In September 2007 my mother came out from Pennsylvania for a visit and I surprised her with an electric boat ride for just the two of us around Lake Union. Since then I’ve been amazed by how many people have never heard about The Electric Boat Company, where you can rent these boats by the hour and take off even if you have no boating experience.
The boats seat up to 10 people, and have clear plastic windows that you can unzip on warm days to open up and feel the breeze. On cool days you can zip up the windows and turn on the heater to stay warm, so it’s really an activity you could do at any time of year.
The owners were really friendly, and all in all it was a fun and very different way to see parts of Seattle, with excellent views of Gasworks Parks and Fishermen’s Terminal.
The Electric Boat Company is located at 2046 Westlake Ave North in Seattle, just a bit north of China Harbor restaurant. Rentals are currently $89 per hour with a 2 hour minimum. Their number is 206.223.7476.
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My mom came out to visit last September and I surprised her with a seaplane ride with Kenmore Aviation. I have to say, it’s one of those things you should consider doing when you have folks coming in from out of town – the ride we took was the 20 minute scenic flight over Seattle and a neighboring island, and it was a blast. Here are some of the photos I’ve been meaning to post for, oh, nearly a year… 
Kenmore Air Harbor in South Lake Union
Mom starts her first seaplane ride.
One of the nice things about these rides is that everyone gets a window seat.
As you take off there’s a really nice view of Lake Union.
You get amazing views of downtown Seattle.
Here’s a tugboat pulling a ship in Puget Sound, with Mt. Rainier in the background.
No wonder they call Seattle the Emerald City.
One of my favorite photos from the trip.
As you land you get a great view of Seattle’s Gasworks Park.
Mom moving pretty sprightly for 84!
The pilot was nice enough to take a photo of us on the float plane.
The 20 minute seaplane ride is $89 per person. 20 minutes may not sound like much but it really packs in a lot, including the whole seaplane experience. On top of that everyone we dealt with was friendly, and you’re guaranteed a window seat, so I highly recommend it as a treat for yourself or your visitors to Seattle.
Here’s the link to Kemore Air, and you can check out their flights to the islands also.