(206) 682-4646
608 First Ave
(James Street)
Seattle,
WA
98104
47.6019
-122.3339
Neighborhoods: Pioneer Square, Downtown
What People Are Saying About Bill Speidel's Underground Tour
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
The Experience – In the mid-'60s, Bill Speidel wrote about the possible existence of "passageways beneath the city." The idea proved so popular that Speidel decided to provide tours of this mysterious underground. Wind through long-abandoned storefronts under Seattle's streets while getting a slice of history. – – The Appeal – Though the tour itself requires a great deal of imagination to "see" the stores of the early 1900s as they might have been, the history lesson comes painlessly--the guides possess a good, if slapstick, sense of humor. You'll hear about the…
10/26/08
Encounter in the Underground
by eathompson
I live in Kentucky and I went to Seattle and to the underground tour on 9/30/2008 and what an experience! It was one of the best tours I have ever been on at any city! I am origanly from Savannah, GA and being from there I have been on many the tour of city history. I have to say though, never experiencing what I did in Seattle. Being underground at the door way into the area where the "seamtresses" were said to work, I was felt like and thought my husband had grabbed me on the arm by my elbow and when I looked down he was not touching me, he wasn't even where he should have been to have touched me there. No one was. I heard stories of many places being haunted or whatever being from an old city myself but that I have to say was my first time ever something of that nature happening to me. I can't wait to go to seattle again and doing the tour again to next time bring a camera and see if i can get a picture of proof of my experience of the Seattle underground. I recommend this tour to everyone!!
- Pros: Best tour guides
- Cons: Hard to find if you dont know the city well
06/05/08
Fun for tourists, interesting facts...can be smelly
by furayar
So what the people who rated the tour with low stars said is actually true...it seems like a bunch of smelly basements, not so much physical history. However, if you are into looking at really old stuff and hearing about the past, it is cool. The tour guides make the tour because they recreate the past as you walk through the passages by telling stories, usually funny. I feel like the tour should be priced in the $7-10 range though...Oh, and don't plan on using a cell phone or talking to your friends while the guide talks. They are SUPER proactive about that and they'll stop everything to tell you to knock it off. We had 'public cell phone talking guy' on our tour and I was so nervous about getting stuck by him but it turned out to not matter. They shut him up after the second time of asking him to stop. One last thing...we got the mini burgers as a snack before the tour. I would definitely skip the food at that place. The burgers honestly tasted like plastic. Save your appetite for some of the cooler places that are right around there.
- Pros: Makes you laugh, interesting and fun, cool gift shop
- Cons: Food not so good, you need to have a great imagination (not necessarily a con...)
11/21/06
It's a good tour to learn Seattle history
by kee22
I went with my family when my grandfather was in town. I thought the tour was good...it wasn't all that expected...it's kind of redundant in the sites that you see. But it is strill really a good opportunity to learn about Seattle's past...like the great fire...and see some of the remains of old buildings and other relics. The tour guides are very nice and the tour is very informative.
- Pros: Good tour, learn about Seattle history
The Details on Bill Speidel's Underground Tour
The Extras:
Several tour attendees over the years have gotten strange feelings on this tour of old Seattle. One of the most prominently spooky spots is the area called "The Vault." Several people claim to have seen the shadowy figure of a male bank guard there.
Know Before You Go:
Expect stairs and uneven surfaces--dress your feet appropriately. Also, avoid hordes of tourists by skipping the mid-day tours.
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