A
s the weather warms plan a few days
to get out and explore all that Bellevue
offers. The Botanical Gardens are an
urban refuge, encompassing 53-acres of
cultivated gardens, restored woodlands,
and natural wetlands. The living collections
showcase plants that thrive in the Pacific
Northwest. The Botanical Gardens offer
year round events such as lectures, classes
and children's events. In the winter don't
miss the Garden D'lights at the Botanical
Gardens which features over 1/2 million
lights which transform the gardens into a
blossoming winter wonderland. During the
summer Pack a picnic dinner and a blanket
to spread on the lawn for a special night of
beautiful music in the Garden with Brass
Band Northwest.
Another hotspot to check out is the
Bellevue Downtown Park with its
21-acre oasis of green in the heart of
Bellevue. This elegant centerpiece of the
Bellevue Parks Systems offers a one-
half mile promenade, bordered by rows
of shade trees and
a 240-footwide
waterfall that
cascades into a
reflecting pond.
A ten-acre lawn
invites visitors to spread out a blanket and
take an afternoon respite. But it is not only
summer activities that draw people to this
spacious and lush park. In the wintertime
an ice arena is erected calling to family
and friends to glide gracefully to popular
music and experience the season.
Magic
Season Ice Arena
is the region's only
open-air holiday
ice skating
experience. The
festive venue
offers shelter
for all-weather
skating and is
home to a series
of special events,
themed activities, and skating lessons.
As the sixth largest lake in Washington,
Lake Sammamish hosts some of the
Pacific Northwest best water athletes. More
than a million people use this large lake
every year for fishing, swimming, boating,
water skiing or just to take in the beautiful
view. Pull out a fishing pole and test your
skills at landing a cutthroat trout or a
variety of salmon.
Just minutes from downtown, the
Mercer
Slough Nature Park
is the largest of
Lake Washington's remaining fresh water
wetlands and is one of Bellevue's largest
parks. Explore over 320 acres of wildlife
habitat, agriculture, and freshwater wetland
ecosystems on 7+ miles of trails including a
unique canoe trail.
Parks & the
Great Outdoors
