Stretching along the east side of Lake Washington, across the water from Seattle, the bustling city of Bellevue combines cityscapes with the Pacific Northwest’s abundant greenery. Downtown Bellevue brims with shopping and dining options, especially along Main Street and Bellevue Way East, where you’ll find cafes and some of the city’s swankiest restaurants. Farther outside the city center, the city’s culinary diversity is evident at some of the Puget Sound region’s best Chinese, Taiwanese, and Russian restaurants. Furthermore, Bellevue’s proximity to Seattle makes it a great starting point for exploring Washington’s biggest city.

Spend an afternoon wandering along Downtown Park’s tree-lined promenade, passing a waterfall, with Bellevue’s gleaming skyline and Mount Rainier in the backdrop. If you’d like to explore Bellevue’s thriving arts and culture scene, search out an art map that plots the location of more than 120 works of indoor and outdoor public art in the city center.

Puget Sound residents tend to spend the months between July and September outdoors, and summer provides the perfect opportunity to enjoy Bellevue’s biking and hiking trails, parks, and flourishing botanical garden. Autumn in Bellevue is when the forest bursts into color. The weather is crisp and cool, making it an ideal time for leaf peeping along the Lake to Lake Greenway Trail, although the rains start in October and increase in intensity as winter approaches — you’ll need to pack waterproof jackets and leather shoes. Although winter in Bellevue is cold, overcast, and rainy, the Bellevue Botanical Garden puts on Garden d’Lights during the holiday season, a display of more than half a million twinkling lights in shapes such as plants, birds, and waterfalls.

Bellevue Botanical Garden

The 53-acre Bellevue Botanical Garden showcases the diversity of Pacific Northwest landscapes, and you can spend hours wandering among its native plants, elegantly orchestrated Japanese gardens, lush natural wetlands, and woodland trails. Entrance is free, and admirers of fuchsias and dahlias will find specific areas devoted to these species.

Bellevue Arts Museum

The Bellevue Arts Museum provides an immersive experience for visitors through a rotating variety of exhibits and programs. On its three floors you’ll find selections of contemporary art, crafts, and design from regional as well as internationally known artists. Stop at the museum’s gift shop to peruse souvenirs made by local artists.

Mercer Slough Nature Park

Hidden amid the bustling city is this tiny corner of wilderness. The park sits on 320 acres of freshwater wetlands, and you can bike or hike along its paths, pick blackberries from its pristine brambles, and canoe along the slough, particularly in summer.