Exhibit hall at Boeing Future of Flight with a 747 tail section and interactive displays

Boeing Future of Flight

Photo: Henry Kim via Google Maps

Boeing Future of Flight sits at the edge of Paine Field in Mukilteo, about 25 miles north of downtown Seattle, and it is the gateway to the Boeing Everett Factory Tour. Boeing runs the center as its public attraction and brand home, pairing a gallery of interactive aerospace exhibits with a rooftop Sky Deck and the chance to stand above a working jetliner assembly line.

The factory tour is the reason most people come. It paused in March 2020 and resumed in October 2023, and in July 2025 the center moved to a seven day schedule. In 2026 you can once again ride out to the Everett factory and watch Boeing employees build the 777 and 777X, then come back to plane spot from the deck and explore the gallery at your own pace.

What You’ll See

  • The Boeing Everett Factory Tour: An 80 minute guided experience that takes you by motor coach to the factory, where you look down on 777 and 777X production from a visitor balcony and hear the story of the Everett site. Boeing notes the factory holds the Guinness World Record as the largest building in the world by volume.
  • The Gallery: Exhibits on Boeing’s legacy and on what comes next, from space and hypersonic travel to sustainable aviation fuel and autonomous aerial systems. The Boeing Engineering Zone adds hands on activities about the systems that keep spacecraft like the International Space Station running.
  • Flight simulators: In the Aerospace Adventure exhibit, guests 12 and older can try flying a 787 Dreamliner or a Super Hornet fighter, subject to availability.
  • The Sky Deck: Panoramic views of Paine Field, the Everett factory and the North Cascades, with a front row seat for daily flight operations, including test flights of new airplanes.
  • Kids’ Zone: Younger visitors can experiment at a Bernoulli table and draw their own version of the future of flight at kid sized tables.

The Story Behind It

The Future of Flight Aviation Center opened at Paine Field in 2005. For its first years a nonprofit, the Institute of Flight (originally the Future of Flight Foundation), ran the building under a contract with Snohomish County. In 2018 Boeing signed on to lease the entire center and take over operations, and it became Boeing Future of Flight. The center describes itself today as a collaboration between The Boeing Company, Snohomish County and Paine Field Airport.

The tour itself is older than the building. Public tours of the Everett factory began in 1968, and more than 6 million people from around the world have taken one. Before the pandemic pause, The Daily Herald reported, the tour drew roughly 300,000 visitors a year, making it Snohomish County’s top tourist attraction.

Tips for Your Visit

  • Book tour tickets ahead. The center says tours sell out quickly and asks guests to arrive at least 30 minutes before their tour time; late arrivals can forfeit the reservation.
  • Nothing comes along on the tour: no phones, cameras, bags, pens, food or drinks. Free lockers in the lobby hold your things.
  • Tour guests must be at least 4 feet (48 inches) tall, children cannot be carried, and anyone under 16 must be with an adult. There are no restrooms on the tour, so plan ahead.
  • The tour involves about 0.3 miles of walking round trip, with stairs on the standard route and an alternate elevator route. Call at least 48 hours ahead to arrange the wheelchair accessible vehicle.
  • Parking on site is free, and you do not need a ticket to visit the Boeing Store or the Paper Plane Café. Note that the center is not affiliated with the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

Plan Your Visit

Address: 8415 Paine Field Blvd, Mukilteo, WA 98275
Phone: 800.464.1476
Website: boeingfutureofflight.com
Hours and admission: Check the museum website for current days, hours, and admission before you visit.
Directions: View on Google Maps