Discover Bellevue Recreation & Sightseeing

• 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, transforming 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. Download a brochure describing the city hall art.
• Walk up NE 6th Street to 108th avenue and grab a cup of coffee at any of the several coffee shops and deli's along the way.

• Walk down 6th Avenue to Barnes & Noble for a quiet moment with a book
• Browse an unrivaled collection of first-in-the-Northwest shops, including the region's only Neiman Marcus at The Shops at the Bravern.
• Window shop at the 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 and night spot at The Bellevue Collection. (Bellevue Square, Lincoln Square and Bellevue Place)
• No trip to the Pacific Northwest is complete without a visit to the The Shops at The Bravern. This European-inspired outdoor village invites endless discovery. Enjoy renowned restaurants, spas and amazing shopping.

• Board the beautiful Argosy ship for a breathtaking Lake Washington Cruise.
• Spend more time shopping at The Bellevue Collection or The Shops at the Bravern.
• Enjoy a walk or canoe ride surrounded by nature at the Mercer Slough Nature Park. Visit the tree house at the Environmental Education Center and get a birds-eye view of the Bellevue skyline.

• Visit Woodinville Wine Country. Woodinville is home to more than 100 wineries and tasting rooms, including pioneers Chateau Ste. Michelle, Columbia Winery, and dozens of smaller boutique wineries, such as the Betz Family Wineries, Januik Winery and Woodhouse Family Cellars. A unique guided tour of Woodinville's boutique wineries is available through Barrel Wine Tours with departures from downtown Bellevue.
• Bellevue is home to one of the best golf courses in the country, the Golf Club at Newcastle, offering panoramic views of Mt. Rainier, the Olympics, Cascade Mountains and Lake Washington.
• Take a short drive to Snoqualmie Falls, one of Washington State’s most popular scenic attractions with about 1.5 million visitors every year. At the Falls, you will find a two-acre park, hiking trail, observation deck, gift shop, and the breathtaking 270 foot waterfall.

• Take a cab ride or bus the nine miles to Seattle where you can visit some of the area's most popular attractions.
• 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 Olympic Sculpture Park in downtown Seattle.
• 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 your return to Seattle at sunset to see a breathtaking view of the city skyline from the ferry.

• See Wild Whales – Bellevue to San Juan Island with San Juan Safaris. Depart from Lake Washington via seaplane, land at the docks in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island – where the whales are. Take a 3-hour Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour by boat on the Whale Plane Package. There is time prior and after the tour to shop, view galleries, sightsee and have lunch.Or drive up to Anacortes (1.5 hours) and take a scenic ferry ride to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island for a 3-hour Whale Watch & Wildlife Tour. Riding the ferries is easy and fun.
• Ride the Argosy boat from the Seattle Waterfront to Blake Island to visit Tillicum Village. The tour includes a boat cruise, salmon buffet dinner, and a Northwest Coast Native American dance performance.
• 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 a 60 minutes drive from Bellevue.
• 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, 8,000 foot 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. The Scenic Cascade Loop highway runs from beach to mountains to eastern Washington's semi-arid plateaus.
• Take a scenic trip to Mt. St. Helens. May 18th marks the anniversary of this volcano's fiery eruption in 1980. Today visitor and interpretive centers explain 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, 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 many internationally acclaimed wines from vineyards offering 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.

Snowshoe or Cross Country ski at the Nordic Center at the Summit At Snoqualmie. Rental equipment is available here.

Hiking and Sightseeing

Take a short drive to Snoqualmie Falls, one of Washington State's most popular scenic attractions. More than 1.5 million visitors come to the Falls every year to enjoy 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 wilderness surrounding us.

Kayaking

Paddle on beautiful Lake Washington to see waterfront parks and homes, views of Mount Rainier and surrounding hills. The Mercer Slough Nature Park is the most popular destination from Enatai. The canal that winds through the nature park, is limited to human-powered watercraft, affords views of great blue herons, green herons, bald eagles, jays, beavers, muskrats, wild iris, water lilies, and tasty blackberries! Kayaks are available to rent at the Enatai Beach Boathouse in Bellevue (about 10 minutes drive south of downtown).

National Parks

Mt Rainier National Park
Mt. St. Helens National Park