Destination Bellevue | Sightseeing & Recreation
There are so many things to do in and around Bellevue that it really comes down to how much time you have and whether your desire for adventure tends more toward the urban or the pursuit of nature. It might also depend on whether you have a few minutes or a few hours. This page provides you some options.
Urban attractions
Bellevue Downtown Park
A 20 minute walk from Meydenbauer Center to the Bellevue Downtown Park. Window shop on your way down to the park and enjoy a stroll in the park loop, with fountains, trees, and plenty to see. The park loop is a 1/2 mile long promenade, bordered by a row of shade trees and a canal that cascades into a reflecting pond.
Shopping: Bellevue Square and the Bellevue Collection
Discover non-stop shopping at more than 200 stores at the Bellevue Collection. Including renowned stores like Nordstrom, Crate and Barrel, Macy's and Tiffany & Co as well as dozens of unique shops and dining options.
Shopping: Old Main Street
The old main area is home to upscale boutiques and gift shops, restaurants and deli's, urban markets. Main street is just a block south of the Downtown park. At the west end of the street you can walk take a peak at Lake Washington.
Bellevue Arts Museum
A 12 minute walk from Meydenbauer Center down the pedestrian corridor, next to the Westin Hotel and on your way to Bellevue Square. The Bellevue Arts Museum is the Pacific Northwest's center for the exploration of art, craft and design through exhibitions, educational programs and partnerships, emphasizing the work of regional artists. Closed on Monday's.
Bellevue Regional Library
A 5 minute walk north along 110th Ave NE. The Bellevue Regional Library is the largest library in the King County Library System (KCLS). The library has more than 325,000 volumes in its collection, with materials in print and electronic formats. The library is a regional reference center for KCLS and houses the most comprehensive and sophisticated reference collection in the system.
The Bellevue Transit Center
Located between 110th Ave NE and 108th Ave NE on NE 6th Street. Exit Meydenbauer Center and go west (turn right out of the building on NE 6th Street). Walk up the hill 1 block to the transit center. Information kiosks and route information are available at the center or by visiting Bellevue Transit Center MetroOnline
Explore Bellevue in a few minutes or a few hours
I've got 30 minutes. What can I do? What can you do in and around Bellevue when you only have a 30 minute break? An hour? A whole day? Here are some great ideas to help.
- Walk across the street to admire the public art at the Bellevue City Hall. City Hall visitors will experience something unique-major works by three Pacific Northwest artists helping to transform the building into a cultural legacy for the community. Their artworks celebrate the history, culture, and people of Bellevue, creating a pathway from the city's past to its future
- Walk up NE 6th Street to 108th avenue and grab a cup of coffee at any of the several coffee shops and deli's on the corner
- Walk down 6th Avenue to Barnes & Noble for a quick quiet moment with a book
- Window shop at the Bellevue Collection—The Bellevue Collection. (Bellevue Square, Lincoln Square and Bellevue Place)
- Visit the latest exhibits at the Bellevue Arts Museum. Bellevue Arts Museum is the Pacific Northwest's center for the exploration of art, craft and design through exhibitions, educational programs and partnerships, emphasizing the work of regional artists
- Shop the northwest's best resort shopping and dining destination — The Bellevue Collection. (Bellevue Square, Lincoln Square and Bellevue Place)
- Board the beautiful Argosy ship for a breathtaking Lake Washington Cruise. Adult tickets are about $26
- Spend more time shopping at Bellevue Square
- Bellevue is home to one of the best golf courses in the country at the Golf Club at Newcastle offering panoramic views of Mt. Rainer, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains and Lake Washington
- Visit Woodinville wine country. Woodinville is home to more than 20 wineries, including pioneers Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Winery, and smaller boutique wineries, such as the Betz Family Wineries and Woodhouse Family Cellars
- Take a short drive to Snoqualmie Falls. Snoqualmie Falls is one of Washington state's most popular scenic attractions. More than 1.5 million visitors come to the Falls every year. At the Falls, you will find a two-acre park, hiking trail, observation deck, gift shop, and the famous 270 foot waterfall
- Take a cab ride or bus the nine miles to Seattle where you can see and do some of the must-do activities
- Visit the Space Needle and ride 520 feet up to see the awesome view of the city
- Experience Pike Place Market. Born in 1907, Seattle's Pike Place Market is the granddaddy of farmers' markets. Today, it's a major tourist attraction with 200 businesses operating year-round, 190 craftspeople and 120 farmer booths — plus street performers and musicians. Flowers by the bucketful, flying fish, fresh pastries and fruit, handmade cheeses, local honey, wine, an assortment of restaurants, and lots of surprises are around every corner
- Enjoy the the Olympic Sculpture Park on the shores of Puget Sound
- Experience the lively
- Stroll around the Seattle Art Museum
- Take a quick cab to Pioneer Square to learn about Seattle's history through Bill Speidel's Underground Tour
- Watch animals frolic at the Woodland Park Zoo
- Stroll along Seattle's Waterfront, see some unusual sights at Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe and have a delicious seafood lunch at one of the many restaurants
- Catch a Washington State Ferry for a round trip ride to Bainbridge Island or Bremerton. Enjoy spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains and the Seattle skyline. Take a 35 minute ferry ride to Bainbridge Island. Stroll along the shops and dine in one of the many eateries. Plan a return to Seattle during sunset to see a breathtaking view of the city skyline
- Ride the Argosy boat from the Seattle Waterfront to Blake Island to visit Tillicum Village. The Tillicum Village tour includes a boat cruise, salmon buffet dinner, and a Northwest Coast Native American dance performance all for $79
- Hit the slopes and spend a day skiing at some of the nearby mountains. The Cascade Mountain ski slopes, including Crystal Mountain, Stevens Pass and Snoqualmie Pass offer day and night skiing November through mid-April. Snoqualmie Pass is just 90 minutes east of Seattle
- Create your own adventure in one of Washington's national parks. Seattle lies within a couple of hours of three spectacular national parks. Mt. Rainier is just a two hour drive south of Seattle and features the highest peak in the Northwest at an elevation of 14,411 feet. Gray Line Sightseeing offers a guided day tour to the visitor center located at Paradise. Olympic National Park, on the Olympic Peninsula west of Seattle, features the only temperate rain forests in the lower 48 states; the park also features 8,000foot mountains and wild ocean beaches. North Cascades National Park, north of Seattle, boasts a necklace of turquoise glacier-fed lakes with a backdrop of jagged mountains and a scenic highway (Cascade Loop) which runs from beach to mountains to desert
- Take a scenic trip to Mt. St. Helens. May 18th marks the anniversary of this volcano's fiery eruption in 1980. Today a visitor and interpretive center explains dramatic geologic and human stories and their legacies. Flightseeing tours are also available
- See Seattle from a new angle — 1,000 feet up. Daily scenic flights by seaplane from Lake Union carry you past the Space Needle, the downtown waterfront, Green Lake and more, via Kenmore Air
- Visit Canada's most English city, Victoria. Travel by the Victoria Clipper catamaran or seaplane or car ferry through the San Juan Islands. Overnight packages are available through Victoria Clipper and Gray Line of Seattle
- Discover Vancouver, B.C. This dynamic metropolis on Canada's West Coast boasts world-class shopping, dining and culture. Get there by car (2 1/2 hours) or by rail via the Amtrak Cascades (3 1/2 hours)
- Tour the Washington Wine Country. The Yakima and Columbia Valleys, three hours east of Seattle, offer a growing number of internationally acclaimed wines from vineyards, which offer tours and tastings.
Nature
Winter Sports
Skiing is close at hand at several different Cascade Mountain resorts including, Crystal Mountain, Stevens Pass and The Summit at Snoqualmie. Snoqualmie Pass is just 60 minutes from Bellevue on I-90.
Hiking and sightseeing
Take a short drive to Snoqualmie Falls. Snoqualmie Falls is one of Washington state's most popular scenic attractions. More than 1.5 million visitors come to the Falls every year. At the Falls, you will find a two-acre park, hiking trail, observation deck, gift shop, and the famous 270 foot waterfall. 
The Washington Trails Association provides information to help hikers explore the wildernesssurrounding us.
