More and more I’m finding that we have to pre-book and pre-plan things for travel. Are you finding this too? Everything is just a whole lot busier than it used to be. We like to be “go-where-the-wind-blows-us” travelers and we usually plan our days by the weather or what we feel like doing that day but that isn’t always possible. It took me forever to actually get around to visiting the Amazon Spheres in our city because you can’t see them without a reservation and the Spheres are one of the coolest places you can visit in Seattle right now. If you are planning a trip to Seattle and looking for something amazing and inexpensive to do, visiting the Amazon Spheres is definitely inexpensive (it’s free!) but you do have to pre-plan if you want them on your Seattle Bucket List.
Amazon Spheres Hours-when can you visit?
If you don’t happen to know someone who works at Amazon, the Amazon Spheres are open to the public approximately 24 times a year. The openings fall on the first and third Saturdays of each month. You need a reservation and you make that reservation on the Seattle Spheres website. I tried to check how far in advance they post the listings and it seems like they post about 15 days before the first and third Saturdays and they book up really quickly. Make sure you know who is going to go with you to the Spheres when you book because adults on the reservation need to bring government-issued ID’s that match the names that you book them under.
When we visited I thought we would be going on a tour, but it is an unguided visit and there didn’t seem to be a time limit. This made our visit really less stressful than most touristy things and it was actually quite peaceful to wander around even though there were many people visiting at the same time we were there. You are free to explore or lounge or hang out. I think we took about an hour on our visit but we were one of the last bookings of the day. The Spheres are open from 9am-6pm on their opening days with the last reservation at 5pm.
PS if you’re wondering how much does it cost to go to the Seattle Spheres? When I booked it was absolutely free!
General Porpoise Donuts at the Amazon Spheres
I really wanted to visit General Porpoise Donuts on our visit to Amazon Spheres but the donut store is only open from 9am-3pm. This means if you want a donut to be part of your day, you need to book a tour before 3pm. I love General Porpoise Donuts and between 9am and 3pm every other Saturday, I can’t imagine a more beautiful donut shop anywhere else in the city. (Having access to General Porpoise donuts in the Spheres during the week makes me really envious of Amazon employees.)
The Corpse Flower at the Amazon Spheres
I don’t know if the Corpse Flower is always at the Amazon Spheres, but we happened to visit when a Corpse Flower there was almost fully bloomed. We were told to sign up on an email list and we would be notified if it opened up and we would be able to revisit. Because the corpse flower opened on a weekday, we ended up being able to visit the Spheres on a day other than a Saturday visit.
Sadly, the Corpse Flower was already finished blooming by the time the public visits happened and it looked a lot like it did the day we were first saw it. I was disappointed but really thankful because I’ve heard they smell absolutely terrifying. Have you ever seen (or smelled) a corpse flower in bloom? I wonder if having these flowers at the Amazon Spheres will be a regular event?
Willmott’s Ghost at the Spheres
I didn’t realize that Wilmott’s Ghost was open to the public until I passed by a sign as I was walking to Assembly Hall one afternoon. That sighting inspired me to book a reservation for my parents when I couldn’t get us into the Spheres when they were visiting. I thought that maybe we would be able to peek in and see a bit of what was going on in the Spheres from the restaurant. We found out that although Wilmott’s Ghost is within the walls of the Spheres, it’s zoned off so all you can see is the restaurant but it is pretty much as close as you can get to the Spheres without having a timed entry. The food is magnificent and it was fun coming here to eat and if you order a big pizza you can cut your slices with scissors. I haven’t tried dessert here yet because Lady Yum is within walking distance.
A HQ tour might also get you into the Seattle Spheres too
If you’re not in Seattle on the first and third Saturday of the month, or if you missed getting a booking online, you might not be totally out of luck. There are HQ tours listed on the Seattle Spheres website on Tuesdays and Thursdays and these 90 minute guided tours might still get you into the Spheres as well. (I will keep you updated on this one-the “schedule a tour” link was broken when I was working on this write-up, but maybe it will work for you!)
And the Understory?
The Understory within the Spheres but not within the big garden dome area seems too learn-y to me. I’ve passed by and seen people reading big signs in a room. One day if I’m in the area, I might walk through. (And if you’ve been and think I’m wrong please tell me)
(PS. If you are looking for yummy things to eat after you visit the Amazon Spheres, you might try Mamnoon Street, GH Pasta,or Shake Shack )
(PPS. I really really wish there was a sloth in the Amazon Spheres. Even instead of the Corpse flower or maybe especially instead of the Corpse Flower. Amazon can sell full-fledged backyard houses online so surely they can house sloths in the spheres.)
(PPS. You can find out more about me and this blog on my about me page and if you are looking for Seattle family travel ideas, I have a bunch on my instagram too.)
Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys. She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live. She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)
I have yet to visit!