Bellevue Botanical Gardens

Location: Bellevue
Address: 12001 Main Street, Bellevue
Acreage: 53

Enjoy a peaceful stroll through 53 acres of incredibly varied gardens at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens and take your time examining the diverse plant groupings. Or, take my lead and do it the less peaceful way and bring along three kids under the age of 5.

Either way, this fabulous park is a great place to visit. And with a new visitors center just open, summer is a good time to come.

Great maps guide you through separate sections of the gardens, each with a different theme. Many native species are featured, and the gardens also offer classes on sustainable gardening and yard care.

In addition to Rhododendrun Glen and the Rock Garden, we particularly enjoyed The Ravine Experience, which has a thrilling 150-foot-long suspension bridge. As you cross, you’ll feel like you’re walking in the forest canopy.

You’ll find dozens of different trails, so walkers can piece together a pretty decent hike. Folks with limited mobility are also taken care of with benches that have been situated around nearly every bend.

A tip for keeping kids interested is to turn it into a scavenger hunt. We looked for squirrels, fountains, birds and various other things, and the kids hiked a mile without even noticing.

#421 (Visited 5/16/14)