From the cockpit of a former Air force One to the cockpit of a hydroplane, Seattle Southside offers one-of-a-kind museums that don’t exist anywhere else in the United States!And within a few minutes drive, you’ll find more than twenty additional museums!

For some the sky is the limit, but The Museum of Flight pushes beyond the skies and straight into space! Spend the morning at one of the world’s premier air and space museums and trace each step of the evolution of flight. You’ll have the opportunity to view, board and simulate flying dozens of authentic, mint-condition aircraft. Tour the Concorde, the world’s fastest jetliner and the only one on display on the West Coast. There’s even a store and snacks at the Wings Café.

Feeling the need for more speed? Head over to the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum, the nation’s only public museum dedicated solely to powerboat racing. It features an incredible collection of vintage hydroplanes spanning seven decades, including boats that have won 17 Gold Cups.

If you want to go way back, find the three-story 1908 home restored by the Greater Kent Historical Society in Kent. The Kent Historical Museum serves as one of the Southside's true guardians of yesteryear. It’s hard to believe it was once the site of a paranormal investigation by Advanced Ghost Hunters! The home is furnished with donated period furniture and an extensive gallery of local historical artifacts. Outside the museum Stuart Nakamura created Another Place, Another Time, an outdoor work of art honoring Kent's Japanese-American community. Admission is free.

Just a short drive south will land you at the impressive museum triangle in Tacoma. Visit the acclaimed Museum of Glass featuring works by Dale Chihuly or stop by the Washington State History Museum or Tacoma Art Museum. Don’t miss the Chihuly Bridge of Glass, a pedestrian-only span that showcases $12 million of glass art and links the Museum of Glass to the Tacoma Art Museum.

Just north in Seattle will afford you visits to old standbys like the Seattle Art Museum with newly added Olympic Sculpture Park. Or head for the wacky Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame at the Seattle Center. While there, take a trip down music lane and visit Experience Music Project, a musical museum of sorts. Other popular Seattle museums include: Museum of History and Industry, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Burke Museum, The Children’s Museum, and the Nordic Heritage Museum. A little longer drive will bring you to the Future of Flight and Boeing Factory Tour in Everett.