RV Show to Open Feb. 11

The 47th annual Seattle RV and Outdoor Recreation Show, featuring hundreds of new motorhomes, travel trailers, truck campers, toy haulers and other RVs, will open February 11 at the Qwest Field Event Center in downtown Seattle.

The show will give consumers the opportunity to shop and compare models from more than a dozen dealers, all offering introductory prices on 2010 models and closeout deals on last year’s inventory.

For the first time, the RV show will coincide with the Seattle Golf Show, also being staged at the Qwest Field Event Center. The RV show will run from Feb. 11-14 and the golf show will be open Feb. 12-14.

Dave Helgeson, show director of the Manufactured Housing and RV Show Association, noted that golf is a favorite activity of many RVers, and that a number of RV resorts adjoin golf courses. Staging the golf and RV shows at the same time and place will make it convenient for people to attend both events.  “It’s a natural partnership,” Helgeson said.

You can buy a combination ticket for admission to both shows for $18, and enter a drawing for a grand prize of a four-day/three-night golf vacation that will include rental of a motorhome, free rounds of golf and camping at a resort.

Separate admission to the RV show alone is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, and $7 for students from 11 to 18.  Children 10 and younger are admitted free with an adult admission.  The show will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. If you buy tickets online at mhrvlife.com, you can receive free parking. This issue of RV Life also contains a $2 discount off admission if used at the box office.

In addition to new RVs, the show will include exhibits of RV accessories and related products, and seminars on the RV lifestyle. Presenters will include Chuck Woodbury, owner of RVBookstore.com and RVTravel.com; Gary Chantry, who will discuss the advantages of buying RV resort property, and representatives of Washington State Parks, who will talk about camp hosting opportunities.

The Seattle RV and Outdoor Recreation Show is the first in a series of RV shows in the Pacific Northwest in February and March. Also scheduled are the Evergreen RV Show in Monroe, Washington, Feb. 18-21; the Salem Spring RV Show at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem, Oregon, Feb. 25-28, and the Eugene RV Show at the Lane County Fairgrounds in Eugene, Oregon, March 5-7.

Mike Ward