Separate from other conference offerings, the tour program is outsourced to Cheryl's Northwest Tours, LLC, which organizes, conducts, and sets pricing and participation minimums. Pricing includes transportation, admissions, guides, and taxes.
MOUNT RAINIER
Sept. 26, Saturday: 7:30 am–5:30 pm
Our nation's fifth-oldest National Park and tallest peak, Mt. Rainier, a dormant volcano at 14,410 feet, has the greatest single-peak glacial system in the United States. Feel the peace and power on this inspirational journey to the 5,400-foot elevation called Paradise. As you make your way through easy walking paths and trails, you’ll delight in the park’s vast expanses of pristine, old-growth evergreen forests, subalpine meadows, and spectacular alpine vistas. Stops include the Visitors Center and beautiful Narada Falls. Drive time is 2.5 hours each way. A 10-hour tour. Adults/youth $100.
EXPLORE SEATTLE
Downtown Walking Tour: See Seattle like the locals do
Sept. 26, Saturday: 10:00 am–12 noon
Sept. 27, Sunday: 12:30–2:30 pm
Depart the convention center for a walk around Seattle, and learn about this city's past, present, and future. View its unique architecture, public art, city parks, and more. As a note: the Emerald City is considered a hilly city, so pack your walking shoes and come ready to explore and have fun! A 2-hour tour. Adults/youth $35.(Max. 20 people)
SEATTLE CITY TOUR
Sept. 26, Saturday: 12:30 –5:00 pm
Sept. 27, Sunday: 8:30 am - 1:00 pm
COAST SALISH TRIBES / Bainbridge Island
Sept. 26, Saturday: 1:00–5:00 pm
Ferry across Puget Sound to see where Chief Seattle and his people spent their winters. View a replica of Old Man House, a historic building of Native American design that settlers burned to stop Suquamish natives from gathering. Visit the Suquamish Museum and then make a short stop at the cemetery and gravesite of Chief Seattle himself. A 4-hour tour. Adults/youth $56.
SNOQUALMIE FALLS and Boehm Candies
Sept. 27, Sunday: 8:30 am−2:30 pm
Sept. 30, Wednesday: 10:00 am−4:00 pm
Travel east into the Cascade Mountain foothills to view a grand waterfall that plummets 268 feet into a huge pool and river. The lookout near the top affords the most spectacular view. Take a path to the base of the falls, stop in at the gift shop nearby, or visit the historic Snoqualmie Salish Lodge, a luxurious spa hotel. Finally, indulge yourself with a visit to Boehm's Chocolates, where you can tour the chalet-style factory and enjoy free samples of the delicious candies it produces. Drive time is 45 minutes each way. A 6-hour tour.
Adults/youth $56.
WOODINVILLE WINERIES
Sept. 27, Sunday: 10:00 am–2:30 pm
Realizing that wine tasters would not trek across the Cascade Mountains to sample and purchase the wines made in their vineyards, 100 of Washington State’s 800 wineries have made their home in Woodinville, just 45 minutes from Seattle. Visit beautiful Chateau St. Michelle on the 1912 estate of lumber baron Frederick Stimson, as well as a modern wine-making facility. Sample several white and red varieties with distinct flavors and ambiances, and tour the bottling plant of one of the wineries. Lunch is on your own between wineries. Drive time is 45 minutes each way. A 4.5-hour tour. Adults/youth $79.
MOUNTAINS, WATERFALLS, BAVARIA
Sept. 28, Monday: 7:30 am−5:30 pm
On this memorable day trip through the Cascade Mountains, gold-mining towns, waterfalls, and whitewater rivers await you. Leavenworth is a Bavarian Wonderland: nestled in the Cascades at 1,125 feet, this former railroad town transformed itself into a beautiful Alpine village after the railroad moved. Drive time is 3 hours each way. A 10-hour tour. Adults/youth $94.
DAY at the MARKET
Look for the Pike Place Pig
Sept. 28, Monday: 9:30 am−1:30 pm
Adults/youth $15. (Max. 25 people) Pike Place Market is the longest-running market in America! Started in 1907 over a dispute over the price of onions, it has endured many transitions over the last century and is today celebrated by locals and tourists alike. Nearly 600 small shops are neatly entwined and stacked in this unusual display of public market space. Upstairs, downstairs, and along ramps, its many unusual shops include the Gum Wall, Pike Place Fish (watch the fishmongers throw the fish), and the first Starbucks. Sample foods all along the way with fresh fruits, hand-made cheeses, smoked fish, locally made sausages, pastries, and more. Great fun! A 4-hour tour.
CRAFT BREWERIES
Come to the home of almost 50 microbreweries
Sept. 28, Monday: 1:30−4:30 pm
Visit three different companies to taste their unusual brews! Get a behind-the-scenes tour of the facilities, and learn some of the secrets that are used to make these tasty beverages. Surprise yourself and try a new taste! A 3-hour tour. Adults only (21 and over), $79.
NATURE RESERVE and Bainbridge Island
A Northwest treasure
Sept. 29, Tuesday: 8:00 am−1:30 pm
The Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island is an internationally renowned public garden and forest preserve. Its 150 acres?a unique blend of natural woodlands and beautifully landscaped gardens?include a Japanese Garden, Moss Garden, Reflection Pool, and the Bloedels' former estate home. Prepare for a walking activity and enjoy lunch on your own in Bainbridge, a small, quaint, artistic seaside village. A 5.5-hour tour. Adults/youth, $67.
ALKI BEACH WALK
Sept. 29, Tuesday: 1:00−5:00 pm
Walk to Seattle City Waterfront and catch a water taxi to West Seattle. A 10-minute boat ride lands you at Seacrest Park, where you can enjoy fantastic views of Seattle. Take a 45-minute walk along the waterfront on a flat, paved trail to Alki, where locals go to the beach and where Annie first spied Sam and Jonah in Sleepless in Seattle. There's a shuttle back to the dock, and the boat to bring you back to town. A 6-hour tour.
Adults/youth, $26.
SEATTLE GLASS BLOWING
Sept. 29, Tuesday: 1:30−5:30 pm
Seattle is famous for its glass blowing, and this may be your once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn how it’s done. Through a step-by-step process with skilled and kind instructors, you will be able to create your own molten glass paperweight sculpture or glass-blown globe, which will be shipped to you after it anneals (cures). What a great keepsake of Seattle! Meet the masters, who promise thatbeginners will succeed. A 4-hour tour. Adults/youth, $127.
CENTURYLINK STADIUM TOUR
Sept. 30, Wednesday: 1:00−3:30 pm
Capture the CenturyLink Field experience as you never have before with an up-close and personal look at behind-the-scenes areas, the Suite and Club levels, and the famous 12th Man Flag Pole. Imagine standing there with 67,000 fans cheering right before kickoff! In addition, set foot on the same next-generation FieldTurf-playing surface as the Seahawks and Sounders. A 6-hour tour. Adults/youth, $49.
Separate from other conference offerings, the tour program is outsourced to Cheryl's Northwest Tours, LLC, which organizes, conducts, and sets pricing and participation minimums. Pricing includes transportation, admissions, guides, and taxes.
New, Reduced Membership Dues
A new, reduced dues rate is available for CAOs/ACAOs, along with additional discounts for those in smaller communities, has been implemented. Learn more and be sure to join or renew today!
