The Island Longhouse at Tillicum Village

Your 4-hour adventure begins with a cruise on Puget Sound to Blake Island.

On the island, you will enjoy an appetizer of clams and nectar and will enter the longhouse for a buffet meal including salmon baked on cedar stakes in the traditional Northwest Coast Indian style.

As you finish your meal, the lights dim for an enchanting show performed in the spirit of Northwest Coast Indians.

While taking this tour, you cruise out into Elliott Bay, the vista of Seattle's spectacular cityscape opens up behind you and beyond that is the beautiful Cascade Mountain Range. You will cruise past Alki beach and the Alki Point Lighthouse.

Blake Island is directly ahead of you as you cruise past Alki Point. Slightly to the port (left) side of the tour boat is Vashon Island stretching down the channel to Tacoma, along with an absolutely incredible view of Mount Rainier. Puget Sound is a semi enclosed glacial fiord that was carved out in the last ice age thousands of years ago. The average depth of the sound is about 450 feet with some areas deeper than 900 feet. The mid channel depth crossing to Blake Island is slightly deeper than the height of the Space Needle. A unique body of water, Puget Sound stretches about 100 miles south to Olympia, the capitol of Washington State. The sound is actually a huge estuary with the fresh water running down from Cascade and Olympic mountain rivers mingling with the salt water of the Pacific Ocean.

Blake Island is a jewel of the Washington State Parks system. The 475 acre island is a wonderful example of a Pacific Northwest lowland forest and has a 5 mile saltwater beach circling the island park. Tillicum Village was built on Blake Island with private funds, then donated to the state. The Tillicum Village Northwest Coast Indian Cultural Center and Restaurant opened in 1962. The cruise from Seattle's Pier 55 to Blake Island State Park and Tillicum Village takes about 45 minutes.

Salmon has been a primary food staple of the Pacific Northwest for thousands of years. That tradition continues today and is nowhere more prominent than at Seattle's Tillicum Village. The Northwest Coast Native salmon preparation featured at Tillicum Village was the catalyst that inspired Founder, Bill Hewitt, to create this special attraction dedicated to preserving and sharing this incredible culinary delight. After being introduced to this ancient cooking process, Bill Hewitt expressed his delight with not only the showmanship and visual impact of the cooking method but even more impressively the wonderful flavor of the product. It was by far the best he had ever tasted.

At Tillicum Village, you'll have the rare opportunity to savor this centuries old treat! The flavor of salmon, baked around alder wood fires held vertically on four-foot cedar stakes, is unlike anything you have ever tasted. Taking approximately one hour to bake slowly to perfection, the salmon cooked this way retain their moisture and take on a wonderful mild flavor unique to this style of cooking.

The Tillicum Village feast begins with a sampling of another Northwest delight, steamed clams in a tasty nectar broth. The First Nations People would gather clams at low tide, build a fire on the beach to heat rocks that were then dropped into a water filled cooking basket along with the delicious clams, bringing the water to a boil and cooking the clams. After eating the clams, you are encouraged to drop the empty shells on the pathway and crush them before continuing on into the Tillicum Village Longhouse.

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Steamed Clams in Nectar
As you disembark the boat, join other guests for a welcoming mug of steamed clams in broth, with a touch of butter and onions - delicious! As a tradition at Tillicum, the used shells are crushed under foot to create the beautiful pathway.

Traditional Alder Baked Salmon
Savor this centuries-old treat! Our salmon, baked around alder wood fires on cedar stakes, is unlike anything you have ever tasted. Taking approximately one hour to bake slowly to perfection, the salmon retains moisture and takes on a wonderful mild flavor unique to this sytle of cooking. Served with our signature Juniper Berry Seasoning.

Signature Northwest Stew
This thick meaty stew consisting of venison, beef, and bison is full fo flavors married together in a rich veal stock, combined with root vegetables and potatoes for a mouth-watering dish.

Wild Grain Harvest Rice
Try this wonderful combination of wild and regular rice, cooked to perfection with onions, garlic and a fragrant vegetable stock.

Warm Whole Grain Tillicum Bread
This rich, dark, slightly-sweet bread is made with a hint of molasses - our own private recipe, served warm with butter. So popular, in fact, you can even purchase loaves to take home!

Field Green Salad
Seasonal greens, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, Oregon blue cheese, with stone ground rosemary dressing or raspberry vinaigrette served on the side.

Tri-Colored Bean Salad
A colorful display of marinated creamy-white cannelli beans and bright, fresh green beans tossed with cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and shallots in a red-wine vinaigrette.

Fresh Fruit Salad
Assorted melons, grapes, strawberries and pineapples served with a strawberry honey dipping sauce.

Northwest Dessert Treat
Our Chef's signature Chocolate Chunk Brownie with Marionberry Swirl - Delicious!

Coffee and Tea Service with your meal

After the show, you have approximately 45 minutes to one hour of free time when you can watch carving demonstrations in the longhouse, visit the gift gallery featuring artwork of local artisans or stroll along the pristine beaches and many forested trails.

48 HOURS MINIMUM ADVANCE BOOKING REQUIRED. Rates are per person. Please reserve online, or call us toll-free at 800-305-9617.