Things To Do
Parks!
There are so many great parks if you're looking to spend some relaxing outside-y time. -Larrabee State Park: Nice beach front park along Chuckanut drive with access to trails up the mountain. -Birch Bay State Park: Scenic northwest beachfront park about 30 min north of Bellingham. Short nature walk (about a quarter mile). -Fairhaven Park (100 Acre Woods): access a small trail network from this park for a stroll through the woods. -Whatcom Falls: great for a walk in the woods along a creek with a nice waterfall. -Bloedel Donovan: public park/beach access to Lake Whatcom. -Marine Park: small gravel beach right down the hill from downtown Fairhaven -Boulevard Park: central park with a boardwalk over the bay and plenty of grass and beach for a picnic.
Hikes!
Between 1.5 to 9 miles for some outdoorsy time! Within 20 min of town: -Fragrance Lake: about 4 miles round trip up to a forested little lake. Peekaboo viewpoint along the way. -Clayton Beach: 3/4 mile from the road (parking at Lost Lake Trailhead) down to a spread out beach. -Oyster Dome: 4.5 miles (or 9 mile option starting from Chuckanut Dr). Iconic Bellingham trail with an excellent view at the top (on a clear day). -Chanterelle Trail: on the far side of Lake Whatcom, about 4 miles round trip with a beautiful view of the lake at the top. Bigger hikes within 1 ish hour boasting fantastic views of the North Cascades: -Park Butte: Challenging trail with very good views of Mount Baker and the surrounding area from the Butte or go all the way to the Lookout. About 7 miles round trip with a good climb. -Yellow Aster Butte: Another spectacular hike in the mountains with excellent views through most of the hike. A pretty challenging 7.5 mile round trip.
Food!
Breakfast/Lunch: -Avenue Bread: 3 location options and a Bellingham Classic! -Green's Corner: all day breakfast and a great Bahn Mi. -Cafe Blue: cute cafe in Fairhaven. Dinner: -Black Cat: intimate atmosphere in the heart of Fairhaven. Great Northwest cuisine including Chris's favorite Fish N Chips and Dungeness crab mac n cheese! -Red Light: great Asian fusion food and even better cocktails. -The Loft: casual and on the marina! -Structures Brewery: nice atmostphere with simple menu including the best fried chicken sandwich. -Bellingham Cider Co: great deck for a nice day.
Beer!
Bellingham has an outrageous number of craft breweries. Here are our favorite spots: Kulshan: 3 locations and excellent beer list. There's usually food trucks at all locations. Wander: beer Hall feel, also often has food trucks. Structures: great beer, as described above -- great chicken sandwich. Stones Throw: cute neighborhood brewery in Fairhaven. Elizabeth Station: wide variety of beers both in bottles/cans and on tap. There's even beer from outside of Bellingham. You can get other drink options at almost all locations, but here's a few cocktail/wine spots if you're not the beer type: -Temple Bar -Bar Cicotti -Red Light