage will be transferred to our hotel and placed in our rooms. We'll have lunch atop the Space Needle in its rotating restaurant, where the views of the entire Seattle area and of Elliott Bay are spectacular. We'll also have time for the Experience Music Project of Paul Allen, then it's on to the Boeing Museum of Flight, which we passed on the way into town last night. This world-class museum includes a Concorde and one of the Air Force 1 aircraft in its collection, along with an impressive collection of military aircraft and spacecraft. Hotel check-in and the rest of the afternoon is yours to enjoy.
In the afternoon we visit the Boeing Museum of Flight
Day 4 Monday May 11: (L) Today we catch an early Victoria Clipper for a thrilling ride to Victoria's inner harbor. From there we'll embark on a short sightseeing tour of Victoria, then on to world-famous Butchart Gardens, which were once an old stone quarry. We'll have lunch at the Gardens, then stroll through them before returning to Victoria and Tea at the Empress Hotel. After Tea we'll catch a Clipper that will take us back to Seattle. Please note: The Empress enforces a 'smart casual' (business casual) dress code in its Tea Lobby.
We take the fast Victoria Clipper from Seattle to Victoria on Vancouver Island
Beautiful Butchart Gardens |
Downtown Victoria |
Port of Victoria |
Day 5 Tuesday May 12: (L) On our way to Tacoma and the Museum of Glass we'll detour for a trip through Mt. Rainier National Park. This giant volcano, just outside the city limits of Seattle, is over 14,000 ft high and is still considered to be active. Lunch will be in the park, then on to the Museum of Glass, which highlights the art of shaping glass, and features some of the world's most outstanding examples of this art form. One of the highlights of the tour is a working glassworks where you can watch glassblowers and other artisans ply their ancient trade. The afternoon and evening are yours to enjoy as you wish.
On our way to Tacoma we spend the morning hours in Mt. Rainier National Park
In the afternoon we visit the Museum of Glass in Tacoma
Day 6 Wednesday May 13: (L-D) Check out at the hotel is 8:30AM. Shuttles will bring us and our luggage to King Street Station where our staff will see to it that it gets stowed in the rooms. At 9:45 AM we wave goodbye to Seattle and begin our journey back to California. After stopping in Klamath Falls, which will be our last chance to stretch our legs before turning in for the night, the train reenters California. Through the night we stop at Dunsmuir, Redding, Red Bluff, and Chico.
Day 7 Thursday May 14: (B-L-D) Early risers will follow our progress into Sacramento, where our train will be serviced. West of Sacramento we cross the vast flool plain of the Sacramento River on two long causeways. The lands west of Davis include rich farmland and numerous wetlands. Keep a watch out for the many duck hunting clubs in the area. We travel across the Suisun Marxh. In the bay notice the several rows of ships resting quietly at anchor there. This is the West Coast Mothball fleet. It includes several WWII Victory Ships and the USS Iowa, which you can see from the train. Late afternoon finds us along the coast, and after toasting the sunset over the Pacific Ocean we enjoy a farewell dinner and prepare for our arrival in Los Angeles.
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