Gray Line of Seattle announces Spring and Summer Getaway tours - 03/02/2005

SEATTLE, Wash. – Tulips, tastings, and touring top the list of Gray Line of Seattle's 2005 spring and summer Getaway excursions for locals and visitors to Puget Sound. The escorted tours aboard deluxe motor coaches offer travelers carefree opportunities to attend some of the region's top events. Multiple departure sites in the Greater Seattle area vary by tour.

• Skagit Valley Tulip Festival and Cruise – Travelers will enjoy a cruise to the historic waterfront town of La Conner by Victoria Clipper and return to Seattle by deluxe Gray Line of Seattle motor coach or reverse. In addition to exploring La Conner's galleries, restaurants, and shops, passengers go by motor coach to the tulip fields and the Skagit Valley's two largest bulb farms and display gardens. Tours depart April 9, 10, 16, and 17. Additional tours on April 8 and 15 feature roundtrip transportation on the Victoria Clipper. Cost of the tour is $29 adult, $18.50 child 2 to 11. The tour departs from Pier 69.

• Spring Barrel Tasting – Wine is on the agenda at this annual Yakima Valley event where passengers mingle with winemakers to test the first of the 2004 harvest. Gray Line's deluxe motor coach transports tasters to four wineries (Apex, Hogue, Columbia Crest, and Sagelands – subject to change) for complimentary samplings of the state's award-winning wines. The one-day tour departs April 23 and includes a light breakfast, commemorative wine glass and lunch. Cost of the tour is $63 per adult.

• The Oregon Garden – Gardeners and garden lovers can travel by deluxe motor coach to this 80-acre garden that comprises 20 specialty gardens ranging from a playful children's area to wet lands and wildlife. Nestled in the foothills of Silverton, Ore., the garden can be viewed on foot or by open-air tram. The tour includes a visit to the onsite Gordon House, the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oregon. The single departure is May 7. Tour price is $67 per person and includes a light breakfast and guide-narrator.

• MaiFest in Leavenworth – Travelers celebrate the ancient renewal of life in Bavarian-themed Leavenworth and its spectacular mountain setting. Deluxe Gray Line motor coaches travel over the Cascades in time for all the activities – a parade, the traditional Maipole Dance and live Bavarian music. There's time for shopping and dining. The one-day Maifest departs May 14 at various departure sites. Cost of the tour is $45 adult, $35 children 2 to 11, and includes a light breakfast.

• Walla Walla Balloon Festival and Wine Tasting – Gray Line's two-day, one-night excursion to the 31st annual balloon festival, with wine tasting along the way is a feast for the senses. The weekend includes a tasting tour and hors d'oeuvres at a Yakima Valley winery, overnight in Kennewick, and the sunrise launch of more than 45 decorative hot air balloons, followed by breakfast. A balloon expert guide explains the art of ballooning and there's time to enjoy the arts and crafts festival before tastings at another winery. Cost of the May 14-15 tour is $199 per person double occupancy, and includes deluxe motor coach transportation, hotel, and a light lunch en route to Kennewick.

• Sequim Lavender Festival – This "must" one-day tour for lavender lovers offers the opportunity to stroll the fields of lavender farms, see the many products made from lavender, and enjoy a street fair and other activities. Route for the deluxe motor coach travel includes a ferry ride and travel through the rural roads of Jefferson County to the charming Dungeness Valley. Departures are July 15, 16, and 17. Price of the tour is $46 adult, $39 children 2 to 11, and includes a light breakfast.

For fall, Gray Line of Seattle plans motor coach tours to the Leavenworth Oktoberfest, WSU football games, the Spruce Goose in Oregon, holiday trimmings and wine tasting at Molbak's nursery, the Leavenworth Christmas town lighting, Santa train at the Northwest Railway Museum, and in 2006, the Leavenworth Bavarian Ice Fest.

For information and reservations: 800/426-7532 or www.graylineofseattle.com.