Yes!
We did it.
We managed to do a completely free date, including parking. Can you believe it? We actually got free parking in Seattle?
Hubby’s cousin had given us free tickets to the flight museum in Seattle and we forgot about them. They sat in Hubby’s wallet for a long time, until recently, when he reminded me about them.
So, last weekend, I chose The Seattle Museum of Flight as my choice for our free date.
We headed out the door toward Seattle around 2:30 in the afternoon, since The Museum of Flight closes at 5pm on Saturdays.
Hubby made us hot cocoa (for the drive) with a combination of almond and coconut milk, which was creamy and perfect for a chilly November day.
It was a nice, relaxing drive on the way there. We tend to have the best conversations when our drives are longer than usual. (So, remember-just going for a drive can still be considered a worthwhile date!)
When we arrived, a spot was waiting for us in the front row. Score!
As we walked in, a family was leaving and a little boy around five years old was holding a miniature toy jet plane, zooming it around. It made me smile to see how happy he was playing with it.
This museum is huge. Walking in, a wave of energy and excitement filled the air. There’s something about being surrounded by one of the most amazing inventions of humankind-the airplane, suspended from the soaring ceilings above.
Checking in was a breeze, we just handed over our tickets and put on our red paper wristbands. And then, we were off, with not a cent taken from our pockets. Score two!
First, we checked out the T.A Wilson Great Gallery, which housed over 20 full-sized aircraft in a massive, six story high glass and steel building. It was easy to forget we were in rainy Seattle, because we were surrounded with so much light from the gallery’s glass walls.
We browsed around, reading the inscriptions in front of the aircraft. I was interested in the stories behind the airplanes, and Hubby was into the UH-1H Iroquois “Huey” helicopter and the car/airplane combination on display. It was fun to see how captivated he was. Hubby has always loved airplanes, and he even used to be a manager of a restaurant at an airport for private planes. Every once in a while, a pilot would invite him to ride along and help fly the plane, and once, he even got to help fly a helicopter.
I still remember how thrilled he was when he came home from work those days. It’s always fun to see the light in your spouse’s eyes when they got a chance to fulfill their dream.
Looking at the car/plane combination, I tried to imagine one of those on the road today.
“Can you imagine what traffic would be like with that huge tail behind each car?” I asked Hubby.
“Yeah, that would be crazy,” He said.
We spent the most amount of time in the gallery, and then went on to the Charles “Pete” Conrad exhibit. Conrad was a U.S. Navy officer and NASA astronaut. I found his story intriguing and loved how you could press buttons and hear Pete’s actual voice narrating his own story.
Hubby had to pull me out of there, since he wanted to explore the space and NASA exhibits. We saw an actual moon
rock, space suits, astronaut food, and had fun looking at the planet exhibits.
Then the announcer gave the thirty minute warning and Hubby looked toward the other end of the museum.
“We haven’t been to Air Force One yet! Let’s go.”
We headed past the gift shop and museum restaurant to the Memorial Bridge, over E. Marginal Way. I love this bridge and it’s glass windows looking out onto the rest of the museum and the twinkling lights of Seattle.
As we walked through, jet engines zoomed through the speakers. How cool is that?
Turning the corner, I think my husband was about as excited as he was the last time the Seahawks won.
“What is that?! Is that the space shuttle?!”
The last time we visited, a few years back, the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery had not been built yet, so this was a treat.
The 15,500 square foot building facing E. Marginal Way houses a larger than life U.S. space shuttle. It is amazing to see. It’s tough to convey with pictures, because you have to be there to feel the power and majesty of this timeless invention. We were spellbound.
It was fun climbing aboard and looking around. It felt like we were on top of the world.
Next, it was time to step foot on to Air Force One and the Concorde, the world’s fastest jetliner, and the only one on display on the West Coast.
“Welcome to Air Force One,” a Museum of Flight employee stood at the top of the stairs to greet us. “Please keep in mind the museum closes in a few minutes.”
Walking through Air Force One, we stopped at the desk and chair toward the center of the plane.
“Can you believe JFK sat here?” Hubby stared at the desk and chair, which was protected by thick plexiglass walls.
We hurried over to the Concorde and walked through the many rows and rows of seats. It’s crazy to think this sharp-
nosed plane pierced through the sky at speeds two times the speed of sound, and up to 60,000 feet in the air.
After exiting, the Concorde, I looked at my watch. We had four minutes to exit the building, so we headed toward the exit.
“That was fun, but honestly, I needed a few more hours. Was that enough time for you?” Hubby asked
“I think it was perfect.” I said.
But in retrospect, I do wish we had more time. Two hours wasn’t nearly enough for history nerds like us. I was bummed that we didn’t even get a chance to go through the World War II section of the museum.
Atmosphere (romantic appeal): 5. An energetic atmosphere, where you’re learning together is VERY romantic.
Budget friendly: 5. Totally free, thanks to our gift certificates. See below to find out how you can go for free, or at discounted rates. Woo-hoo!
Food: N/A, except for the hot cocoa, which was delicious. Thanks Hubby! Next time, we will leave earlier and take a break to go to the car for lunch and back in to explore more.
Fun and unique: 5. This was our first museum date. It was fun for us to see what we were both interested in. We usually go to museums as a family-so it was new with it just being the two of us.
Memorable: 5. Especially the space shuttle. WOW.
Want to go to the Flight Museum for half off? After writing this post, Hubby ran across a screamin’ deal on Groupon. It’s only good for 3 days, so you might want to grab it.
For those of you following our Free Date Nights, check out FREE First Thursdays at the Museum of Flight
Have you ever been to a museum for a date night together? What did you think?
For more date night reviews, low-budget/high-class date ideas, and relationship tips-follow me on Twitter, Facebook and sign up for free emails on 20dollardatenight.net!
* I was not paid to endorse ANY of the above mentioned places or discount sites
