2024 Seattle Conference Optional Tours

During your time in Seattle, sign up for our scheduled activities or enjoy the day on your own.

To sign up for the tours, if you are a registered attendee, select your choices as you fill out the registration form.
If you wish to sign up a guest/spouse for any of the tours, please select the “Spouse/Guest Optional Tours Registration” on the registration page.

To return to the registration page, click here.

Thursday, May 30, 2024 – Spouse/Guest Tour (morning)

Chihuly Garden and Glass ($38/person, located 1.5 miles from the Fairmont, transportation not provided)

Providing a look at the inspiration and influences that inform the career of artist Dale Chihuly, the Exhibition includes eight Galleries, the centerpiece Glasshouse and a lush Garden.

The centerpiece of Chihuly Garden and Glass is the Glasshouse. A 40-foot tall, glass and steel structure covering 4,500 square feet of light-filled space, the Glasshouse is the result of Chihuly’s lifelong appreciation for conservatories. The installation in the Glasshouse is an expansive 100-foot-long sculpture in a color palette of reds, oranges, yellows, and amber. Made of many individual elements, it is one of Chihuly’s largest suspended sculptures.

Chihuly has shown his artwork in botanical gardens all over the world, but this was his first time working with a landscape designer to create a space unlike that of any garden or exhibition elsewhere. The unique plant collection is specially chosen to complement Chihuly’s work and the striking colors and forms of the trees, plants, and flowers create a rich backdrop for the art.

Friday, May 31, 2024 – Spouse/Guest Tour (morning)

Seattle Harbor Cruise and Sky View Observatory ($58/person, departure point is .5 miles from the Fairmont, transportation not provided)

Seattle’s Original Harbor Cruise™, departing from Pier 55, is a 1 hour, fully narrated tour around Elliott Bay and offers fun, unique facts about the Emerald City. You’ll enjoy ever-changing views of the Emerald City skyline as well as the surrounding Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges, including Mt. Ranier.

Then take in the glory of the Pacific Northwest from the city’s highest “peak” – the Sky View Observatory. Get whisked up 73 stories in only 70 seconds and enjoy stunning views of the mountains, the San Juan islands, and Seattle in its entirety.

Saturday, June 1, 2024 – Full Group Excursion (12:45 pm: hotel departure on foot to ferry landing, .4 miles from the Fairmont Hotel)

Bainbridge Island (ferry departs from Pier 52 at 1:20 pm, arrives at Bainbridge as 1:55 pm)

With a remarkable collection of people, deep and informative history, wooded retreats, a variety of shops and restaurants, a farming community, artistic culture, and a unique location, Bainbridge Island has much to offer. We will take the 1:20 pm ferry from Pier 52 and arrive at Bainbridge at 1:55 pm. From there, you can either explore on your own, or choose one of the options below:

Rolling Bay Winery – Tour and Tasting (2:30 – 4:00 pm)

Rolling Bay is a small, artisan winery located in the Rolling Bay area of the island. They specialize in creating limited quantities of hand-crafted premium wine from grapes grown on Snipes Mountain, one of Washington State’s newer AVAs and oldest vineyards. Alphonse de Klerk, winemaker for the winery, is offering IAM members a private wine tasting experience that includes a tasting bar with a lineup of six award-winning wines. You’ll be able to tour the winery and try an exclusive barrel pour of the 2022 Graciano wine.

Bloedel Reserve – Explore on your own (2:30 pm – 4:30 pm)

Bloedel Reserve is a 140-acre wonder of nature, created by the imagination, vision, and a passionate love of the natural world shared by our founders, Prentice and Virginia Bloedel. Working with the rugged geography of the land, they artfully transformed a rough-hewn Northwest forest into a harmonious series of curated gardens, structural features, and distinctive landscapes, with nature as canvas and paint.

Ferry only: $10/person

Ferry + Winery: $38/person

Ferry + Bloedel Reserve: $38/person