Tillicum Village

Tillicum Village is located on Blake Island in Seattle. The main building is an old longhouse which is where they cook the salmon, serve the meal (buffet style) and put on the show. Our trip started out in the school bus on our way to Seattle. Once we got to Seattle we waited at Pier 55 to board the Argosy. There were quite a few different schools that were also going. So the boat was loaded with children (age ranging from 6 to about 14). The Captain was so much fun and kept the whole boat entertained. The weather wasn't what we were hoping for on the way there, but after the low clouds lifted it was amazing. Unfortunately that wasn't until our ride back from Blake Island to Seattle.

Mrs. Saxton and Mrs. Smith have been taking their students to Tillicum Village for years. The classes spend a good majority of the school year learning about the Native Americans and raising money to go. Only 8 parents are able to go... I was one of the lucky ones!!

After only about 20 minutes of being on the boat, Alyssa started getting anxious to get to the island. She asked Captain Loose Lips, "Are we there yet?" He told her no, but because she was the fist one to ask that question, she gets to drive the boat. Keep in mind that everything that he says goes throughout this 3 story boat so everyone can hear him. Shortly before that he had mentioned that he was going to tell one of his new jokes… then he looked at me and said "Katie Lawrence if you start laughing at my joke, I'll know it's a keeper!" After Alyssa got to drive the boat, she wanted to go around and brag to her classmates. As we're walking around all three stories I start hearing the captain calling out my name on the speaker. He was about to do his joke and I had to miss the whole thing. Mrs. Saxton (Alyssa's Teacher) said that out of the 13 years that they have gone on this trip, none of her students have been able to drive. The boat ride back was great. The kids were able to participate in trivia and dance contests… “dance like your parents”

It was quite the experience for the children and the adults. If you ever get a chance to go, Do it! You can see the picture in our Picasa album. Unfortunately the room during the show was completely black so the pictures didn't turn out very well. I was able to copy some from the website though. You can also check out the website: http://www.tillicumvilliage.com/