Excursions
ALL excursions are a wonderful opportunity to explore places outside of Bellingham with like-minded individuals. Previous excursions have included the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass, Richmond, B.C. to see the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site followed by the Vancouver Christmas Market, and multi-day excursions including, trips down to the Columbia River, stopping in Olympia and Mt. St. Helens, eastern Washington to see the Nez Perce County Historical Society Museum and taking a jet boat up the Snake River, and most recently to Lake Chelan, stopping in Winthrop and Leavenworth.
Excursions are announced throughout the year. To be the first to know about new excursions, subscribe to our email list.
March
Date: Friday, March 13, 2026, from 7:45 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Cost: For ALL members: $140; for non-members: $175
Registration deadline: Thursday, March 5, 2026
Transportation details: This excursion departs from the Civic Field parking lot in Bellingham next to the stadium ticket booth.
Come join us on a three-part excursion to Seattle. Enjoy a comfortable bus ride to and from Seattle, spend the morning visiting the latest offerings at the Seattle Aquarium, have lunch at the Asean StrEAT Food Hall and close off the day exploring the Holocaust Center for Humanity with its special "Art as Resistance" exhibition.
At the aquarium, discover the wonders of the Indo-Pacific and come face-to-face with more than 5,000 animals and nearly 200 species in the award-winning Ocean Pavilion. Enjoy the incredible downtown views on its rooftop garden. You’ll also have a chance to meet the newest sea otter resident Ruby while enjoying all the other exhibits and the gift shop.
If you tire of marine life, feel free to spend time exploring the Seattle waterfront outside the aquarium. Regardless, at 12:15 p.m. we’ll hop back on our bus and head off for lunch at the Asean StrEAT Food Hall for a delicious meal (not included) and a quick rest. We’ll spend the early afternoon at the Holocaust Center for Humanity in Belltown, the winner of the 2025 Best of the PNW Museum Award from the Seattle Times. A docent and museum curator kicks us off on our visit. The museum focuses on local stories and survivors and features permanent and rotating exhibits exploring the wider topic of genocide through the lens of the Holocaust. The exhibit helps us understand how ordinary people and institutions can be drawn into systems of hatred and violence—and how others choose to resist. We’ll also be able to enjoy the special March exhibit "Art as Resistance" featuring creative work by Washington artists based on this theme and designed to spark a deeper connection with current events.
To watch before our visit: Survivor Stories: Bearing Witness (a half-hour movie created by the Holocaust Center for Humanity).
Be sure to wear comfortable shoes to maximize your visit. Although there are ample opportunities to sit and rest and the bus shuttles us between each location, we want to ensure everybody can enjoy all the aquarium and waterfront have to offer and be ready to engage with the Holocaust exhibit and survivor stories in the afternoon.
Questions? Call Jeff Eastman at (253) 229-9404 or Manuela Giese at (206) 225-8434. For registration or cancellation questions, call the ALL office (360) 650-4970.
May
Date: Thursday, May 14, 2026, for the 1 p.m. matinee
Cost: Mezzanine seating for ALL members: $138; for non-members: $170
Cost includes: Bus transportation and mezzanine seating for Phantom performance
Additional personal expenses: Lunch on your own in the Pike Place Market area or bring one from home
Location: Paramount Theatre, 911 Pine Street, Seattle 98101
Registration deadline: Thursday, March 26, 2026
Transportation details: Depart at 8:15 a.m. from the Civic Athletic Complex parking lot next to the football stadium ticket booth (1355 Civic Field Way, Bellingham).
Itinerary:
First stop: Pike Place Market. This location has been a defining Seattle icon for more than a century. Considered by many “the Soul of Seattle,” the Market spans nine historic acres in the center of downtown where everyday locals and tourists alike shop, visit, eat, and discover.
Founded in 1907, the Market is one of the oldest and largest continuously operating public markets in the United States. From humble beginnings to nearly being destroyed, Seattle’s citizens have brought their hearts and wares to this vibrant community location.
Second stop: Phantom of the Opera performance at Seattle’s iconic Paramount Theatre. This show is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful and spectacular productions in history. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s romantic, haunting, and soaring score includes "The Music of the Night," "All I Ask of You," "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," "Masquerade," and the iconic title song. It tells the tale of a disfigured musical genius known only as 'The Phantom' who haunts the depths of the Paris Opera House. Mesmerized by the talents and beauty of a young soprano, Christine, 'The Phantom' lures her as his protégé and falls fiercely in love with her. Unaware of Christine’s love for Raoul, 'The Phantom's' obsession sets the scene for a dramatic turn of events where jealousy, madness, and passions collide.
Our seats are in the first seven rows of the center, front mezzanine section with two other mezzanine sections behind us. Great seats for when, toward the end of Act I, the chandelier...
For more information about this excursion offering, please contact Jeff Eastman at (253) 229-9404 or Peggy Loudon at (360) 510-5638.
Register for Pike Place Market Visit and Phantom of the Opera Performance
Save the Date
Memberships for the 2025-2026 season is now open. To be eligible for membership discounts, a new 2025-2026 membership must be purchased.
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Olmsted Parks - Part 2
Thursday, June 4, 2026
Join us as we follow the Olmsted trail through Seattle’s west side on June 4. The day kicks off in West Seattle at the Longfellow Creek Legacy Trail followed by a walk through Schmitz Preserve Park. This is one of only two remaining old-growth forest parks left in Seattle. After lunch at Alki, we head to the Woodland Park Rose Garden by the zoo. We’ll finish with a special docent-led tour of the private E. B. Dunn Gardens, the only private Olmsted-designed garden in the Pacific Northwest that is open to the public. Check our website shortly for registration and more info.
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Seattle's Wonderful Architecture
Thursday, September 17, 2026
On September 17, Eleanor Schrader, an architectural historian and one of our reoccurring ALL instructors from southern California, will join us in person for the day. We tour three Seattle locations, each with its own unique architectural features:
- The Suzzallo Library on the UW campus was built in a Collegiate Gothic style and was opened in 1926. Its exterior is composed of sandstone, precast stone, and brick -- all capped with a slate roof. The windows are of leaded and stained glass. Eighteen terra-cotta figures in niches atop buttresses were selected by the UW faculty to symbolize those who have contributed to learning and culture. The Suzzallo Reading Room features a vaulted ceiling with vibrantly colored and gilded details. A 1927 article in the Pacific Builder and Engineer stated: "This room has been pronounced by experts to be the most beautiful on the continent and is ranked among the most beautiful in the world."
- The historic Stimson-Green Mansion is an exceptional example of early twentieth century English Tudor Revival style architecture. It is located in Seattle’s First Hill Neighborhood between the I-5 and the Seattle University campus. C.D. and Harriet Stimson commissioned a Spokane architect to design the mansion which was completed in 1901. The building is recognized as one of Seattle’s most impressive examples of “eclectic architecture.” The mansion is primarily of Tudor and Gothic revival, but its diversified features include Moorish, Romanesque, Neoclassical, and Renaissance influences.
- The Smith Tower was the vision of Lyman Cornelius (L.C.) Smith, an industrialist from New York who made a fortune selling typewriters and firearms. L.C.’s wife fell in love with Seattle and convinced him to purchase the land at Second Avenue and Yesler that would eventually become the site of Smith Tower. New York architectural firm Gaggin & Gaggin designed Smith Tower. They had never previously designed a building taller than five stories, and Smith Tower was their first and last skyscraper. Smith Tower’s historic elevators were provided by the Otis Elevator Company and one of the seven operational elevators is still powered by its original DC motor. Its classic architecture, especially that of the interiors, evoke an opulent era, a backdrop of craftsmanship that lives on to this day.
A Wind Farm, Hell's Canyon, Walla Walla Area, Museums and Wines
Monday, September 28 - Thursday, October 1, 2026
A four-day excursion to eastern Washington to visit a wind farm, take a jet boat ride up the Snake River (further upstream than our earlier excursion there) where we visit an historic ranger station, Nez Perce Crossing, and have lunch at the Kirkwood Ranch and museum in Hell's Canyon. We tour the Whitman Mission, Fort Walla Walla, and wineries in the Walla Walla area and the Discovery Center on the Columbia River. This last destination had to be cancelled several months ago due to wildfires in the area.
Additional Excursions Coming Soon
In addition to our performing arts events, we are planning a variety of single-day, non-performing arts excursions, with details to be finalized soon.
Looking ahead to spring, a multi-day excursion is in development-either to the Olympic Peninsula or as a curated journey to Native American cultural centers and museums throughout our region.
Stay tuned for updates as plans are confirmed!