Tours in Bellevue

As Seattle Food Tours takes you on a two-and-a-half-hour perambulation of Pike Place Market, they'll introduce you to their handpicked favorite restaurants, chefs, farmers, gourmet shops, and artisanal food purveyors. Depending on the tour, you might try award-winning local clam chowder, sample fresh English crumpets, or lick authentic Italian gelato made with fresh local fruit. Past tours have also included Chinese herb teas, locally produced cheese, alder-wood-smoked salmon, and a whole bunch of other James Beard award-winning chefs, organic seasonal fruits, international wines, and more. The surprise is much of the fun, so buy extra Groupons for up to three friends, and spend an afternoon telling each other, "Here, you have to try this."

Master storyteller Anthony McDonald has a gift for the supernatural that he has honed since his childhood in New Orleans, one of the most haunted cities in the United States. He led fearless guests on his first ghost tour through the French Quarter in 1984, and today he points out specters along the streets and alleyways of Pioneer Square. During the 72-minute tours, McDonald recounts historical yarns about the twilight-shrouded town and shares local lore including the legend of the singing rain and its long-standing rivalry with Gene Kelly.

Charles Mickelson knows Seattle so well, he can unearth trolls hiding under its bridges—specifically, the Fremont Troll, an 18-foot-high stone troll statue nestled beneath the Fremont Bridge. This is just one of the landmarks that Charles’s company, Seattle Qwik Tour, showcases on its signature 90-minute mini-coach tours. Their tour routes also pass the Space Needle, the Central District, and Viretta Park, one of Kurt Cobain’s old haunts. As the group rolls through the city, passengers learn statistics and historical tidbits from their guides while snapping photos of the scenery during periodic stops.