Last Updated on July 21, 2022 by Jim Ferri
By Jim Ferri
I’ve just discovered the incredible number of things to do in Bellevue, Washington, that unquestionably make it an exciting Pacific Northwest getaway.
Until now, I only vaguely knew anything about the city.
That lack of knowledge was self-inflicted, however, since on previous visits to the Pacific Northwest I hadn’t ventured much beyond Seattle, Portland, or Vancouver, BC.
But following a blogger’s conference in Eastern Washington, a small group of us traveled to there at the invitation of Visit Bellevue Washington, the city’s tourism marketing office. They, of course, wanted to promote the city. I, on the other hand, wanted to see why it was becoming so popular with travelers.
To cut to the chase, it was a delightful surprise.
A Little Country Town With a New Vibe
Bellevue is only a 15-minute drive east of Seattle. But despite the closeness, it has a much different vibe since it’s less crowded and has a slower pace.
Surprisingly, just a century ago it was a little country town with shops along Main Street serving local farmers. Today it’s a booming metropolis that’s attracted household names, including Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook/Meta, Eddie Bauer, and more. Amazingly, its population of 160,000 (among the most highly educated in the state) is doubled during the work week by those who commute to the city.
While growth like that can be a problem, it has been good for Bellevue, thanks to good urban planning. As a result, you don’t see urban sprawl in here; you see a well-designed city that’s both livable and enjoyable.
But Bellevue today isn’t known for those high-tech firms that have arrived on its doorstep. Instead, it’s known for high-end shopping, luxury hotels, and incredible dining. And undoubtedly, a lot more, as well.
Visit during the Christmas season, for example, and you can enjoy Snowflake Lane on Main Street. It’s an annual event when the street is filled with glittering lights and continually falling snowflakes. Come in the summer and enjoy open-air movies in the city’s spectacular Downtown Park. And, of course, there are fireworks on the 4th of July.
Bellevue Downtown Park
You’ll find many city attractions around the downtown district core. That’s great for visitors since it makes the city so walkable. So park the car and throw away the keys…or, perhaps, leave them in the hotel room.
One of the city’s focal points is Bellevue’s Downtown Park. A 21-acre oasis for visitors and residents, it’s a beautiful public area framed by the city’s modern skyline.
By all means, take a walk through this park. It’s one of the most comfortable and usable parks you find in the downtown of any city, anywhere. There’s a large circular lawn and a 240-foot-long waterfall that flows into a pond about which ducks paddle. And great walking paths with benches (the park has more than 140).
You’ll find people playing lawn games, walking dogs, exercising, picnicking, relaxing on benches chatting with neighbors. It’s certainly a downtown park designed to be what an urban park should be.
Bellevue Downtown Park
10201 NE 4th Street
Bellevue, WA 98004
Tel: (425) 452-6885
Open: daily a half an hour before sunrise to 11 pm
Admission: free
Old Bellevue
Take a walk about old Bellevue, the heart of the old city. It’s nestled up along the southern side of Downtown Park.
Overall it’s a charming little urban area with small shops, upscale boutiques, restaurants, delis, and countless other places to poke about.
If you enjoy ice cream, by all means take a break at Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream. It’s on 102nd Avenue, a block from the southern edge of the downtown park. You’ll recognize the place by the line out the door.
On the other hand, if it’s chocolate you crave, you’ll find an over-the-top selection at Fran’s Chocolates on Main Street.
Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice Cream (Flagship Store)
70 102nd Avenue NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
https://www.mollymoon.com/
@ hello@mollymoon.com
Tel: (206) 294-4389
Open: 12pm — 11pm
Fran’s Chocolates
10036 Main Street
Bellevue, WA 98004
https://frans.com/stores
Tel: (425)453-1698
Open: Monday – Friday: 7:30am – 5pm / Sunday: 8:30am – 5pm
Top Things to Do in Bellevue: High-End Shopping
One of the especially popular things to do in Bellevue is shop. So you’ll find many luxury brands (think Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, et al.) at The Bravern.
Another famous shopping area is The Bellevue collection, a vast shopping/entertainment/hotel area in downtown Bellevue. It’s three distinct areas downtown – Bellevue Square, Lincoln Square, and Bellevue Place.
Bellevue Square is home to more than 200 retail stores, with Lincoln Square and Bellevue Place anchoring additional shops, upscale restaurants, and luxury hotels. Skybridges conveniently connect the buildings.
The Bravern
11111 NE 8th Street
Bellevue, WA 98004
https://thebravern.com/
Tel: (425) 456-8780
Open: Monday–Saturday: 11:00am – 7:00pm / Sunday 12:00pm – 6:00pm
Bellevue Square
575 Bellevue Square
Bellevue, WA 98004
https://bellevuecollection.com/
@ info@kemperdc.com
Tel: (425) 454-8096
Open: Monday–Saturday: 10am – 9pm / Sunday: 11am – 7pm
More Bellevue Things to Do: Stay At a Luxe Hotel
Bellevue has 5,400 hotel rooms, with about 70% of them located in the very walkable downtown area. If you stay at a hotel there you’ll be in the heart of so many things you’ll want to see. And, after all, it’s always good to pamper yourself every now and then.
Upscale hotel-wise, you’ll find the Westin and W Hotels in Lincoln Square and the Hyatt Regency Bellevue at Bellevue Place. Knowing these luxe brands and comparing notes with my fellow travelers, I can attest all three are top-notch Bellevue properties.
If you stay at the Hyatt, as did I, you’ll undoubtedly want to visit the breakfast buffet at its Eques Restaurant. Using Pacific-Northwest-sourced ingredients, it’s over the top on the delicious scale. Work off the buffet at the hotel’s pool or gym.
Hyatt Regency Bellevue
900 Bellevue Way NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
Tel: (425) 462-1234
https://www.hyatt.com
Westin Bellevue
600 Bellevue Way NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
https://www.marriott.com
Tel: (425) 638-1000
W Bellevue
10455 NE 5th Place
Bellevue, WA 98004
https://www.marriott.com
Tel: (425) 709-9000
More Bellevue Things to Do: Dine in An Incredible Restaurant
You’ll find numerous highly rated (and praised) restaurants in Bellevue. If you enjoy sampling new restaurant and you’ll be in Bellevue for a few days, you’ll certainly find yourself in restaurant heaven.
Many top restaurants are located in the downtown core, especially in or around Lincoln Square.
One I can especially recommend is The Lakehouse Restaurant, located on the 2nd floor of Lincoln Square South.
Jason Wilson, its James Beard Award-winning Chef-owner, has brought a Northwest farmhouse concept to downtown Bellevue by providing “fresh, market-driven craft cooking.” It’s also the place to experience the highest level of detail and imagination, not only in the food but also in the ambiance.
And Others…
Another excellent Bellevue restaurant where we dined is Fogo de Chao. This upscale Brazilian chain restaurant has an extensive salad bar together with its all-you-can-eat meat entrees that are carved at your table.
While it’s heaven for carnivores, its seafood – all Pacific Northwest ultra-fresh – is popular, as well. The meal presented to us here was extraordinary in both its presentation and enjoyment.
Certainly, one doesn’t always need to be inside at popular restaurants. If you’re looking to relax at an outdoor venue downtown, you may want to visit Bakes Place Bar & Bistro. Its outdoor area is covered, heated, and dog-friendly, in case you want to bring the pooch along.
It offers seasonal menus, craft cocktails, 225 whiskies and “Steak, Martini and Manhattan Fridays.” It also offers live music (9:30-11pm) but be aware a “music charge” is automatically added to your bill if you stay past 9:30pm (the charge varies, but is usually $10-$15 per person).
The Lakehouse
10455 NE 5th Place
Bellevue, WA, 98004
(2nd floor of Lincoln Square South)
https://thelakehousebellevue.com
@ team@thelakehousebellevue.com
Open: Monday–Thursday: 6:30am-9pm / Friday: 6:30am-10pm / Saturday: 7am-10pm / Sunday: 7am-9pm
Fogo de Chao
440 Bellevue Way NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
https://fogodechao.com/
Tel: (425) 450-4004
Open: Brunch Saturday¬–Sunday 11:30am – 2pm / Dinner: Monday–Thursday 2:00pm – 9:30pm; Friday and Saturday 2:00pm – 10pm; Sunday 2:00pm–9:00pm
Bake’s Place
155 108th Avenue NE
Bellevue, WA, 98004
https://www.bakesplacebellevue.com/
@ chris@bakesplacebellevue.com
Tel: (425) 454-2776
Open: Tuesday: 3pm-9pm / Wednesday-Thursday 3pm-10pm / Friday 3pm-11pm / Saturday 5pm-11pm. Happy Hour Tuesday-Friday 3pm-5pm. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Bellevue Arts Museum
I found the Bellevue Arts Museum, also known as BAM, to be a fascinating small museum to wander about for an hour or so. That’s because I had never been to a museum quite like this before. In the museum’s own words, it provides “a public forum for the community to contemplate, appreciate, and discuss visual culture.”
The museum displays regional and international artists and has several large permanent installations. When I visited, one of the main displays was an art project named “800 Plates.” The 800 plates on the wall represented the final meals of 800 US death row inmates. Nearby was literature providing information on precisely what each inmate ordered.
This exhibit and others in BAM may not be the “type” of art you’re accustomed to, but it certainly is food for thought.
Incidentally, the art Museum initially was an art fair. With a nod to its past, it continues to hold an art fair every summer. It is one of the largest in the Pacific Northwest.
Bellevue Arts Museum
510 Bellevue Way NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
https://www.bellevuearts.org/
@ info@bellevuearts.org
Tel: (425) 519-0770
Open: Wednesday–Sunday 11am–5pm / closed Monday and Tuesday
Admission: Adult $15 / Youth (7–17 years) $8 / Senior, Student, Military: $12 / Family $35 / Children under 6 years free
Note: Admission is free on the first Friday of each month
Kayaking / Canoeing at Meydenbauer Beach Park
Visiting a park on the outskirts of the city is one of the wonderful things to do in Bellevue that most travelers don’t think about. This park is a beautiful piece of natural space located on Meydenbauer Bay on the shores of Lake Washington.
It’s also quite historical since it was once the landing site of the ferry shuttling back and forth from Seattle on Lake Washington. What’s more, it’s only a few blocks from the Downtown Park, just a 10-15-minute walk.
Walk out on the dock to get a good view of the lake. You’ll also see a few of the surrounding homes, some of which are spectacular. But, of course, since you’re on the water, it’s also a great place to have a picnic or watch the sunset.
But one of the best things about this park in Bellevue is that you can rent a kayak, canoe, or stand-up paddleboard at the boathouse. Then spend an hour or two out on Lake Washington, relieving all the stress from that shopping spree! Our group spent 1½ hours kayaking, and all seemed to enjoy it immensely. Rates are $29 (single seat kayak) and $39 (for tandem) per hour, and $10 for each additional hour.
You don’t need to wear a bathing suit, just casual clothes.
REI Boathouse
Meydenbauer Bay Park
9899 Lake Washington Blvd NE
Bellevue, WA 98004
https://destinations.rei.com/seattle/meydenbauer-bay-boathouse
@ boathouse-wa@rei.com
Tel: (425) 300-3027
Open: Friday–Sunday and Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day: 10am – 8pm
Note: reservations are highly recommended.
Bellevue Zip Tour
If you’d rather not go kayaking out on beautiful Lake Washington, how about flying through a beautiful Washington forest?
That is something you won’t find in many cities – or, possibly, in any other city – a zip line tour through the treetops out in a dense forest. Surprisingly, it’s only a 15-minute drive / 6 miles from downtown Bellevue. The city owns the site.
It has seven zip lines, ranging from 72 to 450 feet, that zip you 80 feet above the forest floor through the forest canopy of Douglas furs and broadleaf maples. It’s open every season except winter.
Bellevue Zip Tour
14509 SE Newport Way
Bellevue, WA 98006
https://bellevueziptour.com/
Tel: (206) 295-5494
Open: Wednesday–Monday: 9am–5pm
Admission: Weekend Pricing: Adults: $95 / Youth: $80 / Weekday Pricing: Adults: $85 Youth: $70
Note: It’s important to realize it can be dangerous. This is why children age 8-12 must be accompanied on the tour by an adult / age 13-17 must have an adult on site for the duration of the tour. Riders must be a minimum of 60 pounds and cannot exceed 250 pounds. Reservations are recommended.
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