Georgetown Powerplant Museum Tours and Activities

The boiler room at the Steam Plant offers an eerie glimpse into early 20th-century working conditions. Oil (and later coal) was fed into 16 giant boilers to produce the steam required to turn the Curtis Steam Turbines in the room next door. The Georgetown Steam Plant was built in 1906 to provide power for Seattle's streetcars, the city of Georgetown, and the Seattle-Tacoma Railway. Although the turbines were state-of-the art for their time, the technology was advancing so quickly that the plant became outdated within 10 years. It was soon relegated to secondary status and was used occasionally through the 1970s during droughts and to meet peak power demand. Today, the nearly-complete plant is operated as a free museum and is open to the public the second Saturday of every month from 10am-2pm.
The boiler room at the Steam Plant offers an eerie glimpse into early 20th-century working conditions. Oil (and later coal) was fed into 16 giant boilers to produce the steam required to turn the Curtis Steam Turbines in the room next door. The Georgetown Steam Plant was built in 1906 to provide power for Seattle's streetcars, the city of Georgetown, and the Seattle-Tacoma Railway. Although the turbines were state-of-the art for their time, the technology was advancing so quickly that the plant became outdated within 10 years. It was soon relegated to secondary status and was used occasionally through the 1970s during droughts and to meet peak power demand. Today, the nearly-complete plant is operated as a free museum and is open to the public the second Saturday of every month from 10am-2pm.
These control panels monitored the Curtis Steam Turbines installed in 1906 and 1907. Although the turbines were state-of-the art for their time, the technology was advancing so quickly that the plant became outdated within a decade. It was soon relegated to secondary status and was used occasionally through the 1970s during droughts and to meet peak power demand. Today, the nearly-complete plant is operated as a free museum and is open to the public the second Saturday of every month from 10am-2pm.
This 1907 Curtis Steam Turbine is one of only a handful still remaining from the early days of electrical power generation. Turbine design was at the forefront of technology in the early 1900s, and this particular turbine is a wonderful example, as it generated nearly 3 times the power of an adjacent turbine installed just one year earlier. Later, in 1917, a much smaller third turbine was added, which itself generated nearly as much power as the first two turbines combined. Such is the relentless pace of technology, and why so few of these historical turbines remain. The Georgetown Steam Plant was built in 1906 to provide power for Seattle's streetcars, the city of Georgetown, and the Seattle-Tacoma Railway. Although the turbines were state-of-the art for their time, the technology was advancing so quickly that the plant became outdated within 10 years. It was soon relegated to secondary status and was used occasionally through the 1970s during droughts and to meet peak power demand. Today, the nearly-complete plant is operated as a free museum and is open to the public the second Saturday of every month from 10am-2pm.
Seattle Electric Company branding can still be found on some of the large boilers at this 1906 power plant. The boilers produced enough steam to turn three Curtis Steam Turbines located in the adjacent room, generating up to 21K kilowatts. The Georgetown Steam Plant was built in 1906 to provide power for Seattle's streetcars, the city of Georgetown, and the Seattle-Tacoma Railway. Although the turbines were state-of-the art for their time, the technology was advancing so quickly that the plant became outdated within 10 years. It was soon relegated to secondary status and was used occasionally through the 1970s during droughts and to meet peak power demand. Today, the nearly-complete plant is operated as a free museum and is open to the public the second Saturday of every month from 10am-2pm.

Tours & day trips

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Beneath The Streets Underground History Tour

Beneath The Streets Underground History Tour

Activity duration is 1 hour
9.4 out of 10 with 2231 reviews
Free cancellation available
Price is AU$42 per adult
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Private & custom tours

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Historic Ballard: A Self-Guided Audio Tour Exploring Seattle's Quirky Histo...

Historic Ballard: A Self-Guided Audio Tour Exploring Seattle's Quirky Histo...

Activity duration is 45 minutes
10.0 out of 10 with 2 reviews
Price is AU$8 per adult
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Food, drink & nightlife

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Seattle: Smith Tower Observatory Access Ticket

Seattle: Smith Tower Observatory Access Ticket

9.6 out of 10 with 7 reviews
Free cancellation available
Price is AU$35 per adult
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Classes & workshops

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Mad Scientist Drink Fusion Lab, A Mocktail Focused Workshop

Mad Scientist Drink Fusion Lab, A Mocktail Focused Workshop

Activity duration is 2 hours
4.0 out of 10 with 1 review
Free cancellation available
Price is AU$140 per adult
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Attractions

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Seattle CityPASS®: Admission to Top 5 Attractions

Seattle CityPASS®: Admission to Top 5 Attractions

Activity duration is 9 days
9.4 out of 10 with 1641 reviews
Free cancellation available
Price is AU$183 per adult
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Roving Gallery

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Top Georgetown Powerplant Museum Hotel & Accommodation Deals

Georgetown Inn

Georgetown Inn

2.5 out of 5
6100 Corson Avenue Seattle WA
Georgetown Inn
La Hacienda Motel

La Hacienda Motel

2 out of 5
5414 1st Ave S Seattle WA
La Hacienda Motel
Echo Loft: A Modern Escape

Echo Loft: A Modern Escape

2 out of 5
5236 39th Ave S Seattle WA
Echo Loft: A Modern Escape
CC01 - Columbia City Urban Studio

CC01 - Columbia City Urban Studio

Seattle WA
CC01 - Columbia City Urban Studio
Brighton Retreat - Walk to Metro

Brighton Retreat - Walk to Metro

3 out of 5
43rd Ave S & S Othello St Seattle WA
Brighton Retreat - Walk to Metro
Moden West Seattle House in the Trees

Moden West Seattle House in the Trees

Seattle WA
Moden West Seattle House in the Trees
Book one week or more and get 10% discount Stylish 2 BR Suite in West Seattle!

Book one week or more and get 10% discount Stylish 2 BR Suite in West Seattle!

Seattle WA
Book one week or more and get 10% discount Stylish 2 BR Suite in West Seattle!
Safe neighborhood. Minutes to freeways, Downtown, and Airport.

Safe neighborhood. Minutes to freeways, Downtown, and Airport.

Seattle WA
Safe neighborhood. Minutes to freeways, Downtown, and Airport.
5br 8bed house near airport, downtown & train

5br 8bed house near airport, downtown & train

Seattle WA
5br 8bed house near airport, downtown & train
See all 4,454 properties in Georgetown Powerplant Museum
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

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