Garden d’Lights

It was awesome! So well-organized with timed entries and digital tickets. The gift shop had gorgeous, reasonably priced Christmas ornaments. They even had an indoor refreshment stand with warm drinks. I went five years ago, and this new layout with the light sculptures is way better – much wider, clearer paths, perfect for strollers or wheelchairs. Helpful volunteers everywhere. Took less than 30 minutes, totally worth the $8. I parked across the street in the school lot – well-lit. You gotta go!

This is my first year in WA for the holidays. I have been trying to find new traditions to start with my family and this one is definitely a keeper for a traditional holiday date night! The weather was perfect, the displays were gorgeous, and the company was perfect! Looking forward to another trip this year with the whole family!

I am disabled and the good experience started with the ease of parking. Disabled parking was across from the entrance. Once inside the paths were wide and well marked. The light display was delightful. We enjoyed it as much if not more than last year when we went to see the lights at Butchart Gardens in Victoria. It was fun to see the lights simulating plants and flowers we can come back to see next summer.

My family had a wonderful time at Garden d’lights. I appreciate that it is an affordable option to go see Christmas lights which is important to us as we are a family of five. The event is very well organized and staff members are very friendly and helpful. We will definitely be making this an annual tradition.

I’ve always loved walking through the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. I used to take my children there when they were little, so it’s a place dear to my heart. This is the second time I attend to the Garden D’lights, and it’s as beautiful as I remembered!! The whole event is well organized, and the customer service is wonderful. The creativity of the team who builds the intricate decorations is superb. This is the perfect place to see holiday lights, lots of families enjoying the evening. There’s hot chocolate for sale in case you’re cold, and also a little gift shop with adorable stuff. I highly recommend it!

The light display entertains all ages! Our 6 year old grandson especially enjoyed the scavenger hunt for the animals. The wide walking paths and directional arrows kept people moving. The only slow up or directional confusion was around the underwater/aquarium display. The hot cocoa and warming hut came at the perfect moment for our little one. He was ready to stop, warm up, and sit and sip for 15 minutes. The times entrance was the best and easy parking enabled us to get right in. Very well organized! Friendly staff and volunteer. The Hana Hou performers were the “cherry on top”! Enjoy!

I am a knew transplant to Washington and so it was my first time going to the botanical gardens. It was a fun filled family night seeing all of the hard work the volunteers put into making such delightful Christmas light art displays on the grounds. I couldn't wait to get around the next corner to see what they made next. I loved looking around for the animals among the gardens as well. I took so many pictures as some were done so well. I've never seen anything like this. I will most definitely come again. The price was right and we didn't have any problem with finding parking which was a plus. Kudos to all the volunteers!! I met one of the volunteers, by chance encounter, who helped in the aquarium scene, which was lovely. Take the family, you won't regret it!

Absolutely stunning and probably the best example of accessibility I’ve seen! They had charging stations for those in power chairs and automatic doors for restrooms, as well as wider waiting line areas. It was so nice not to have to struggle to enjoy the lights…and the lights were incredible!!!! Such an awesome experience…can’t recommend it enough! Staff were also really helpful and friendly!

Simple, affordable and fun. If you like Christmas lights then this spot is perfect for you. So many to see here and am easy path to follow. Lighted up arrows lead the way through the exhibits which are super cute and fun. $8.00 entrance fee and $5.00 parking . Open at dark. There is a small coffee shop selling coffee, hot chocolate, treats and snacks. Fun times for a good holiday memory. Happy Holidays everyone.

Totally awesome event during the Winter months to get you in the spirit of Christmas. For a low price ($5 per adult) you get a magical wonderland full of millions of lights and endless creativity. Once you're in you're allowed to stay as long as you please until close time, which is great! I like to walk around several times and get my money's worth (and some light exercise). This is during Winter outside, so things are cold, but there's a coffee stand up and running to help you keep your fingers and spirits toasty! I like to go at 7 or later on a a week/school night- plenty of time to see everything, but late enough that a lot of the kiddos had already gone home. Definitely a great place to stop by to get your Christmas on! Also close enough to Bellevue Square you can hit this place up and Snowflake Lane in the same day, easy!

What a beautiful outdoor lights display at the botanical gardens! I had heard good things about this place in previous years but hadn't made it out there until this season. We were looking for something we could do outdoors and away from people and this was the perfect answer. I purchased our tickets online and we showed up at our reserved time. Actually we were half an hour late but it wasn't an issue. My friend's mom ended up bailing because the weather was drizzly and cold but the nice man taking tickets told us she could use her unused ticket later since he didn't rip it up. We had my friend's two year old with us and were worried he wouldn't enjoy being pushed in the buggy through the gardens. Turns out he was just as enamored with the lights as him mom and aunt were. We were able to stroll through the gardens at a leisurely pace and be in and out of there in 40 minutes or so. We browsed the gift shop at the end of the tour and got a book for the kiddo. It was a small shop but had a lot of gift ideas.

I've been coming here for 7 years now and it has morphed a bit since the beginning days, but not much. It's done by volunteers and the work they put into it is extensive. Don't expect anything super magical. It's in Bellevue and only $9 per adult, kids are free and parking is $5. So it's one of the cheapest holiday traditions you can have in the area. We went on Sat Dec 30th at 7:30pm and it was fairly crowded, but just enough people and kids to make it fun. It's a nice holiday tradition with the family. Grab some hot cider or cocoa before you arrive as the lines are always long. We go to Downtown Bellevue Park to play in the dark (slightly lit) with our 2 kids before we go.

$5 a person and $5 parking to walk through a crowd of people, and some lights on trees and bushes. We walked through in 10 minutes. No ambiance music, no cool characters... Very boring. Some sides had lights and some sides didn't. The zoo lights in Seattle is better.

Garden D'Lights at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens is one of the most charming and approachable light displays in the greater Seattle area. It's a fundraiser for the BBG. At only $5 per person (free for 10 and under), it's a fun and excellent time for the family. The lights are cute and fun. The photos speak for themselves. Be sure to take a short video of the dragon breathing fire. We went after Christmas. The crowds were quite reasonable. It's been raining a lot, so on this rare dry day, there are likely more people than it could have been. If you really don't like crowds, go on a rainy day. :) They charge $5 for premium parking. There's also a sign that says continue forward for free parking. Go there. It's only a few more steps away. No need to pay the $5. We don't buy food or drinks there. Looks like unnecessarily long lines. It only takes about an hour to walk through this, unless you really linger and take lots and lots of photos.

Yesterday was opening day and it was sunny but cold so we bundled up (gloves, scarves, beanie - the works) and arrived at 4:20pm and parked for free at Wilburton Elementary School as it's a short 5 minute walk uphill to the entrance. It opened at 4:30pm so we were able to quickly buy tickets ($5 each and kids under 10 years old free) and get in. They give you a map but it's basically one huge loop of the garden. I recommend you go into the building and see the Gingerbread Village first as it's quite crowded in there. Hot tip - bring your own hot cocoa in a thermos and snacks as the line to buy coffee is quite long and takes a while. The garden itself is not very big and we were in there for about an hour. After seeing this we went straight to Lincoln Square South and parked there to go and see Snowflake Lane which started at 7pm sharp. It was a perfect Chrismassy evening for my family and I.

Such a sweet, and dedicated commitment of time and energy put forth by volunteers to ensure that the winter season is beautiful, light-filled, and full of glee. It takes dozens of hours for volunteers to wrap the lights, make the critters and the flowers that you see as you walk along the pathway, winding through inspiring and amazing displays. Even in the rain, the gardens are a welcome retreat of beauty, joy, and awe. Relatively small, one can make his way around once, twice, or several times to take it all in; repeat what you loved best, or participate in the children's scavenger hunt of light-critters throughout.

We were so excited about seeing the Christmas Lights at the garden but it wasn't worth the busy crowds and price. Plus a lot of the lights were out. The ones that were working were really nice to look at tho. The kids were bored and wanted more. We were able to walk to whole thing in about 15 minutes or so. I don't think we will be coming back for the lights.

I have been to the botanical garden many times but never during the lights but I'm glad I did. We came at around 530 on Sunday and it was packed. The parking lot was full so we had to find street parking, which was fine cause it would have been $5 for parking. Typically, the place is free to enter, but for this event, it was $5/person , which is totally worth it. The lights are amazing and the people did an amazing job creating every components of it. They also have a nice scavenger hunt which is great because it involves you actually looking at every showcase there is and it's fun! There's also live music as well as cookies and drinks for purchases. Overall, a good place to go for Christmas for a date night or family night!

We came here on a free day and it's a win win event for the kids and the senior citizens. It's freaking cold, so remember to bundle up! Free parking and clean restrooms are a plus!

I went more than ten years ago and then again today. It's much smaller than I remembered, and it was pretty crowded (we had 4:30pm ticket on a rainy day). Parking was difficult.

For simply $5/person for a night of strolling around outside looking at fantastic Xmas light displays, this is easily worth it. Even better is a Groupon deal $7 for two people (which I got around Thanksgiving time). Everything is well lit and paths are carved out with good one-directional flow. Depending on the time that you go, it can easily become super crowded and the flow through the exhibits halts to a snail pace. Parking in the lot costs $5 I think? But free parking is available at Wilburton Park and only a short walk away. Indoors there's a cafe serving hot drinks for the chilly nights as well. Only reason for 4 stars is that judging from previous photos and my visit, I felt my visit was more underwhelming with less light displays. Even walking through the grounds, there were some patches of emptiness I felt could've had more lights.

Our family of 5 attended last night for the first time and really enjoyed the lights. What was surprisingly delightful was not only all the different colors and shades of lights, way beyond the typical selection found at the home/garden center, but also the way the curators managed to capture and replicate all the different shapes of the fauna. We saw a garden scene with easily recognizable plants such as tomatoes and peppers. They had an underwater scene with sea horses, an octopus and sea turtle. We oohed and aahed over the owl, the lady bug, the peacock, the slug, the mushrooms. The creativity was outstanding. So why only 3 stars? Well, the calendar of events advertises different musical acts on different nights. Wonderful musicians like youth orchestras, choirs, and small ensembles. We specifically chose to come to Garden D'Lights last night so we could see the Sammammish Youth Orchestra. Unfortunately the organizers of this event stuffed them inside the room titled "Gingerbread Village" along with the very popular espresso stand and gingerbread display. This meager space had one singular door for the hundreds of attendees to enter AND EXIT. The espresso stand had a line running the length of the space and out the door from 5pm on. There was room enough for maybe 10 adults to stand shoulder to shoulder to view the gingerbread house which was staged right next to the one door. The gingerbread display viewers (and their children and strollers) had to exit back out the one door that had a line of people standing in it. The space designated for sitting to enjoy the advertised musical act was maybe 12 café-size tables and 30-ish chairs, which were of course all taken within minutes of opening. The whole set up was poorly designed and most likely a fire hazard of epic proportions. So is this something worth going to? Absolutely. Here are my tips for adjusting your expectations and having a stress-free outing: 1. Approach the Wilburton Hill Park from 124th and park there. This will avoid the crazy long line of cars along Main Street. Unless you have someone in your party who has mobility issues, it's faster to park there than wait for a spot in the BBG's lot and a short walk to save $5. 2. Bring your own thermos of hot cocoa. The line is insanely long for the espresso bar. 3. Buy your tickets online. We arrived at 5pm and the line for "ticket sales" was really long. 4. Go early. At 5pm on a Sat even the line to enter was really long but moved quickly. When we exited at 5:30, it was twice as long. So just imagine how much more crowded the garden would be. 5. Don't expect to be able to sit and enjoy the advertised musical act. There just isn't adequate space and the acts are scheduled to perform well after the display opens which would require camping out at a table for 1.5-2 hours to ensure you would have a place to sit.

After missing out on this spectacle for a couple years, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the everything about this place had received a major upgrade. The layout is better, the facilities are more modern, there is more available parking, and there's just a lot more fun to be had. If you like Christmas lights, this is the place to be as they have so many displays all carefully curated for maximum viewing pleasure. It may not be he biggest or brightest display you will ever see, but it's definitely worth the five dollar price tag and you'll have some great holiday memories to boot. For PokemonGo players, there is a gym and several stops available.

I had visited this light display twice before, but the last time was over 5 years ago and it has changed a lot since then. I think this "event" ranks a solid 5-stars IF one sets one's expectations realistically. If you're expecting an extensive 1-2 hour outing along the lines of the Zoo Lights at Point Defiance Zoo, you will be sorely disappointed. However, if you expect to see some stunning lights along a lovely 10-minute, walkable path through a lovely garden, you will be happy you came - and get some gorgeous backdrops for photo shots, too! For a $5 admission fee, you can, theoretically, spend all evening walking the looped path that circles around the light displays (we walked very slowly and it took 10 minutes. We ended up doing the loop twice as it was a lovely evening out tonight). Be prepared to have a ton of kids (toddlers, babies and older kids), and elderly folks enjoying the stroll on the narrow path, too. The lights are truly incredible, with displays in the forms of real flowers and corn stalks and even a sparkling "river". And, man, the colors of lights are SO vibrant. It's all mesmerizing! There is an area upon entering where one can get hot coffee and hot chocolate, and at the exit you can get free full-size sample bars of Kind granola bars (bonus!). Parking in the Bellevue Botanical Garden lot costs $5 but it is free if you park at the nearby Wilburton park. Of note: there's a path for visitors who are mobility-impaired, and there are rest rooms on site. The paths are very well maintained and there is excellent signage. This is an inexpensive way to seriously get into the holiday season with friends and family members of all ages. Enjoy, and happy holidays!

Nice light display wrapping around the upper part of the Botanical Garden. It's cool to walk around in the lights, and you get a nice view of downtown Bellevue if you arrive with sunlight still. Be warned of parking though-walking from the free parking lots is on a steep uphill slope with no lights close to a road. It would be nice for there to be more lights for safety. It gets dark and remote quickly near the Wilburton Hill Park.

It's become a tradition to visit the Garden D'Lights every December, which is just one of those events that you must go to when you're in that holiday spirit. I'm biased since I live in Bellevue, but I still think it's really cool that the City of Bellevue puts this on every holiday season at the Botanical Garden, AND, offers free nights within the first few days it opens (but if you miss attending on a free night - admission is only five bucks). The area isn't very large, but has still a good amount of colorful lights. At the entrance staff gives you a map, which includes a scavenger hunt for spotting the listed items/animals throughout the garden. I take my little sister every time I visit here, and she always has fun doing the scavenger hunt, and I always overhear several kids running around the Garden, getting excited once they spot one of the animals on the scavenger hunt! It's easy to get around the area, as there are signs directing you along the pathway, and even pointing out spots where to take pictures. A coffee shop and a gift shop are both open during the event. There's a parking lot right by the entrance, which charges five bucks (cash only) or you can park just down the street in a different parking lot for free. Like I mentioned before - the event space isn't large and it may not take long to walk through the entire area, but I love that the City holds this event every winter season and does a lot with what limited space and resources they have. It's a fun community event that I look forward to every year.

My family has enjoyed going to various Christmas light displays since my sister and I were little. First it was Zoolights at Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, which is the largest display I've been to and probably still my favorite. But I used to live closer to Tacoma, and it's a little bit far from Seattle (where I live now), so we've been visiting WildLights at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo since they started it a few years ago. Last month we were planning to attend WildLights as usual, but on the day we had planned to go, there was a fire at the zoo which closed the event for that day. We didn't have time to reschedule, so we ended up venturing over to the Eastside to visit the Garden D'Lights instead. I had actually been wanting to check this display out eventually, so it ended up working out pretty well. If you've been to Zoolights or WildLights before then you have a good idea of what to expect: holiday lights arranged in various creative sculptures of animals, plants, and other surprises. Being as this is a botanical garden and not a zoo, there were more light arrangements shaped to look like plants than animals, which was a fun change. I could even recognize some particular flowers, like lupine. There are plenty of animal shapes as well, though, and the map comes with a checklist of them for kids to find. All the displays at Garden D'Lights were bright and beautiful. Overall, this exhibit was much smaller than the zoo equivalents, but it also costs less ($5 a person, and there are some free nights as well). We had plenty of time so walked around the loop multiple times. There's a coffee stand if you need a beverage to keep you warm, which was also exhibiting some gingerbread house displays made by local kids. This was a fun activity for a holiday evening, so even though I was disappointed to not make it to WildLights in 2016, I'm glad I finally got to see this.

I dread leaving Seattle and going across the water for a variety of reasons. This week, I happened to be over there for something else and the timing was perfect to take the fam to Garden D'Lights. We arrived at 4:45pm, thinking we would be early for the 5:00pm opening. Uh, no. There were hoards of people moving about, trying to get in. However, I can tell you that it was much better than when we left (crowds were VERY heavy). This is honestly the best $5 I've spent in a long time. My kiddo, who is under the age of 10 was free. Yes, it's true that there is a bit of construction going on but honestly, I got my $5 worth. The things they did with lights was nothing short of amazing. Some of my favorites included the grape vines, dragon, and monkey hanging from the tree. The fountain that flowed into the water was very cool. Even the slug was brought to life with lights that made it look like it was moving. Aside from the outdoor lights, you can take a break inside a small room that contains other lights in the form of a turtle, fish, octopus, and more! They also have a kiosk to serve you warm drinks on a cold night. This was a perfect way to end my holiday season and I'm sure it will become a family tradition!

There were a lot of different themes. My favorites were the more seemingly complex and intricate ones (charlotte's web, aquarium, "moving" river). I did really enjoy seeing the different flowers as well. There was a map that was handed out prior to entering the gardens, and I wish I grabbed one! There are a lot of characters and themes throughout the place to search for, which would have made it a little more interactive. Instead we just walked the path without much direction or purpose, but it was still fun! Parking: Free and $5 options. You'll just have to walk further to park in the free lots. Cafe: Hot cider, lattes, and hot cocoa available.

This is just the right attraction to get into the holiday visit. I surprised my wife and took her to see the lights. There was great attention to details and you could experience the effort of the creators. The light displays were breathtaking. I would highly recommend a visit here. PS: There is free parking in the park next to it.

This is normally only $5 admission.I entered today on Nov 29 which was the last free day of the opening week of the season until the place starts charging. As the result the place was packed and it was near impossible to find parking. There was parking about 15 min up the hill. After the parking, there is about another 15 minute to 20 minute line. Anyway, these are not complaints as it was a free day afterall and one should he greatful for the City of Bellevue to have such a beautiful garden event every year. The place is run mostly by volunteers so it is good to support. When you get inside, the lights are beautiful. The displays are changed every year so it does not get old. There are different themes made up of light displays interspersed with garden sculptures. Overall time to complete the tour is about 45 min if you take your time, maybe 15 to 30 min if you do it fast. This is a great family time event and I would recommend.

We went here yesterday night - we were completely blown by it. It was awesome. We were fortunate to go on a non rainy day and it was free entry too. Great collection for kids and adults alike. I personally had fun trying to decipher the animal design made by lights on display. The crowd was there, given it was opening night.

Looked up a place to bring my kiddos (and me) to see some Christmas lights and this place popped up when great reviews. We bundled up the family and headed to see the lights. Parking is INSANE and the amount of people who shows up is quite impressive. The good thing is that people are always leaving so spaces open up quite fast. Not trying to be negative nancy or anything, but we were NOT impressed with the light displays. Very minimal, nothing ornate or fancy. It felt almost kiddish even though its intended for children, but still. I've seen way better light displays. I almost felt ripped off for paying $10 for a 5 min walk through. Unless the quality has drastically decreased over the years (i remember hearing rave reviews about this place), we will NOT be returning unless it improves. Save your time and your money!

This was the first and only light show I have been to and I was pretty blow away! It was like stepping into a different world of pretty, magical lights that brought "animals" and "plants" to life! Would recommend for a romantic date night to light your relationship up :)

After recently moving to the Pacific Northwest from Chicago, I was in need of some Holiday Spirit while missing my family, friends and snowfall. I was searching Yelp and asking around at work where I could find a great Holiday Lights display around town. The following were mentioned: -Olympic Manor in Ballard: http://www.yelp.com/biz/olympic-manor-seattle -Point Defiance Zoo Lights in Tacoma: http://www.yelp.com/biz/point-defiance-zoo-and-aquarium-tacoma-2#query:zoo%20lights -Woodland Park Zoo WildLights: http://www.yelp.com/biz/woodland-park-zoo-seattle-4 -Christmas Ship Festival: http://www.yelp.com/biz/christmas-ship-festival-seattle#query:christmas%20lights A coworker claims that the Bellevue Botanical Gardens D'Light was THE place to check out. Man, was she right! Garden d'Lights contains over half a million lights total! Best part is that they are designed and put together purely by volunteers! Without the volunteers, visitor fees, donations, and sponsors (Bellevue Botanical Gardens, City of Bellevue, and Puget Sound Energy), the show wouldn't be possible. The colorful, LED light works of art were stunning. There were gorgeous flowers, critters, animals, and characters like Winnie the Pooh, Snap the Dragon, and Charlotte's Web. A twinkling blue river puts you in a daze as it winds through the garden from one pond to another. Not one Scrooge was witnessed since the gardens easily lights up everyone's mood. The Botanical Gardens are currently under renovation which isn't too pleasant to the eye, however. Luckily, it's dark so you can't see the construction. Also, they could definitely use to Christmas music in the background to add to the ambiance. Instead, I played it on my phone as I strolled around. A few tips for your visit: -Adults are $5 each, while children 10 and under are free. On certain days there is free admission (For 2013, this includes the following dates: December 2, 3, 4, 5 and December 9, 10, 11, 12). -They open at 5 pm daily between November 30, 2013 and January 4, 2014, and close at 10 pm (last admittance is at 9:30 pm). -Purchase your tickets online for the same price (no extra processing fee) to avoid waiting in line. Print your ticket on your printer or show them it on your smart phone. -There is a coffee, tea and hot apple cider stand inside. Wish I would have known this, I stopped at Starbucks prior to my visit. -Take advantage of the free parking at Wilburton Hill Park or Bellevue School District offices (12111 NE 1st Street). Be sure to walk up the hill, not down, to find the d'Lights entrance. -All ages and cameras are invited.

Totally worth the $5 admission fee if you like those twinkling lights!! If parking wasn't so weird with all the construction, I'd probably give this little walk-through tour 5 stars...next year perhaps! I do recommend getting your tickets online ahead of time and avoid one of the lines...it's much better to just walk right up to the start of the show! :) They do a really nice job making landscapes of twinkling lights and there is even a 'game' for older kids (or those who feel so inclined!) to find all of the animals on a list (with a little cheat sheet included). There seemed to be some sort of problem with the "line" after we got in, but the problem was that everyone was assuming it was a "line" and we had to wait to keep moving, but you can just step around people admiring the lights. I think the coffee/tea/snacks area kind of had things backed up for many people too. Really, though, it's worth the small admission fee to check out the beautiful lights. It's really quite remarkable and definitely something I'd like to continue going to each year! It's nice that it isn't a religious theme too, but it's more of a flora and fauna display :)

I had never heard of this event until last night, on Christmas Day. We bought our $5 tickets online and headed over at around 5:30pm. The paid lot was full so we had to park a bit farther away but it was just about a 5 minute walk. I was pleasantly surprised at the displays! I don't really know what I was expecting, but definitely not plants and flowers made of lights! It was spectacular! I especially loved the tall sunflowers. It was a beautiful sight. I can't even imagine how many hours of work went into these displays. Next time, I'd probably avoid going on Christmas Day because it was a bit crowded. We were about to get a hot drink at the visitor's center, but left when we saw a sizable crowd waiting for their drinks.

Garden D'Lights is a great spot for ending an evening or for seeking a quiet moment of reflection. The entire display is a massive construction of 500,000 lights, all assembled by volunteers, it's quite an accomplishment. Likely many thousands of hours were for this level of intricate detail of putting up displays which resemble flowers, garden, winter festivals, and various children's stories from decades past. It's something to appreciate the patience required for this assembly. Tickets are available at the door, for what costs for a cup of espresso, and for me, it took about thirty minutes to look at everything while in the rain. There is parking on-site, although, there's no ADA compliance parking. I did see a number of portable toilets available, and there is a small building near 1/3 of the walk that has a place to warm up from the rain, and it was serving coffee, cookies, hot-chocolate, and also had a small bin for accepting cash donations. All-in-all, worth of a visit, though I would recommend later during the evening to beat the crowd and it's darker to bring out the colors of the lights.

A magical collection of lights that were imagined and built by a highly talented group of volunteers. Their hard work and creativity is evident in the beauty and craftsmanship of each piece! For $5 per person (Children 10 & under are free), you are entitled to a wondrous and whimsical display of flowers, trees, water, and many little critters. Considering the fact that this is a volunteer effort, $5 is truly a steal. Each piece in this garden is a work of love, and I'm sure it takes at least a few hours to complete just one flower or animal. Upon entering the garden, you are handed a map of the gardens and a list of creations (mostly animal displays) that you can search for, scavenger hunt-style. It makes the stroll through the gardens more enjoyable and fun to have specific items to look for. Some of my favorites were the peacock, jellyfish, honey bear with his honey pots, snap d'dragon, poinsettia tree, monkey, grape vineyards, and Pike Place Market-esque flower stands. Remarkably, the volunteer team at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens were able to show movement with twinkling lights and delayed illumination. Each animal was also surprisingly expressive! IMPORTANT POINTS: -Free Parking in Wilburton Park (East of Garden, South Side of Main St.) and in Bellevue School District Offices (12111 NE 1st St. ) -Coffee Cart with coffee and hot cocoa available in the gardens; restrooms near the cart -Warm up in the building that contains the "Ocean D'lights" before meandering through the rest of the gardens. This is located near the Coffee Cart, too! -There is a path for limited mobility visitors - awesome! -The entire light display is actually outside of the gardens this year, but you can't tell. -Enjoy!!!

Came here after we knew we weren't going to make it to snowflake lane which was fine. Its $5 for parking and $5 a person to get in. The lights were cool, I mean I wouldn't come here expecting everything to have lights but they had some cool displays. It would of been nicer if they had some Christmas music playing but I guess that's why there's phones and I went to my spotify and started my Christmas playlist. problem solved. We went about an hour before it was closing so it wasn't too crowded. They do have a coffee stand where you can get hot chocolate. I would recommend getting that extra hot because the cold will zap away the heat real quick.

If you like gardens and lights, then for $5, this is a perfect 30 minute stroll with your kids or your SO. Had a really good time. I recommend.

I have mixed feelings, which is why I gave it three stars. It is sad...Years ago, the Bellevue Botanical Gardens Garden of Lights used to be twice as big than it is now. It had a HUGE RIVER, a HUGE SALMON run going through the entire garden...a Christmas, Santa house to light up the imagination, INCREDIBLE ANIMAL AND OTHER DISPLAYS all over the place, and the gift shop was inside of a little cabin and so was the cafe. It was magical. There were AMPLE places to sit and get your picture taken with your sweetie. Then, about four years ago, that was all taken away. I heard there was a robbery and a fire and that is sad, but to start charging people $5 for parking and then $5 to come in and charge tons of money for coffee...without amping up your light display...is sad and very upsetting. I go every year b/c I still love it, and it is the closest thing I have to a tradition. The fish aquarium of lights alone is incredible but you all HAVE TO DO SOMETHING TO PROVIDE MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK. IF YOU ARE TRYING TO RAISE BACK THE MONEY FROM THE ROBBERY, then it would be nice if you could have someone write a story about it (I could; I am a writer) to help people understand why it went down so much and so hard.

Came here after doing some last minute Christmas shopping at Bellevue Square. This was my first time going to the Garden D'Lights. It's $5 for admission-there are some nights that are free, but you need to check the website http://www.gardendlights.org. It's really pretty and nice to look at. You walk around the garden and look at all the different light displays. I would come back here next year!

Seriously freaking cool! Admission was only $5 per person, and the big carload of us paid the extra $5 to park int he lot right next to the garden, because to heck with trying to scrounge up a parking spot. The center has a little gift shop, which I did not check out, and an area with a coffee cart making hot drinks, which I did. A+ coffee being served here, as well as hot cocoa and cider, It was crowded and there were a lot of kids/families, but the people never felt overwhelming. The intricate detail on the displays was impressive - they created "botanically correct" plants and flowers that were easily recognizable. The paths were well maintained and easy to walk. A great experience for cheap!

This was our 2nd year going. It was amazing! So beautiful. We got hot chocolate and lattes to sip as we walked through. We had a really great time. My daughter is 7 and she enjoys it.

I came here last year to see the display of Christmas lights. They do a nice job with the lights, and it is pretty. I would say the only thing is that it's a lot smaller than I expected. It only took me about 15 minutes to see everything. I wouldn't drive out of my way to see it, but I suppose if you live in Bellevue, it would be a good holiday activity to do with the family.

I used to love their show, now has major cutback in 2014. There is no major theme at all. How many flowers in light you want to see ? I'm not going next year.

Don't bother. It's about 1/2 the size as previous years and not very impressive. Not worth the parking fee, entrance fee or your time.

I've been to the Christmas lights for the past half dozen years. And while I do appreciate the fact that they have kept the admission price affordable ($5) I was rather disappointed with the display this year (2014). The number and size of displays has been cut back considerably compared with previous years. I will go again next year and hope that they return to their usual amazing displays.

Big let down this year. I have been going for years and although they advertise it is bigger & better than ever it seems to be getting smaller. The route is shorter and the large impressive expanses of lights from years past have been whittled down.

Ugh! I feel SO sorry for everyone who went THIS year for the FIRST time. What a disappointment! It used to be so great...spectacular!...with lots of fun things for kids to see and trellises and arbors covered in lights, music, and carolers. Now it's WAY smaller and less 'hands-on'; and along with the horrible remodel (aka: devastation) they've done to the property itself, it's just sad. The 'powers that be' have absolutely RUINED the park and have destroyed the ambiance it used to have with that horribly ugly concrete and metal building they call a 'Visitors' Center'. Maybe there weren't enough volunteers this year and/or maybe not enough money...I don't know...but, after attending every previous year with our kids and grandkids, we will NEVER go back. I wish there was a way to do negative stars.