Tour Underground Seattle

The underground world has always had a special allure – whether it was the underground of the “Beat” generation of the 50’s, the hippies of the 60’s, or the Underground Railroad of the 1800’s.  And Seattle can take it’s place among the famous, and infamous, undergrounds.

The Pioneer Square area of the city was the location of the 1889 fire that destroyed Seattle, nearly turning the city into an asterisk in the history books rather than the vibrant city it has become.  The fire was a defining moment in the city’s history.  Although it totally destroyed the entire business district, the railroad terminals and most of the wharves, the determination of the residents to rebuild the city better than new set the course for its evolution into a very modern city.

The post-fire rebuilding is a lesson on how to get things done.  Despite some contentious discussions (ah yes, politics even back then), the city was rather quickly rebuilt with an additional requirements:  All buildings had to be made of brick or stone, and the streets would be widened.  These governmental regulations seems to have been a success, and the city of Seattle doubled in population within one year post-fire.

Many of those stone and brick buildings still stand in Pioneer Square today, and many remnants of the former city exist beneath the city streets.  Some of the shops are still there, including the remnants of a former hotel.

If the underground city interests you, you’ll want to go on the Seattle Underground Tour, a 3-block underground trip down memory lane.  Although the tour includes lots quirky and predictable tour patter, you do get to see streets and storefronts from Seattle’s history.  If you’re interested in history, you’ll want do some reading about this era.  On the tour great fun is poked at the wild days of Seattle, the prominent madam of the city, and some of our colorful characters in history.  You’ll find that some of the stores are true!

The tour goes underground and covers some uneven walking conditions.  Wear good walking shoes (heels would be silly), and be prepared for a little climbing about.  It’s not overly strenuous, but it is something to take into consideration if you have physical limitations.  The tour lasts about an hour and a half, and ends at the requisite gift store.

Location:  608 First Avenue, between Cherry & Yesler in Pioneer Square

Tickets:  $15 for adults, $12 for seniors (60+) and students, and $7 for children (7-12 years).  Younger children are discouraged because of the physical nature of the tour.  Seattle Underground tickets can be purchased online, or onsite.  Onsite ticket purchases are cash only; an ATM is available.

Photo credits: pentaboxes @flickr (underground storefronts); cliff1066 @flickr (old hotel)