I frequently visit Bellevue but never knew about this garden until lately. It's such a gem and…read moretranquil place to visit. The peaceful atmosphere is just so beautiful and relaxing I felt I was away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I even spotted deers! There's no admission fee. Washrooms are available. Parking is free.

Bellevue Botanical Garden is a beautiful place. And the fact that it is always free too! It's open…read moreevery day even holidays! To be a small botanical garden, there's a nice walking path and many, many beautiful flowers and plants to see. There are often local community events hosted here. Activities for the young to adults. They have classes that you can find and sign up for on their website as well. And the classes are affordable!! You may even see people taking wedding photos here because again it's beautiful. The park is ADA friendly. The path is dirt and pebbled but can be navigated with a wheelchair. There are bathrooms on site and a small shop. I have never purchased bulbs or plants from here but I know there is a big community around that. The coffee shop in the garden can get busy. But a benefit is we were able to charge my husband's wheelchair there on a visit. While the park is open every day, the coffee shop is not. Definitely this should be a spot for all locals. And not just a one time visit either.

The Bellevue Demonstration Garden is a secret garden in the neighborhoods of Lake Hills!…read more(Bellevue). The Garden is connected to a wonderful trail system and I love walking from the garden over to lake Larsen and the blueberry patch. The garden is wheelchair and stroller accessible, it is suitable for children. The demonstration garden is maintained by volunteers from Master Gardeners of King County. Features include Diagnostic Plant Clinics (free consultation on garden topics), Compost Center, Greenhouse Operations, Children's Garden, over 40 demonstration beds and gardens, Saturday Workshop Series and seasonal plant sales. I love visiting this hidden gem throughout the season.

The Community Gardens in Marymoor Park is similar to P-Patch, which is a parcel of property used…read morefor gardening, a term commonly used in the greater Seattle area. Gardening spaces are individually managed subplots for the farm/yard enthusiasts. All of them are in spectacular condition. Folks farming their little plot really want to farm it, and the results are amazing. From gorgeous flowers, to beautiful tomatoes, healthy corn stalks, 10+ feet tall sunflowers, watermelons, heirloom tomatoes and much more, these plots are a feast to the eye. It's like a botanical garden of the densely productive variety. According to the marymoorgarden.org/faq, gardeners pay a yearly plot rental fee, fulfill a community service commitment (for foodbank donations), and they cultivate their plot from May through Oct. Gardeners are required to have an obvious presence at each of their plots to weed and to prevent weeds from invading adjacent plots, which explains why they all look so incredibly healthy. Any unmaintained plots are returned to the pool. Water supply, mulch (in the form of wood chips and leaves), and a green waste area are all on site. We didn't specifically come to Marymoor Park to see the Community Gardens, but I certainly am glad we decided to stop and wander. The dahlias are in season and stunningly beautiful. The sunflowers are also in season and majestically tall. The vastness of produce varieties is envy-inducing, and we now have new ideas on trellis and support styles for climbing plants. At the very least, we learned what plants can be successfully grown here. If you're in the area, do drop in for a look. It's absolutely worth it. But if you're there to walk your dog, dogs are not allowed in the gardening area.

Small neighborhood garden but with big attitude of a bigger garden…read more Great spot for taking in the nice colors of different flowers or veggies.

This is a very well maintained pea patch with less pilfering than I've seen at others…read more It's right on the water so you can garden with a nice (if slightly obstructed) view of Lake Union. There's also a small green space nearby to play with your dog! It's been getting some additional plots, but there's still a wait list to get on this puppy. If you volunteer for renovations I think it bumps you up on the wait list!

There is beautiful architectural design all over Magnuson. The pea-patch adds another level with…read moreits outdoor theater, heightened planter boxes and many vine covered trellises. It has an aesthetic layout, ell taken care of garden, welcoming gardeners, and since I bring my kids here to visit and smell the herbs and explore the plant life that there is lots for kids to appreciate here.

What's not to love about this gorgeous p-patch garden that is maintained by volunteers in our…read morecommunity? I love how it isn't immediately visible from the main paths near the dog park as you walk in. You have to venture to the top level of the outdoor amphitheater before you reach the entrance to this garden. The spring and summer months are the best time to visit, as all the flowers are in bloom! I like to run through Magnuson Park on occasion, so this garden is usually where I take my cool down walk since there's so much to see and smell.

Love the farm stand! Swung by here for their pop up Saturday meal and it was excellent. Also very…read moremuch appreciated the fire pit to keep warm. So many great goodies in the farm stand market. Definitely want to check out one of their classes soon, and they have a lot of events regularly.

I needed to be in Carnation for a quick meet-up, and I decided to plan a day of activities visiting…read morethe area - Carnation Farms (and Remlinger Farms). Arriving at Carnation Farms, not knowing what exactly might be there, I was firstly surprised to see the classic "Carnation Farms" logo with the exact font type and the carnation flower on the cans of evaporated milk that I have seen my entire life. Wait a minute, is this THE "Carnation Farms"? Well, yes, but also a no, but also a yes. LOL. I ended up reading the historical signs and chatting with the cashier for a while (there were no other customers - zero). Carnation was indeed the dairy farm that made the now world-famous evaporated milk, created in 1899. The business grew and thrived so well that the community of Tolt was renamed to Carnation in 1917 although the name changed back and forth two more times before it stayed with Carnation. In downtown Carnation, many businesses are still named Tolt, including the Tolt River. In 1985, Nestle brought the Carnation company. In 2016, the original Stuart family purchased the name "Carnation Farms" back from Nestle. The name rights exclude diary, but they have animals and is now a venue, amongst other business ventures. We missed a local market that was on the previous day. Today, this sleepy business sells many locally made products and hosts community events such as the local market. Limited bundles of produce represented the 'farm' name poorly, if I am being honest. I asked the cashier which products in the store are actually from the current farm. She pointed to the freezer case. I chose a frozen curry goat soup from the case. It was passable, more soup than goat, i.e. not much meat. If you want to visit, check their calendar of events and go for a museum tour or one of their many events. The shop itself is less interesting.

Follow these folks on Facebook and stop by often. They grow multiple plants, many are for eating,…read moreand they harvest and create edible goods from most of it. Includes a section they farm in order to donate to a local food bank. They have many classes here, a community garden, and it's nice just to browse and enjoy a little peaceful garden atmosphere in the middle of town.

Always the center of the community, offering celebrations, concerts, garage sales, a Farmer's…read moreMarket in the summer months, book clubs, a tool library and so much more. The event on this visit included a celebration of Holi! Fun, music and so much more. Check out their website our the Phinney Review newspaper for more upcoming activities and events.

Review of the Kiddo Play Area: So this pandemic thing is really taking a toll on things, and well,…read morewe have been to basically every open air playground around the Greenwood/Broadview/Carkeek area... except we realized that we haven't been to the one behind the PNA. So on a cold, non-rainy day, we took the kiddo there to see if it was any good. Keep in mind that it's reserved for the preschool during the week/business hours, but on the weekend, it was a nice change of scenery. They had a few play structures, on a mulch and rubberized area. Sure, parental guidance is required, and you really should have a "toddler" kiddo here... but for the kiddo, she enjoyed the slides, the "kitchen" and the tires. She being the expert of walking on narrow surfaces, I think enjoyed the areas like a balance beam master in training. If you have been everywhere, and you want a playground that is a nice scenery change, here's one more to add to the list. Also, nearby is Red Mill Burger, so there's that you could be eating, while your kiddo is playing to their heart's delight.