The Seattle area may be best known for tech companies and coffee shops, but the region also has deep ties to America’s military history. A new free audio tour of Seattle Southside, the area surrounding Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), uncovers the sites and stories that highlight the region’s connection to significant events in U.S. and world history.
The tour takes listeners down Military Road, one of the oldest roads in Washington State, with stops at a world-class aviation museum, a 19th-century fort, and many other historic sites. It’s a meaningful way to learn, explore, and honor those who served our country, whether you’re visiting the area, attending a military reunion, or simply looking for ways to fill a long layover.
Created by Explore Seattle Southside and hosted on the STQRY app, the tour is designed to be experienced while driving, though you can also visit the sites by public transit or car service. The full route takes about an hour to complete, not including time spent exploring individual stops. You can follow the tour in order or pick and choose a few highlights if you’re short on time.
What You’ll See, Learn, and Experience on the Tour
The Museum of Flight
The world’s largest private nonprofit air and space museum offers a comprehensive journey through the history of aviation and space exploration, featuring more than 175 aircraft and spacecraft, including the original building where Boeing was founded.
The Personal Courage Wing is devoted to the stories of aviators and aircraft from the world wars, while the Great Gallery gives visitors the chance to sit in the cockpits of two fighter jets. The museum also participates in the Blue Star Museums program, which provides free admission to active-duty service members and their families from Armed Forces Day in May through Labor Day in September.
At any time of year, visitors can explore the museum’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park, which offers free public access from dawn to dusk. The park’s centerpiece is a restored B-52G Stratofortress, Midnight Express (59-2584).
Nearby is another little-known piece of military history: the former Boeing Plant 2, one of the most important aircraft manufacturing sites of World War II. To protect the factory from potential enemy air attacks, Boeing and the U.S. military created an elaborate camouflage scheme on the roof, complete with fake houses, trees, streets, and even an entire “town” designed to resemble a quiet suburban neighborhood from above.
Des Moines Memorial Drive
The tour also travels along a historic roadway near the Puget Sound shoreline that was designated a “road of remembrance” after the community planted more than 1,000 elm trees to honor Washingtonians who lost their lives during World War I.
Prominent dignitaries and delegations from England, France, Italy, Belgium, and Japan attended the opening ceremony to plant and dedicate trees.
Today, utility boxes along the road are wrapped in World War I-themed artwork that guides visitors through this important period in history. The images highlight marginalized groups who contributed to the war effort, including Native Americans who used their languages as secret codes and the famed 369th Infantry Regiment, composed entirely of African American soldiers.
Military Road & Grandview Dog Park, a Former NIKE Missile Site
Military Road is one of the oldest overland routes in Washington State. In the 19th century, it connected early settlements and strategic points throughout the region. Soldiers camped in what is now Angle Lake Park while helping construct the road.
The route was intentionally designed along ridgelines to provide protection from both naval attacks approaching from Puget Sound and conflicts with Indigenous tribes. In 1864, Military Road also became part of one of the region’s earliest technological revolutions when a telegraph line was strung along the route, connecting Seattle to the outside world.
Farther south, the tour passes a lively dog park that was once a NIKE missile site built to protect Boeing, SEA Airport, and the surrounding area from potential Soviet attacks during the Cold War. Today, the site is a grassy park with stunning views of Mount Rainier, but from 1956 to 1963, it housed 30 NIKE Ajax missiles and served as a key piece of the region’s air defense network. Those stationed there understood that, in the event of an attack, survival was unlikely.
How to Get the Tour
You can preview the audio tour from home before your visit at exploreseattlesouthside.stqry.app.
