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Zuanich Park / Photo by Annette Bagley / Credit: Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism
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Squalicum Harbor / Photo by Annette Bagley / Credit: Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism
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Welcome to Farihaven mural on brick building / Credit: Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism
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By Darcy Nybo
There’s over 160 km (100 mi) of shoreline to explore in the Bellingham area. Diverse marine life in the Salish Sea combine with the must visit destination of Bellingham to create a destination loaded with magnificent scenery, delicious food, hand crafted spirits, art, music, and more.
Bellingham is a great place to start your exploration of the San Juan Islands. Squalicum Harbor, on the northern shores of Bellingham Bay, has a full-service marina with more than 1,200 commercial and pleasure boats, including a large charter boat fleet. This five-star EnviroStars and Certified Clean Marina is one of the most modern marinas on the coast. From here you have easy access to accommodations, restaurants and top-notch marine services. Stretch your legs and take waterfront walking trails and explore to your heart’s content.
Take a moment and pause to take in the majesty of Mt. Baker as it stands guard over the land. For a longer hike, head up to the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest and the Chuckanut Mountains. There are kilometres of trails from beginner to expert. There is an extensive system of hiking trails through city parks and greenways in and around Bellingham too. Bring your camera as water and mountain views are everywhere.
Bellingham has great restaurants and a diverse retail focus. Make sure you bring your own shopping bag, as Bellingham has prohibited the use of plastic bags. There are several places to shop including the Bellis Fair Mall, downtown, and the Historic Fairhaven District. Downtown you’ll find the Cultural Arts District with museums, theatres and art galleries as well as specialty shops, antiques, galleries, cafes and restaurants. The Fairhaven District is a step back in time with turn of the century buildings with brick facades. There are upscale galleries and some of Bellingham’s best restaurants here.
Head back out on the ocean for some whale watching. There are three companies that offer whale watching trips through the Salish Sea from Whatcom County from May through September. San Juan Cruises offers full-day whale watching cruises to Friday Harbor with a complimentary Northwest salmon lunch. They also have sunset wine and beer tasting cruises. Island Mariner Cruises offers full-day trips during whale watching season and Outer Island Expeditions departs for whale watching trips from several locations in the area.
Stock up on local goodness at the Bellingham Farmer’s Market. It is open every Saturday right until the end of December. Here you will find crafters, food vendors, and farmers selling everything from honey to to berries and beef. The market is located inside Depot Market Square.
Bellingham is also home to some great craft beer and spirits. In fact, they have 10 dedicated to beer in September. It’s an opportunity for beer lovers to try many new beers and enjoy a huge variety of beer-focused events. Check out their site for a list of events at bellinghambeerweek.com. When it comes to spirits, Bellingham has four distilleries with tastings rooms and tours. Try a bottle of Mt. Baker Moonshine from the Mount Baker distillery or some Honeycrisp Vodka from Bellewood Distilling. Deception Distilling has their super smooth DD Vodka while Chucanut Bay has Muzzleflash Whiskey for your tasting enjoyment.
Outdoors or in, there’s so much to see and do in Bellingham. Connect with the Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism office or visit their website (Bellingham.org) to see what other great things Bellingham has in store for you.
Check out some of their upcoming events
- Whatcom County Home and Garden Show – early March
- Dirty Dan Day Seafood Festival – late April
- Lummi Stommish Water Festival – mid June
- Bellingham Festival of Music – early July
- Northwest Washington Fair – early August