Kick off your vacation in the one-of-a-kind Paine Field Aviation District. Paine Field, which is located in both Mukilteo and Everett, is home to five unique aviation attractions. Explore the only publicly available opportunity to tour a commercial jet assembly plant in North America and one of the region’s most popular attractions, the Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour, an anchor destination of the Paine Field Aviation District. The District is home to numerous stops for aviation and adventure enthusiasts. Check out Paul G. Allen’s collection of vintage military aircraft and land vehicles at the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum, set within an expansive, working hangar. At the Museum of Flight Restoration Center. Watch volunteers busily restoring engines, repainting bodies and fixing up other aviation treasures. The Historic Flight Foundation provides visitors with an opportunity to get up-close and personal to a collection of the most important aircraft produced between 1927 and 1957, the “Golden Age of Aviation,” all restored and airborne again. Feeling like a little adrenaline is needed? Stop at High Trek Adventures, also part of the Paine Field Aviation District, and take in a hair-raising obstacle course or zip line adventure! Paine Field Airport is scheduled to start booking commercial flights through Alaska Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines this fall so stay tuned for more info. (You will be able to fly in straight to Paine Field Regional Airport to kick off your next Cascade Loop adventure!) After a full day of aviation adventures it's time to discover the Mukilteo waterfront. You’ll want to explore the shops and restaurants, as well as the waterfront park and the beautifully restored 1906 lighthouse. Next, travel north to visit the Cascade Loop’s largest metropolitan area – Everett.
Resting on the tranquil shores of Port Gardner Bay, Everett boasts brilliant westerly views of Puget Sound and the Olympic mountains, and easterly views of the Cascade mountains. The Everett waterfront is home to the second-largest marina on the West Coast. Enjoy the invigorating scent of salt and sea, the rhythmic sounds of lapping waves and ferries shuttling to and from Jetty Island in the summer. Wiggle your toes in the sandy beaches and warm shallow waters of Jetty Island while you watch dozens of kiteboarders race across the water. Everett is home to one of the nation’s best children’s museums, the Imagine Children’s Museum, a must-see for the kids!
Your next stop is just east along Highway 2 in historic Snohomish, listed on both the State and National Registries of Historic Places. Snohomish is known as the “Antique Capital of the Northwest” and is a shopping treasure trove with hundreds of antique dealers and boutiques in a six-block section of town. The city’s historic district also boasts beautiful Victorian and Arts and Crafts era homes built around the turn of the 20th century.
Continuing 10 miles east, you’ll come to Monroe, located near the junction of the Skykomish and Snohomish rivers. Monroe provides abundant opportunities for rafting, fishing, and other water sports. It is home to the Evergreen State Fair, an 11-day event running in late August through Labor Day, delivering serious thrills with everything from car races to exciting equestrian shows and carnival rides. The fairgrounds house the Evergreen Speedway and the Western Heritage Center.
Snohomish River Valley Visitor Services
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