Mount St. Helens tour headlines Gray Line of Seattle's 2005 Season - 03/23/2005

SEATTLE, Wash. – Regularly scheduled excursions to Mount St. Helens top the "what's new" list as Gray Line of Seattle, Puget Sound's most comprehensive local tour company, revs up its deluxe motor coaches and double-decker buses for the 2005 sightseeing season.

Renewed volcanic activity at Mount St. Helens makes the National Monument a popular draw for locals and visitors alike. Gray Line will offer hassle-free touring of this extraordinary site every Friday and Saturday May 1 through Sept. 17. The 11-hour tour
includes stops along the way for photos and to learn about the volcano's1980 eruption from the knowledgeable narrator-guide. Passengers visit all three visitor centers to experience hands-on displays, video presentations, and dramatic views of the crater. Cost of the tour, which departs from the Gray Line desk at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Seattle at 7 a.m., is $79 adult, $39.50 child, plus tax. Lunch is available for purchase at the Cold Water Visitor Center.

Also new for 2005 is the hop-on, hop-off feature for Gray Line's distinctive red double-decker buses that travel throughout downtown Seattle With a one-day ticket passengers may get off and on the buses at designated stops including the downtown shopping district, Seattle Center, waterfront, Safeco Field, Pioneer Square, and Pike Place Market. For inclement weather, Gray Line is adding several closed-top double-deckers to its fleet of open buses.

The double deckers operate daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 1 through Oct. 16 and may be combined with optional tours along the route, including a harbor tour, the Space Needle, Experience Music Project, and Underground Tour. Reservations for the double deckers are not required and tickets may be purchased onboard for $17 adult and $9 child; tickets for a second consecutive day are free.

For an intimate look at what makes Seattle special, Gray Line offers the three-hour, fast-paced City Sights Tour of Seattle neighborhoods. Aboard a smaller, 20-passenger motor coach, visitors see the International District, Hiram Chittenden Locks, the lakes, and other colorful sights unique to the city. The tour departs daily from the Seattle Sheraton Hotet at 9 a.m. March 1 to Oct. 31 and also at 2 p.m. June 1 to Aug. 30. Cost of the tour is $29 adult and $14.50 child, plus tax.

Gray Line's full array of day tours and overnights take visitors to Vancouver, Victoria, Mount Rainier, and the San Juan Islands. For information and reservations: www.graylineofseattle.com or 800/426-7532.