Food and Things To Do
Village Books and Paper Dreams
Trevor and Anika love independent bookstores! Wandering the shelves and or finding the most interesting (and bizarre!) books, movies and records is something they thoroughly enjoy. This three-story, dog-friendly bookstore has been building community since 1980!
Whatcom Art Market
The Whatcom Art Market (WAM) is a non-profit co-op featuring more than 40 artists local to Whatcom and Skagit County. WAM features paintings, photography, glasswork, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, cards and more. As Whatcom's largest cooperative gallery, they offer a large selection of locally made art and gifts. WAM is known for it's rotating art demonstrations and displays, meaning you'll never see the same work twice. The market is open every day of the week.
Taylor Dock Boardwalk
Taylor Dock and the connecting Taylor Boardwalk allow visitors and locals to stroll over the open blue waters of Bellingham Bay. This quarter-mile boardwalk and restored trestle are part of the South Bay Trail, which connects Fairhaven Village Green to Boulevard Park and continues all the way to downtown Bellingham. A walk along Taylor Boardwalk is one of the best ways to experience an excellent slice of what Bellingham has to offer. There are benches along the way, so grab a seat and soak in the views.
Whatcom Falls Park
Whatcom Falls Park is a quick drive from town (~10 minutes) and a lovely hike including a pond and waterfall. If you want to hike but keep it a bit closer to town and less demanding, this is what we'd recommend.
Hike the Chuckanuts!
This is for our guests that want more of a challenging hike. These trails criss-cross through old growth forests that tend to have more challenging terrain. The reward for your endurance is the beautiful and unique mountain and water views from the only place where the Cascade mountains meet the sea. There are quite a few trail options so please check out the link for the different trailheads.
Community Boating Center
They have day kayak rentals sailing experiences and bioluminescent kayak tours at night! Lovely to get out on the water. Nothing beats summers in Washington!
Ashuri Baklava Cafe
The owner of this small cafe is from Turkey and he really knows how to make a great turkish coffee. The turkish delights are the best Anika's ever had - including the famous ones at Pike Place - her favorite flavors are peach and pear. Trevor goes for the pistachio baklava. If you're looking for something savory get the Turkish breakfast. Either way you're in for some great food. The shop is very small though so probably not best for a large group.
The Birch Door Cafe
With the exception of the brunch place they got engaged in Portland - this is Anika's second favorite brunch spot of all time. It's a little out of the way from the main downtown area and it's deservingly popular so there will be a wait... BUT it is entirely worth it. With a hollandaise to challenge her Dad's Anika and Trevor both loved the Eggs Nicole! Their special Apple pancake was also great but quite sweet and enormous. Two people can split a single entree easily. Honestly point and shoot to anything on the menu and your taste buds win.
Ambo Ethiopian Cuisine
This is a small hole in the wall that is in a nice spot for walking around downtown Bellingham. Do not skip the house made cottage cheese! Anika doesn't even like cottage cheese and she gobbled it up. Also go for their lentils!! The meat dishes are great here but the lentils and veggies are arguably better.
Cafe Rumba
Cafe Rumba has incredible peruvian sandwiches! They are hefty but delicious. If you choose to go for lunch, we recommend going hungry or splitting a sandwich. Anika's favorite is the Butifarra Royal and Trevor's is the Pulled Pork. The potato side is delicious but the sauce is spicy!! If they have it get the chica morada to drink, you won't regret it.
Övn Wood Fired Pizza
Trevor and Anika ate here when visiting their venue to plan decor and space usage. Anika chose the restaurant immediately after reading about the 3-ton pizza oven hand built in Naples on the restaurant website. She is serious when it comes to good cookware! It turned out to be the best pizza either of them had ever had. Definitely get a 12" pizza- the 8" pizzas seem to be kid size. For the love of all that is pizza get the Bushwick. It is spicy with the chillis but so worth it! The kale cesar also hits the spot. A great option to grab a quick bite- that oven cooks quickly!
D'Anna's Cafe Italiano
D'Anna's makes amazing italian food! They don't take reservations, but they have a good amount of seating that turns over fairly quickly. Make sure to go in and scan the QR code by the hostess table to add yourself to the wait list or others may jump you in line. This is not very well explained. However, the food here is spectacular. Anika has never had ravioli so stuffed with crab and Trevor's chanterelle pasta special was perfectly executed. This restaurant is across the street from a fun brewery - Aslan Depot - if you want to keep the party going after dinner!
Acme Valley Ice Cream Cafe
This ice cream is dense and smooth in the best way! Trevor and Anika shared the eggnog and amaretto flavors and were very impressed. Although an affogatto sounds delicious too. If you're like Anika and can never pick just one flavor, ask for a "split scoop" so you can get a single scoop but two flavors. You're welcome.