Five years ago, my husband and I were planning a flyout to Bellingham for our aviation group. Then COVID-19 hit which dashed those plans. When I was in Bellingham for work, I realized there were still a lot of things that could be done while visiting the area so I wrote a blog post as a travel guide to those wanting to go there to explore during the pandemic.
We just returned home from another wonderful trip to Bellingham. Looking back on that post from five years ago, some things have changed. Some restaurants are no longer around for instance so I thought I would provide an update. Some things will be repeats of what I have already written but some things will be updated with more current information and some additional ideas.
A drive to Bellingham is very doable from the Portland Metro Area; however, our favorite way to get there is to fly (of course). The views of the Cascade volcanoes, the Olympic Mountains, Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands from the air are absolutely breathtaking as most of our flying friends can already attest to. Because Bellingham has a commercial airport, car rentals are readily available at the terminal which is next door to the FBO. Fountain Rental and Leasing in the downtown area has competitive rates if you want to support a local family owned business that rents vans and trucks. There are many hotels located near the airport and throughout the city. Or if you want to camp, there are campgrounds and RV parks as well.
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| Living room area in the 1929 section of the Hotel Leo. |
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| Bedroom in the 1929 section of the Hotel Leo. |
I want to give a special shout out to the hotel we stayed at the last two times we were in Bellingham. The Hotel Leo is an historic hotel in downtown Bellingham. The Hotel Leopold was originally built on this site in 1883 but the structures that make up the hotel currently were built in 1929 and 1967. It became a retirement home in the 80's and just recently was opened back up with newly remodeled residential apartments and 31 rooms in the 1967 wing and nine rooms in the 1929 building. Since they were part of a retirement community in the past, they are mostly one bedroom apartments with kitchens. The hotel's location made it a really convenient place to host a flyout for our aviation friends. Since it is in the heart of downtown, it is in walking distance to so many restaurants, museums and more. The hotel itself has a bar and restaurant called Amendment 21, a library with a billiard table, a social gathering area, exercise room and a theater with a large selection of DVDs that can be viewed. As a caution, parking is limited and is first come, first serve and as with any historic location, there are a few more rustic quirks but overall, it is very nice and well worth the stay for the ambiance. Hotel Leo
Bellingham History
Bellingham started out as four different towns-Bellingham, Fairhaven, Whatcom and Sehome. They consolidated as one city in 1903 which is what partially accounts for the crazy arrangements of the streets that join up in the downtown area. (On a side note: I definitely recommend using a navigation app to map out getting to places. I have gotten turned around plenty of times and taking the interstate between locations isn't always the closest way to get there.)
Now that things have opened up more, there are a lot more things to experience but some of what I recommended regarding walking tours still are available on the City of Bellingham website. There are links to interactive maps and audio to do your own self-guided walking tours of the historical buildings and sites. You can use your phone or tablet to follow the map and view the details or listen to short descriptions of each site on the tour route.
An example of a spot you could visit on one of the walking tours is the Pickett House. This is the oldest home in Bellingham which was built by General George Pickett in 1856 while he was there to oversee the construction of Fort Bellingham. It is only open two hours a month for visitors so I have never been inside but love that it is still there.
Near the Pickett House is the old Territorial Courthouse which was built in 1858. It was the first brick building built north of San Francisco. It was originally designed to be a general store, bank and warehouse during the Fraser River Gold Rush. After the miners moved on, the business failed and the building became the Territorial Courthouse. It was a two story building in its heyday but the street level changed over the years so only the second story is visible now.
Below is the link to find out more about the Bellingham, Fairhaven and Sehome interactive self-guided walking tours. The Interactive Tour option includes written descriptions and videos that might be best viewed at home on your PC or before you go. The Audio option is what I would recommend when you are actually walking. It seems to be easier to flip between the map, photos and audio clips on that version.
https://cob.org/services/planning/historic/historic-tours
If you are looking for a guided history tour, the Good Time Girls tours are the way to go. Since my last blogpost about Bellingham, I have gone on two Good Time Girls tours and they were both very well done--the Fairhaven and the Downtown Bellingham Sin and Gin tours. The Good Time Girls are known for their Sin and Gin tours but they also give Gore and Lore tours in the fall as well as tours of various other neighborhoods throughout the city.
Bellinghistory With the Good Time Girls
Even if you choose not to do any history tours, I highly recommend spending some time exploring the shops and restaurants in the quaint Fairhaven community in particular. Village Books is a great bookstore and there are lots of boutiques and restaurants.
I enjoy just walking through some of the historical neighborhoods to look at the houses and old churches that have been converted into homes or other businesses. The York and the Lettered Streets neighborhoods where many of the oldest homes in the city are located are two that I have particularly enjoyed.
Other Things to Do?
Here are some ideas of additional things to do in Bellingham and the surrounding area.
Museums
SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention is a great museum about electricity. I haven't been to their MegaZapper show but Bill has and he highly recommends you time your visit at the museum so that you can see it. SPARKS Museum
Whatcom Museum is a great museum for history in particular as well as art. There are two buildings--the old City Hall and the Lightcatcher building a couple blocks from it. The admission covers both buildings. Whatcom Museum
The Heritage Flight Museum is not in Bellingham but at the Skagit Regional Airport in Burlington--about 30 miles south of Bellingham. The founder is Major General Bill Anders who was an Apollo 8 astronaut so in addition to the aircraft displays, there is an Apollo 8 exhibit and a 1968 Experience. There are opportunities to explore the museum on your own but there are also several docents there that are anxious to talk to you about the exhibits and give you a tour for the price of a regular admission. Heritage Flight Museum
A few miles north of Bellingham, Ferndale has a couple of interesting spots to walk around.
Holvander Homestead has animals, walking trails and interesting gardens. Holvander Homestead Park
Theaters
The Mount Baker Theater is a beautiful Moorish style theater built in 1927. The theater hosts a variety of performances by both local and national entertainers. We had the pleasure of going there for the "Nutcracker" a few years ago at Christmas time. Mount Baker Theater
The Pickford Film Center is known for showing independent films in their theaters. They have two locations now on Bay St. and Grand Ave. Pickford Film Center
Tours
I have not taken taken either of these tours but when researching things to do in Bellingham, these seemed to be interesting.
Like to Hike?
Bellingham has miles and miles of hiking trails throughout the city--many of them in parks and linking the various parks together. The city has put together a booklet with maps of all the hiking trails and parks. Most are fairly short unless you are taking some of the trails that link the parks together. Bellingham Trail Guide
These are a few of my favorites:
Padden Lake has trails that go all the way around the lake-approximately 3 miles. This was from when I went to a rainy Easter sunrise church service there. I have been there in all four seasons and it is always beautiful.
Larrabee State Park is situated south of Bellingham on Samish Bay and along the historic Chuckanut Drive. Chuckanut Drive was the first road built that allowed land access to Bellingham in 1896. Previous to that, Bellingham could only be accessed by boat or canoe. The park is Washington's first state park established in 1915. I have only been on the trails along the beach but there are 18 miles of hiking trails throughout the park in the Chuckanut Mountains. The beach is also a launching site for boaters and sea kayaking tours.
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is about an hour and a half drive from Bellingham and has some great hiking trails. This one is along the Nooksack River and there is a waterfall near the highway to stop at as well.
Artist Point is in the Mt. Baker National Forest and has hiking trails and fabulous views of both Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan. It is only open from July until September when the first major snowfall comes. There is still a fair amount of snow there in the summer and you will find children of all ages sledding. There is a ski area just before you get to Artist Point if you enjoy doing that in the winter.
A Little Art With Your Walk?
Bellingham has not only one but two sculpture parks that you can visit.
Western Washington University has sculptures all over the campus grounds. It is a beautiful campus with views of Bellingham Bay so it is well worth a stop.
WWU Campus Map Including Sculpture Locations
My favorite spot on the campus is Haskell Plaza that was built to represent all the San Juan Islands and the local ocean currents. There are whimsical characters throughout the plaza.
Big Rock Garden is nestled in a residential neighborhood and is a beautiful wooded park with 37 permanent sculptures. It is a very quiet, serene spot to wander.
Brewery Scene
Bellingham does have a few wineries but it isn't nearly as big as their brewery scene. There are currently about 20 breweries that sell local craft beers-many are downtown or in Fairhaven but they are scattered throughout the city. Most also serve food or have food trucks on site. Since I am not a beer drinker, I had to go to my resident expert (our son who lived there five years) for his top recommendations. A couple of his favorite spots are no longer in business but here are a few that I have been to. What I do like about going to the breweries is that most also offer cider and/or wine for those of us that don't drink beer.
Wander Brewing is in an industrial area off of Ohio Street. This is our current favorite. They have great beer and cider. They don't have a restaurant but they do have rotating food trucks that serve food there.
Aslan Brewing has two locations a couple blocks apart. The main location is on Forest St.and Aslan Depot is on State St. The restaurant is at the main location but you can order food at the Depot and they will deliver it there.
Stones Throw Brewing in Fairhaven is a nice spot as well.
To check out all the locations, here is a list with links to their websites. Bellingham Breweries
Where to Eat?
Having been to Bellingham many times over the past thirteen years, we have eaten at a lot of restaurants there. This is not an exhaustive list but just to give an idea of the wide variety in the types of food available as well as some of our favorites. Most of the restaurants we have gone to are on or near Railroad St. in Bellingham or in Fairhaven.
Favorite Breakfast, Lunch (and Dinner) Spots
We go to the Skylark Cafe in Fairhaven for breakfast on almost every trip to Bellingham. Bill loves their Smoked Salmon Benedict. They also serve lunch and dinner but we primarily go there for breakfast.
Mount Bakery in downtown Bellingham (and now a second location in Fairhaven) is also one of our favorites that serves breakfast and lunch.
AB Crepes on Railroad St. is a favorite of the college students for savory or sweet crepes served all day long. I like going there too when I want something lighter than the normal restaurant fare.
Colophon Cafe in Fairhaven is a great place for any meal with soups, sandwiches, quiches and pot pies including vegetarian options.
Horseshoe Cafe in downtown Bellingham is basically a diner with an attached bar but it is the longest continuous running restaurant (since 1886) in the state of Washington if you are one that looks for those types of places.
Dinner Spots
In addition to the many breweries that serve food, here is a list of a few other locations. We have been to most but not all of them.
D'Anna's Cafe Italiano is on State Street and is a very nice restaurant with a great menu of fresh pasta and Sicilian dishes. It was recommended to us several years ago for the Shiitake Vodka Cream Linguini which was very good. Of the restaurants we have been to, this has been the most high end one.
Kuru Kuru Sushi on Bellwether Way is a favorite of our family because we enjoy sushi. They have the conveyor belt style service and the prices are fairly reasonable for sushi.
La Fiamma Pizza on Railroad St. has great wood fired pizza.
Bayou on the Bay is on Bay St. and specializes in Cajun, Creole and Southern dishes.
Penny Farthing is located in the Chuckanut Bay Distillery. They have a great variety of mixed drinks from the whiskey, gin and vodka that they make on site. I have enjoyed the food and desserts there as well.
The Anthony's chain has two locations on Bellwether Way. Anthony's Hearthfire Grill and Anthony's at Squalicum Harbor.
Keenan's at the Pier is an elegant restaurant at the Chrysalis Inn and Spa with great views of Bellingham Bay.
There are a few places to recommend if you want to go a little further out of Bellingham:
Herb Nieman's Steak House is north of Bellingham in Everson. They have great steaks and German food. It was well worth the trip to go there for our son's graduation celebration.
There are two seafood restaurants south of Bellingham along Chuckanut Drive in Bow with great views of Samish Bay. Oyster Bar is an elegant seafood restaurant. Chuckanut Manor Seafood and Grill is a little more casual and has more of a roadhouse feel.
Treats?
Mallard Ice Cream on Railroad St. is a great place to get some ice cream.
Amazing Sunsets
One of the things that amazes me most about Bellingham are the beautiful sunsets. When I am visiting on my own (I don't think Bill would have the patience for this activity), I try to find spots to watch the sunset over the San Juan Islands. The reason I say you need to have patience is because you tend to have to get there early to get a parking spot. It is popular with the locals to spend their evenings at the beaches and waterfront parks to see the sunset.
My all-time, number one place to watch the sunset was Locust Beach. At low tide, you can walk a long way out into the bay. I spent three hours walking and taking photos of the skimboarders, birds, crab, and even an eagle eating its evening meal while I was waiting for what I was really there for--the sunset. Because there was about an inch of water on the beach, I ended up having to throw out my shoes but it was so worth it. It was one of the most magical evenings I have ever experienced. The walk to get to the beach has quite a few steps without railings so you do have to be careful getting down and back out.
Marine Drive Park on Marine Drive near the airport is on the cliff above Locust Beach and gives a different perspective of the Nooksack River Delta and the beach.
Most would probably enjoy Boulevard Park more. This is a great park to go to any time of the day to walk on the boardwalks over the bay and enjoy the view but it is especially beautiful at night.
The area around the marinas are great as well. I took this on Bellwether Drive but Zuanich Point Park is nearby and a good spot. Marine Park in Fairhaven would also be a good place to watch the sunset.
Larrabee State Park Beach would not be my first choice as the space is limited so it is hard to find a good spot that isn't already taken. There are also not many trails to hike on while waiting and getting out onto the beach or best places to view are not very safe but I did enjoy my evening there.
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| Proof we got to see a beautiful sunset on the Cracked Crab Dinner Cruise. |
San Juan Cruises offers a variety of whale watching, wine tasting, beer tasting, lunch and dinner cruises. Bill and I celebrated our anniversary a few years ago on the Cracked Crab Dinner Cruise. It was a great way to watch the sunset. If you are interested in any of the cruises, here is a link to what they have available. San Juan Cruises
There is another cruise available from Fairhaven as well. We have not been on this one but when we mentioned we were going on the dinner cruise, we were asked if we would be going on the Zodiac Schooner Salmon Bake cruise. They do a variety of cruises including overnight ones. Zodiac Schooner
Have a Great Time!
I have enjoyed every trip I have made to Bellingham and there is always more that I want to see and do on future trips. I hope that this was helpful for planning your trip there and that you enjoy it as much as our family does.
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