Things to Do in Redmond

High above Seattle, one of SeattleHeliTours.com Classic Helicopter Corp's Bell 206B-3 JetRanger turbine choppers hovers in midair. Maneuvering like a hummingbird, it whisks passengers toward the famous Space Needle that was used to crochet the entire Seattle skyline. The helicopter then flies over the downtown waterfront and heads to Snoqualmie Falls, where it pauses at the edge of the churning water. During tours like these, Classic Helicopter Corp's pilots share facts in English, Japanese, and Spanish. The experts can point out such sights as Bill Gates' house and sports stadiums.

Those who wish to maneuver their own space birds can sign up for flight school and obtain such certifications as a private rotocraft pilot or an astro instrument trainer. Charter services facilitate romantic and exciting excursions to such locales as the San Juan Islands or Semiahmoo.

Everything seemed normal at Avenue One—a restaurant operating out of the former Butterworth & Sons mortuary—then one day, customers noticed wine bottles levitating off the shelves and hurtling across the room. Things were never the same. After a vacancy period, the space was taken over by Kells Irish Pub, which coexists with its hauntings and today welcomes Market Ghost Tour’s intrepid guests to hunt for spirits during the Mortuary Chapel Tour.

Such paranormal activities are commonplace for Market Ghost Tour founder Mercedes Yaeger. She grew up with the ghost stories of her father, who spooked locals with tales on Halloween nights in Pike Place Market. Since then, Mercedes has self-published a book, Market Ghost Stories, compiled from exhaustive research of municipal archives, newspaper accounts, and freeze-frame analysis of Scooby-Doo archives. She spins many of those yarns on excursions with Market Ghost Tour, which the Seattle Post-Intelligencer named “one of Seattle’s best and weirdest attractions.”

Aside from the Mortuary Chapel Tour, Mercedes and her guides lead guests on two other year-round exterior tours. The 75-minute Market Ghost Tour treks past the 9-acre district’s mortuaries, graveyards, and brothels as visitors hear frightening historical tales. Meanwhile, the Seattle Lust Tour recounts incidents of serial killers and 24-hour grind houses along the street formerly known as “Flesh Avenue.”

Choose from one of four dates:

Choose either Sammamish's titular course for a session of deep stretching that heals and renews the body, or roast calories alive and forge adamantine endurance and strength during a power course. Both classes range from 60 to 90 minutes and are offered every day throughout the day, from six in the morning to seven in the gloaming eve. Check the schedule to pick your favorite.