one walk, two great gardens

Come for a walk through the Arb, bring the kids and pets, and enjoy blooming color, a scolding from Bossy the hummingbird, and the shade of large conifers. Many songbirds come through now, and if you don’t see them, you’ll hear them. Wander through the Coenosium, a community of rare and delightful conifers, and enjoy the running creek there.

As you pass the Gazebo walking east, you’ll reach the shared entrance with the Seattle Chinese Garden. Enter here and visit the Knowing the Spring Courtyard, artisan-built with water, rock, plants and architecture, the four essential elements of a Chinese garden. Continue through and find water lilies blooming among carp in the pond at Song Mei Pavilion. Dazzling Tibetan peonies shine in the bamboo grove, and the giant carp seeks the moment it can become a dragon and fly away.

When you’re done, visit the NW Wine Academy just to the south of the Gardens. Wednesday through Friday afternoons, you can enjoy a complimentary wine-tasting.