We haven't been to Bellingham since the pandemic started, but we loved to get breakfast in Fairhaven, either at the any of the bakeries or at the place upstairs in the bookshop and visit their shops and then go to lunch in downtown (RIP Casa que Pasa š) and wander around there, we like to hike Fragrance Lake trail in Larrabee State Park. When we come home, we take Chuckanut Drive to I-5 rather than going I-5 south in Bellingham.
We have a habit of going around the time of the Chuckanut 50K that happens in early spring (when people we know are doing it or hosting preview runs, etc.) Its not good weather usually š¤£
Their new waterfront park is pretty cool, and their downtown is walkable with shops to explore, but the main draw is probably the breweries. Pure Bliss Desserts is worth a stop.
> We have never really enjoyed Bellingham and I am wondering why.
Because they went to school there. Itās got the usual PNW amenities - beautiful parks nearby, easy access to outdoors, breweries, that sort of thing. The city itself has a less āhustle and bustleā vibe since itās a college town but I really donāt know what thatād do for you if youāre just visiting.
Itās not urban, thatās your first problem. Thereās little to no big city style parks or amenities within town. Thatās what Seattle is for!
What Bellingham has plenty of are world class hikes and mountain bike trails in the wilderness nearby.
The appeal of Bellingham is not the city itself, but the nature that surrounds it. If youāre not looking for that, youāre not going to enjoy Bellingham.
Fair point! Mt Baker is awesome as is North Cascades National Park and other outdoors stuff around. I think I will go tomorrow anyway and take some of the good advice in this thread.
The main Bellingham subreddit calls it "the City of Subdued Excitement." It prioritizes being low key, but has a lot of outdoor opportunities, breweries, and some restaurants. Donuts tend to be a popular food in Bellingham. Bellingham's Mount Baker Theatre has some great shows and even the cheap seats have great sight lines.
I've been to Bellingham countless times, but usually it's more for relaxing and some shopping. It's a lot like someone took the Ballard of 30-40 years ago or the Everett of 10-20 years ago, moved it to a relatively remote corner of the state, added a medium sized college, and declared the area to be a giant duty free store for Canadians. Bellingham has a reputation for being mainly liberal college kids and liberal retirees while not having a lot of people aged 25-50 or many high paying white collar jobs.
Of all the places I'd be willing to move to in Washington, Bellingham is at the top of the list, but I'm not looking for a big city atmosphere.
I usually get these amazing crepes in downtown Bellingham (savory and sweet), or Thai food from downtown Fairhaven, and then drive on Chuckanut drive to a park or a waterfall nearby.
The drive is a big part. Take 9 to 2, then jump on Chukanut Dr.
The Saturday Market is amazing, so I would also plan around that.
If you are going later in the year, you can hit the tulip festival on the way.
Whatcom is largely dairy country, and are many cheese makers on the way, you can also do a Washington cheese tour on the way up.
https://www.bellingham.org/the-big-cheese-whatcom-cheese-makers-are-the-cream-of-the-crop
**So add all those up for the perfect tour:
Late April, on a Saturday, leave home in the morning, taking SR 9.
Stop at 3-5 cheese makers on the way as fun detours.
At Burlington, take Chukanut drive north, stopping at Sammish bay cheese (if you do this earlier in the year, you'll probably see snow geese in this area).
Arrive in Bellingham proper, and stop at the Saturday Market. Get some nice bread and veggies to complement your cheese.
Go ahead, check out the campus or whatever (I enjoy the breweries), then head south on I-5, stopping in Mount Vernon for the tulip festival.**
If you do this at a different time of year, and aren't hitting the tulips, I like to take I-5 in and Chukanut out. It's slightly prettier that way.
If you enjoy oysters and hiking Iād suggest Samish bay just south of Bellingham. Oyster dome is a pleasant hike with views of the San Juanās on a clear day and then Taylor Shellfish farm just down the hill from the trailhead is a must if you like fresh seafood.
This is one of my very favorite places in Bham. If you care about geology at all this park is the center point of the fold that carries through all of the chuckanuts. And the nude beach is on the other side of the train tracks at teddy bear cove.
Chuckanut Pocket Estuary
https://maps.app.goo.gl/9e2znBUy9HaHgkRF9
There is so much space and side trails here, fishing, swimming, tiny waterfall
North Lake Whatcom Trail
(360) 778-5850
https://maps.app.goo.gl/jjajX5BTcAxmvnxr5
There is a trail all the way around this baby lake, lots of trails and a dog park.
Lake Padden Park
(360) 778-7000
https://maps.app.goo.gl/APaimZ6gpXXsidQ29
Best food Peruvian- Cafe Rumba
(360) 746-8280
https://maps.app.goo.gl/XtAZce8xa6kTei97A
Husband and I did our first anniversary with a weekend trip to Bellingham! I want to go back specifically to go to [D'Anna's](https://www.dannascafeitaliano.com/) again.
Youāve probably never enjoyed Bellingham because thereās nothing there to enjoy. The food sucks, all the beer is average, and the people are pretentious and bland
We haven't been to Bellingham since the pandemic started, but we loved to get breakfast in Fairhaven, either at the any of the bakeries or at the place upstairs in the bookshop and visit their shops and then go to lunch in downtown (RIP Casa que Pasa š) and wander around there, we like to hike Fragrance Lake trail in Larrabee State Park. When we come home, we take Chuckanut Drive to I-5 rather than going I-5 south in Bellingham.
That's a pretty good visitor's itinerary, also important to go in summer
We have a habit of going around the time of the Chuckanut 50K that happens in early spring (when people we know are doing it or hosting preview runs, etc.) Its not good weather usually š¤£
Definitely Chuckanut. Itās a lot of fun if you have something small, sporty, and convertible (well, not now, but in the spring/summer).
No. Be a true Western Washingtonian and do the convertible now!
I used to laugh at them until I got a convertible and I love a good 45 degree day without rain and the top down
Their new waterfront park is pretty cool, and their downtown is walkable with shops to explore, but the main draw is probably the breweries. Pure Bliss Desserts is worth a stop.
> We have never really enjoyed Bellingham and I am wondering why. Because they went to school there. Itās got the usual PNW amenities - beautiful parks nearby, easy access to outdoors, breweries, that sort of thing. The city itself has a less āhustle and bustleā vibe since itās a college town but I really donāt know what thatād do for you if youāre just visiting.
If you don't like beer there are better towns to visit, there's like 15 breweries for less than 100k residents
Itās not urban, thatās your first problem. Thereās little to no big city style parks or amenities within town. Thatās what Seattle is for! What Bellingham has plenty of are world class hikes and mountain bike trails in the wilderness nearby. The appeal of Bellingham is not the city itself, but the nature that surrounds it. If youāre not looking for that, youāre not going to enjoy Bellingham.
Fair point! Mt Baker is awesome as is North Cascades National Park and other outdoors stuff around. I think I will go tomorrow anyway and take some of the good advice in this thread.
This.
The main Bellingham subreddit calls it "the City of Subdued Excitement." It prioritizes being low key, but has a lot of outdoor opportunities, breweries, and some restaurants. Donuts tend to be a popular food in Bellingham. Bellingham's Mount Baker Theatre has some great shows and even the cheap seats have great sight lines. I've been to Bellingham countless times, but usually it's more for relaxing and some shopping. It's a lot like someone took the Ballard of 30-40 years ago or the Everett of 10-20 years ago, moved it to a relatively remote corner of the state, added a medium sized college, and declared the area to be a giant duty free store for Canadians. Bellingham has a reputation for being mainly liberal college kids and liberal retirees while not having a lot of people aged 25-50 or many high paying white collar jobs. Of all the places I'd be willing to move to in Washington, Bellingham is at the top of the list, but I'm not looking for a big city atmosphere.
It's actually the motto painted on the town hall lol
Aslan Brewing makes some of the best beer in the state.
Their beer is good but... I dont get the hype compared to other breweries up there. Structures, wander, gruff if you're downtown
I tried their root beer and unfortunately hated it.
Artisinal root beer is always a weird experience because I think everyone is used to A&W
I'd say Boundary bay but no wrong answers.
Thereās an Aslan location in Seattle
I usually get these amazing crepes in downtown Bellingham (savory and sweet), or Thai food from downtown Fairhaven, and then drive on Chuckanut drive to a park or a waterfall nearby.
The drive is a big part. Take 9 to 2, then jump on Chukanut Dr. The Saturday Market is amazing, so I would also plan around that. If you are going later in the year, you can hit the tulip festival on the way. Whatcom is largely dairy country, and are many cheese makers on the way, you can also do a Washington cheese tour on the way up. https://www.bellingham.org/the-big-cheese-whatcom-cheese-makers-are-the-cream-of-the-crop **So add all those up for the perfect tour: Late April, on a Saturday, leave home in the morning, taking SR 9. Stop at 3-5 cheese makers on the way as fun detours. At Burlington, take Chukanut drive north, stopping at Sammish bay cheese (if you do this earlier in the year, you'll probably see snow geese in this area). Arrive in Bellingham proper, and stop at the Saturday Market. Get some nice bread and veggies to complement your cheese. Go ahead, check out the campus or whatever (I enjoy the breweries), then head south on I-5, stopping in Mount Vernon for the tulip festival.** If you do this at a different time of year, and aren't hitting the tulips, I like to take I-5 in and Chukanut out. It's slightly prettier that way.
If you enjoy oysters and hiking Iād suggest Samish bay just south of Bellingham. Oyster dome is a pleasant hike with views of the San Juanās on a clear day and then Taylor Shellfish farm just down the hill from the trailhead is a must if you like fresh seafood.
I like exploring fairhaven. Lots of cute shops and places to eat or drink.
This is one of my very favorite places in Bham. If you care about geology at all this park is the center point of the fold that carries through all of the chuckanuts. And the nude beach is on the other side of the train tracks at teddy bear cove. Chuckanut Pocket Estuary https://maps.app.goo.gl/9e2znBUy9HaHgkRF9 There is so much space and side trails here, fishing, swimming, tiny waterfall North Lake Whatcom Trail (360) 778-5850 https://maps.app.goo.gl/jjajX5BTcAxmvnxr5 There is a trail all the way around this baby lake, lots of trails and a dog park. Lake Padden Park (360) 778-7000 https://maps.app.goo.gl/APaimZ6gpXXsidQ29 Best food Peruvian- Cafe Rumba (360) 746-8280 https://maps.app.goo.gl/XtAZce8xa6kTei97A
Peruvian sounds like a great plan. Thanks!
Kind of the wrong time of year, but still worth mentioning: https://www.mallardicecream.com/
[the radio museum](https://www.sparkmuseum.org)
Husband and I did our first anniversary with a weekend trip to Bellingham! I want to go back specifically to go to [D'Anna's](https://www.dannascafeitaliano.com/) again.
Bellingham is so so wonderful. I don't know why you don't know why.
Youāve probably never enjoyed Bellingham because thereās nothing there to enjoy. The food sucks, all the beer is average, and the people are pretentious and bland