Situated in King County, Washington, Bellevue is a rapidly extending city. Surrounded by vast wilderness areas, particularly the Olympic mountains to the west and the rugged Cascade mountains to the east, this destination provides exceptional recreational opportunities and stunning views. Bellevue is the location of the popular Bellevue Arts and Crafts Fair and offers visitors a number of museums and galleries and some outstanding shopping facilities.
Right in the center of the city sits the modern and distinctive Bellevue Arts Museum which promises to become a chief regional cultural resource. Downtown Bellevue also features various art galleries and is home to Bellevue Square, which is rated among the country’s finest shopping centers and top travel destinations in the Pacific Northwest.
Another tourist pull is Bellevue’s stunning Botanical Garden which includes several display gardens, woodlands, wetlands and meadows. Furthermore, the city hosts the yearly summer Pacific Northwest Arts and Crafts Festival, which is one of the biggest outdoor events of its kind. The equally popular Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition features up to 46 three-dimensional artworks. Bellevue also boasts an extended park system including the vast Downtown Bellevue Park featuring a waterfall and large pond.
Highlights
Bellevue Art Museum: this 36,000 square foot museum features changing exhibits by esteemed regional artists. It also offers an art school, an artist-in-residence studio and a wide range of performances, workshops, kids programs and classes.
Ming’s Asian Gallery: a combination of an antique furniture shop and an art gallery, this unique attraction represents 5,000 years of tradition and takes you on a captivating journey through Asian’s Imperial Dynasties.
Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art: over 1,000 dolls are displayed in this Victorian-style building. It is one of the world’s largest doll collections and well worth a visit.
KidsQuest Children’s Museum: Bellevue’s newest museum presents play and discovery areas, exhibits and educational activities for children. Activities are suitable for all ages ranging from pre-crawlers up to 12 years of age.
Bellevue Botanical Garden: the 36-acre terrain comprises seven magnificent gardens including an alpine rock garden, Lost Meadow Trail, native discovery garden and the Japanese Yao garden.
Bellevue square: this most popular shopping mall boasts 180 retail stores, restaurants and children’s play areas and attracts over 16 million visitors each year.