New Sasquatch ride roars to life along Elliott Bay
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Head to the Seattle waterfront and you'll find people waiting to take selfies with a roaring Sasquatch that towers over passersby.
The big picture: The animatronic Bigfoot welcomes people to a new virtual reality ride, Sasquatch Mountain — one of a growing number of attractions on Seattle's revamped Elliott Bay promenade.
I took my 6-year-old last week after months of him asking to go. (The ride only debuted last month, but "coming soon" signs had been up much longer.)
What to expect: Head inside and you'll get a video explaining your mission to find Sasquatch, complete with gear that lets you see invisible animals. (I didn't fully track this — I was busy adjusting my kid's virtual reality goggles — but apparently Sasquatch has a cloaking feature.)
- Entering the ride wearing your headset, you'll see that you and your companions are now wearing sleek tactical gear. (This is cool, although it's a bit awkward to sit down and figure out where to put your stuff when you can't quite see your real legs.)
- Soon the ride shakes, blows mist in your face and transports you to rivers, a mine and snowy mountains — all without leaving the room. You'll experience bouncing, hanging over cliffs and even creatures crawling in your virtual reality rig — plus a close encounter with Sasquatch.
- The 4D action makes it feel like a real roller coaster, so you and your companions may end up screaming from time to time.
Yes, but: It's a pretty short mission, so for some people it may not be worth the cost.
- Tickets are $25 per adult and $20 per child. (Kids have to be 42 inches or taller to ride.)
If you go: The ride's exit spits you out next to the arcade and other attractions inside Pier 57 — so if you're not careful, you could end up spending another $20 to play multiple rounds of a Jurassic Park game, as I did.
- It's a good idea to set expectations with kids beforehand if you're firmly against playing additional games, riding the carousel or getting ice cream afterward.
Stop by: Miners Landing (Pier 57), 1301 Alaskan Way. 11am–9pm.
- Access the ride from the building's north side, which faces the Pier 58 plaza and nearby playground.
