Spring
brings the Bellevue Farmers Market back in May. Meydenbauer Center runs its strongest theatre season in April–May.
The Bellevue guide
Things to do in Bellevue.
The attractions, tours, classes, and experiences that make a Bellevue day memorable — organized by season, weather, and who you're bringing along.
Start here
Pick a kind of day
Nine ways into Bellevue — each one a curated collection, not a search result.
Fri, Oct 2 – Sun, Oct 4
This weekend in Bellevue
Everything our editors would clear a Saturday for.
Fall in Bellevue
Seasonal activities
What the calendar is actually doing right now, and what to plan for next.
Summer
is festival season: BAMFest is the last weekend of July, the outdoor summer concert series at Downtown Park runs Thursdays in July and August, free.
Fall · now
is peak Bellevue for touring music and theatre at Meydenbauer, and the Bellevue Jazz & Blues Music Series runs at venues across downtown (October 7-11 in 2026). The farmers market pivots to apples, squash, and cider through October. Coal Creek and Bridle Trails are at their best for hiking.
Winter
brings Snowflake Lane (nightly at 7 p.m., Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve) and Garden d''Lights at Bellevue Botanical Garden — one of the best free holiday walks in the region. January and February are the quietest visitor months of the year.
Browse by interest
Collections our editors keep updated
Date night, kids, free afternoons, rainy days — start from a mood instead of a filter.
Best Brunch in Bellevue
The Bellevue brunch rooms worth planning your weekend around — where locals actually go, what to order, and how to time the wait.
Date Night Bellevue
The Bellevue date-night rooms with the light, the pacing, and the wine list to earn the evening — plus how to sequence dinner, drinks, and a walk.
Bellevue in One Day
A single, walkable day in Bellevue: coffee, a downtown park, a museum, a lakeside lunch, a botanical walk, and dinner — sequenced.
Rainy Day Bellevue
The Bellevue plan that works when it rains: covered walkways, museums, indoor markets, tea rooms, and reading chairs.
Bellevue with Kids
The Bellevue day that works with a stroller, a toddler, or a tween: Kelsey Creek Farm, Downtown Park, KidsQuest, and where to eat between.
Dog-Friendly Bellevue
The Bellevue day with your dog: off-leash parks, waterfront trails, dog-welcoming patios, and where to stop for water.
Luxury Bellevue
Bellevue at the top of its polish: The Bravern shopping, downtown steakhouses, five-star hotels, and a spa afternoon.
Free Things to Do in Bellevue
The Bellevue day that costs nothing but your walk: parks, gardens, farms, lakes, and the free floor of the art museum.
Bellevue Weekend Itinerary
The three-day Bellevue: Friday arrival dinner, a full Saturday, and a slower Sunday. Sequenced.
The Bellevue Coffee Crawl
Our editors' route through six independent Bellevue coffee bars: where to start, what to order and how to pace a single morning.
Bellevue Hidden Gems
The Bellevue places tourists miss and locals keep: quiet parks, small rooms, and afternoon rituals under the radar.
Best Parks & Trails in Bellevue
The full Bellevue outdoors map: Downtown Park, Botanical Garden, Mercer Slough, Bridle Trails, and Coal Creek — sequenced by mood.
On the map
See it all geographically
Every published place, clustered and filterable — useful when you're already downtown.
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Editor's picks
If you only do a few things
The places we send friends to first.
Parks & TrailsFeatured
Meydenbauer Bay Park
4.7Bellevue's downtown waterfront: a swim beach, a pier, and kayak rentals ten minutes below Old Bellevue.
Old Bellevue
Parks & Trails Hidden gem
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
AttractionsFeatured
The Bellevue Collection
4.7Downtown Bellevue's three-building shopping, dining, entertainment, and hotel campus — Bellevue Square, Lincoln Square, and Bellevue Place connected by covered skybridges into one walkable destination.
Downtown
Parks & TrailsFeatured
Bridle Trails State Park
4.7About 480 acres of forest with horse and hiking trails, just north of Bellevue in Kirkland.
Nearby — Kirkland
AttractionsFeatured
KidsQuest Children's Museum
4.6Downtown Bellevue's hands-on children's museum for ages 0–10 — 25+ STEAM exhibits, a two-story climber, a full water gallery, and daily programming, all a short walk from the light rail station.
Downtown
Parks & TrailsFeatured
Wilburton Hill Park
4.6Hilltop park with sports fields, gardens, and city views.
Wilburton
Trending this week
What other visitors are opening
Ranked by what readers actually clicked over the last seven days.
Coffee ShopsFeatured
Bellden Cafe
4.8A warm, community-first neighborhood cafe on Old Bellevue's Main Street — specialty coffee, thoughtful breakfast and lunch, and a room that reads more like a shared living room than a coffee stop.
Old Bellevue
Parks & TrailsFeatured
Meydenbauer Bay Park
4.7Bellevue's downtown waterfront: a swim beach, a pier, and kayak rentals ten minutes below Old Bellevue.
Old Bellevue
Family ActivitiesFeatured
Bellevue Downtown Park
A 21-acre urban oasis in the heart of Bellevue with a signature waterfall, half-mile promenade, great lawn, and inclusive playground.
Downtown
Parks & Trails Hidden gem
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
Shopping Hidden gem
Lake Hills Village
Mixed-use neighborhood center with the Lake Hills library, a primary-care clinic, and independent restaurants.
Lake Hills
Shopping
Apple Bellevue Square
Flagship Apple store inside Bellevue Square.
Downtown
Hidden gems
The quieter half of Bellevue
Trails, viewpoints, and rooms that rarely make the first-time lists.
Parks & Trails Hidden gem
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
Parks & Trails Hidden gem
Coal Creek Natural Area
4.7Mining-history trail through a forested ravine.
Newport
Family Activities Hidden gem
Lake to Lake Trail
Bellevue's cross-town trail: roughly 10 miles linking Lake Sammamish to Lake Washington.
Arts & Culture Hidden gem
Aronica Fine Arts Gallery
Independent gallery in Old Bellevue.
Downtown
Arts & Culture Hidden gem
Bellwether Public Sculpture
Citywide outdoor sculpture biennial.
Downtown
Arts & Culture Hidden gem
Winters House
Bellevue's only city-owned property on the National Register of Historic Places.
Downtown
Coming up
Upcoming events
Dated, verified, and worth planning around.
Wed, Oct 7
Bellevue Jazz & Blues Music Series
Five days of free and ticketed jazz across downtown.
Venues across Downtown Bellevue
Wed, Oct 7
Alexandra Whittingham
Classical guitar concert by Alexandra Whittingham at Meydenbauer Center Theatre on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m.
Meydenbauer Center Theatre
Sun, Oct 25
Bellevue Symphony Fall Concert Extravaganza
Bellevue Symphony concert at Meydenbauer Center Theatre on Sunday, October 25, 2026, from 3 to 5 p.m. Tickets are listed at $30.00–$44.52.
Meydenbauer Center Theatre
Sat, Oct 31
Little Monsters on Main Street
Free Halloween-afternoon event on Main Street in Old Bellevue on Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 1 to 3 p.m.
Main Street, Old Bellevue
Fri, Nov 27
Snowflake Lane
Nightly holiday parade through downtown.
Bellevue Way NE, between NE 4th and NE 8th Streets
Sat, Nov 28
Garden d'Lights
Half-million-light walk-through holiday display.
Bellevue Botanical Garden
Know what you're looking for?
Search every published place, or jump straight into the filters. Visiting from out of town? Start with where to stay in Bellevue.
Keep exploring Bellevue
- Explore BellevueFilter every restaurant, park, shop, and hotel we cover.
- Neighborhood guidesDowntown, Old Bellevue, Crossroads, Factoria and more.
- Bellevue guidesIn-depth, locally reported guides to doing Bellevue well.
- Curated collectionsHand-picked lists built around a mood or occasion.
- ArticlesItineraries, best-of lists, and seasonal reading.
- Events calendarWhat's happening in Bellevue this week and beyond.