things-to-do
20 Free Things to Do in Bellevue
Twenty free things in Bellevue, all of them tested. The festival on the last weekend of July is unbeatable; the rest you can do any time.
In this guide
Bellevue has a reputation as expensive. It also has more free things to do than most cities its size. Here are twenty.
Outdoors
- Bellevue Botanical Garden — free, year-round.
- Downtown Park loop.
- Mercer Slough boardwalk.
- Kelsey Creek Farm with the kids.
- Meydenbauer Beach Park swim and dock.
- Newcastle Beach Park lake day.
- Coal Creek Falls hike.
- Eastrail segment walk.
- Wilburton Hill forest trail.
- Somerset Viewpoint at sunset.
Art & music
- BAM free first Friday.
- Crossroads Bellevue Stage live music six nights a week.
- Bellwether public sculpture trail.
- Downtown Park public art.
- Bellevue Library events and exhibits.
Seasonal events
- Bellevue Arts Fair (admission is free; only the art costs you).
- Bellevue Farmers Market — free to wander.
- Garden d'Lights preview nights.
- Downtown Park 4th of July fireworks.
- Bellevue Jazz & Blues Festival outdoor stages.
Bonus
First Friday gallery walks in downtown, library makerspace open hours, and the Eastside Heritage Center — free, small, and underrated.
Browse more things to do.
Featured in this guide
Places to know
Bellevue Botanical Garden
4.8A free 53-acre public botanical garden in Wilburton with the celebrated Perennial Border, Yao Japanese Garden, Ravine Experience suspension bridge, and the annual Garden d'Lights holiday show.
Mercer Slough Nature Park
4.7A 320-acre freshwater wetland preserve in the heart of Bellevue with seven miles of trails, boardwalks over open water, a working blueberry farm, and the Environmental Education Center run in partnership with Pacific Science Center.
Newport
Meydenbauer Bay Park
4.7Bellevue's downtown waterfront: a swim beach, a pier, and kayak rentals ten minutes below Old Bellevue.
Old Bellevue
Lake Hills Greenbelt
4.6Wetland greenway with a working farm and trails.
Eastgate
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