In the early 1950s, Prentice Bloedel retired early from leading his family's timber business and devoted all his time to the creation of his gardens. A pioneer in renewable resources and sustainability—Bloedel was the first to use sawdust as a fuel in his mills—he was deeply interested in how people fit into the natural world. Today, the Bloedel Reserve stands as a testament to that interest, a world-renowned public garden with 150 acres of landscapes and natural woodlands for guests to lose themselves in.

Here, visitors build bonds with nature simply by walking around, which is far safer than agreeing to a blind date with an azalea bush. During a stroll across the Reserve, visitors come upon the moss garden and its living carpet, stop for quiet contemplation at the reflection pool, and join a cast of wild critters at the bird refuge. Of all the property's features, though, the Puget Sound view might be most impressive. This panoramic vista to the northeast peers out across the Puget Sound, Jefferson Point, and the Cascade Mountains, giving a glimpse of the nature's grandeur.