Boeing Factory Tour and Museum Near Seattle

Boeing Factory Tour

I recently went on the Boeing Factory Tour in Everett, Washington. On the Boeing Factory Tour you’ll see the factory floor that assembles the 747, 767, 777, and 789. In addition, the tour will take you inside the world’s largest building(by volume.) Boeing’s Everett assembly plant is so large that after construction, clouds naturally formed inside. Consequently, they installed a couple of fans, solving the problem entirely. Just kidding, I’m sure it took a little more engineering than that. The picture below features the assembly plant. To understand the size of this building, keep in mind that those little dots are cars. Even the white semi-trailer truck near the “777 tail” picture looks like a miniature toy!

To go on the Boeing Factory Tour, you have to go to the Future of Flight Aviation Center. A theatre is in the Center and just outside of it is where you line up for your scheduled tour. The tour costs $20 per person. Guests can purchase at the Center but we purchased our tickets online as we didn’t want to risk missing the tour due to it being sold out. Boeing recommends that you arrive at least 30 minutes before your tour begins. Don’t worry, there are plenty of exhibits to keep you occupied in the Future of Flight museum. In addition, The Boeing Store also has a lot of  cool items for purchase. I purchased a Boeing t-shirt and a Boeing model Dreamliner. Photos of the model are posted at the bottom of this page.

I wish I could share some photos of the actual tour, but Boeing does not allow any recording equipment on the tour. In fact, they take the camera/cell phone ban very seriously as I assume they are concerned with industrial espionage. Regardless, free lockers are on site and so you can leave your valuables there.

The beginning of the tour features a 5 minute video on the history of Boeing. The video reminded me of the Epcot Center in DisneyWorld. After that, you’ll head out to a coach bus which actually drives you about a mile to the factory.

Entrance to the Future of Flight museum. Admission was free.

An engineering nerd’s paradise!

All of those planes in the distance are brand new, just waiting to be picked up by their new owners.

The Dreamlifter ferries Boeing 787 parts around the world for assembly. Our tour guide said I was pretty lucky to see this plane as it usually does not stay stationary for very long. Apparently, there are only 4 Dreamlifters in the world.

The Boeing Store Gift Shop

I purchased the Dreamliner model featured above and below from The Boeing Store. I’ve always wanted one of these models as I had only ever seen them in travel agent offices. Of course, these days you can just buy them online. I love how the wings curve upwards.

From this angle, it almost looks like the plane is actually flying through the air. If you look closely you’ll notice how the wings have a pronounced slanted design. The Dreamliner is not just an incredible piece of technology but an extremely fine piece of art!

I’m really happy I bought this model. Not only is it beautiful but I’ve been lucky enough to fly in it. According to the tour, Boeing can’t keep up with demand to produce this plane. The Dreamliner will be around for many more years to come.