The Best Weekend Starts in Historic Downtown Bothell
Just 20 minutes from Seattle, Bothell offers bicycling, bakeries, and bars in a walkable riverside setting.
Bothell, just twenty minutes away from Seattle, is a great place to lodge overnight and launch into the true PNW. Here are your best bets for exploring wine country, recreation, and excellent lodging.
10010 Main St, Bothell, WA 98011
This cute, European-style bakery has been family-run in Bothell since the 1960s. You can start your day off right with a cup of coffee and a handful of delicious in-house pastries. From the bakery, feel free to stroll or ride around Bothell’s bike-friendly old downtown which is full of murals and cute boutiques.
2. McMenamin’s Anderson School
18607 Bothell Way NE, Bothell, WA 98011
This “Disneyland for adults” is a one-stop lodging, entertainment, leisure, and recreation in a refurbished school. Sip a craft brew, swim, watch a movie, or dine al fresco around a fire pit while listening to live music. There are multiple places to eat on site. Once you post up here for the weekend, you won’t have to leave... which is pretty nice. If you do decide to leave, Seattle is a twenty-minute drive away.
3. The Park at Bothell Landing & Wine Country
9919 NE 180th St, Bothell, WA 98011
The best things in life are free. Unplug and take a slow afternoon to yourself. Enjoy your time at the Bothell Landing, a quiet park near downtown that occupies both sides of the Sammamish River, linked by an iconic footbridge. Boardwalk trails lead you through wetlands. Rent a kayak and float down the river. Play at the playground. The Sammamish River Trail follows the lazy river southeast to Woodinville’s wine country, where some of the best Washington wines are available for tasting. Take a bike ride to local vineyards and pedal back at the end of the day: perfect.
Nearby day trips/attractions
Round out your stay in Bothell with quick jaunts to these nearby attractions.
15605 Main St, Mill Creek, WA 98012
Travelers often like to cook. It helps them to feel grounded in a different place. This upscale market, just up the Bothell/Everett Highway offers delicious whole ingredients and prepared healthy/organic foods. Central Market is a great place to buy produce or fresh seafood (or if you don’t feel like cooking you can get pre-prepped sushi or curry).
Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park
17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155
Like bugs to a lightbulb, regional literary types are drawn to this haven for all things printed material. The building has a large courtyard/community space with a variety of restaurants and bakeries as well as a music stage and dancing area. If your day is rainy and blah, there’s nothing like buying a nice novel in the bookstore and sitting down for a cup of coffee to warm up in the community area.
The town center has a variety of amenities within a close, walkable proximity in the small city of Mill Creek. Gelato, a walk into the trees, several dining options from clay pit-style Indian naan-food to tapas and a no-joke place that only sells bundt cakes. The University of Washington Bookstore is the place to discover your next must-read, catch an author event, or even sit with a cup of coffee and get lost in a periodical.
