Hailey & Otto
Things To Do
Bham food and drinks scene
Breakfast: El Tapatio Food truck behind Hardware Sales for the quick bite, Mt Bakery and Old Town for sit down. Coffee: Avellino and Lettered Streets coffee house are my two favorites and the Woods at Boulevard park is classic Bellingham. Lunch: The hot line at the Food Coop, Old World Deli, Pel'meni (Russian dumplings), Village Books (upstairs is Evolve Cafe, they have good breakfast too), the Loft, and Port Fairhaven Fish and Chips Dinner: Food truck and Brewery is a classic Bellingham move. There are a million to choose from but we like the following - Structures, Gruff, Goods, Boundary Bay, Stones Throw, and Otherlands. For the non-brewery scene we like Goat Mountain Pizza, Red Light, Soy House and Archers's Ale House. Cocktails: Not a beer person? Try Temple Bar, Red Light, Galloways or Jack's. Dive Bar: The Waterfront is my personal favorite but Cabin Tavern and Cap's are good for the late night bar scene. Late night food: Pie Hole and Pel'meni's are good choices.
Saturday Morning To Do's
There are plenty of good hikes and runs I personally like the Interurban to Teddy Bear Cove in the Chuckanuts, Whatcom Falls, or the Chanterelle Trail. Bellingham Farmers Market in Downtown Bellingham is lovely, and there fish market at Zunich park next to the venue that usually has some good clam chowder. Of the two the Farmers Market is the one to go to. There is typically free yoga at boulevard park which has a coffee shop and is a lovely walk from Fairhaven or to the Farmers Market. Want something relaxing or pampering? If you've got a car Bow Sanctuary is my favorite but if you want to stay local the Chrystalis looks nice.
I've got a car and I want a relaxing day with some seafood
Drive from Bellingham down to Chuckanut drive. Stop at the Clayton Beach Trailhead for a nice little walk (0.5 miles) in the forrest down to the beach. Continue down Chuckanut Drive to the Breadfarm in Bow Washington for a yummy pastry and a walk around a cute little Washington town. Head over to Bow Sanctuary for the mid-day yoga class and enjoy a sauna, massage, or labyrinth walk. Driving back north up Chuckanut highway stop at Taylor Shelfish to try some locally farmed oysters on the bay to cap off the day.
I've got a day or two and a passport but not planning to have a car
Depending on if it's before or after the wedding I would take the train from Bellingham to Pacific Central Station in Vancouver BC. I would walk or uber to downtown and spend a day/ night there exploring the city. Would highly recommend Ramen Danbo, the UBC gardens, Granville Island, and the Art Museum. From there you can catch a ferry or seaplane (Harbour Air) over to some of the Gulf Islands or Vancouver Island if you are itching to get out into the water.
I've got a car and I want to see the Volcano
Leave Bellingham and head down highway 542 (Mt Baker highway). If you're a late breakfast person we would recommend stopping in Glacier (town 45 minutes east of Bellingham) and eat at Wake and Bakery. Hiking options: Stop in at the Glacier Public Service Center just up the road in glacier from Wake and Bake to get a parking pass and make sure you're familiar with the trail you plan to do. Hard: Heliotrope Ridge trail - 5.2 miles, 1,850 ft elevation out and back Moderate: Chain Lakes Loop - 6.3 miles, 1,794 ft elevation loop Easy: Artists Ridge - Huntoon Point - 1.2 miles out and back Driving Options: Drive up to Artist Point at Mt Baker (no forrest service pass required) for great views of Mt Shuksan and Mt Baker. The road is paved the whole way and there are some light trails that can be walked around the ski area. On the way back, North Fork Brewery has great pizza and beer.
I want to take a mini road trip to and from Bellingham to Seattle
Leave from Bellingham and head down Chuckanut drive through Bow Washington. Coffee stop #1 is the Breadfarm in Bow or Tweets for Breakfast. Continue down Bayview Edison Rd by the Padilla Bay reserve. Merge onto Highway 20 and follow signs for Port Townsend/ Whidbey Island. Park at the top of deception pass and walk the bridge and the trail down to the beach to stretch your legs. Continue down 20 to Fort Casey and get in line for the Port Townsend ferry. Would recommend making a reservation for this. Coffee stop #2 is on the ferry of course. I'd plan to have lunch in Port Townsend and walk around this lovely little town. Coffee #3 would be in at Sunrise coffee in Haven Boat Works - worth the walk around. From Port Townsend it's about 2 1/2 hours to Seattle. You have the option to take another ferry at Kingston but the waits can be long as there are no reservations for this. The other option is taking the road south through Tacoma.
No car Bellingham day
Lots of humans like bikes here in Bellingham. You can rent from Dig Deep, Fanatik, Tim's Bike Shop, and Fairhaven Bicycles. If you want a low key town day a longer ride is take the interurban all the way to Larabee State Park for a picnic on the ocean and if you want a shorter ride with some greenery head over to Whatcom falls. For the evening pick up a local Cascadia Daily News for a list of events, live music, and happenings around town for the week. If it's rainy catch a local independent flick at the Pickford, if it's beautiful there are outdoor movies in Fairhaven or lots of live music at the various breweries. A land dweller that wants to get on the ocean? San Juan Cruises does a few Whale Watching cruises and the Schooner Zodiac is a beautiful sail boat that offers sailings throughout the week. Moondance Sea Kayaking offers a few trips including a night Bioluminescence Paddle that might be good this time of year.
Train to Mt Vernon
No car but want to see something outside Bellingham? Catch the 9 AM train out of Bellingham to Mt Vernon and spend the day in this little farm town south of Bellingham. If you go on Sunday after the wedding they have a wonderful farmers market. There are number of antique stores, a nice walking path along the Skagit river, and I highly recommend the Co-Op. You can catch a bus or the train back at the end of the day. The train goes along the ocean so I'd recommend taking it one of the directions.
For the Kiddos
The venue is in Zuanich Park that has a lot of paved bike paths for striders and a good playground. It has the perfect wind for a kite so bring your own or pick one up at Fairhaven Toy Garden. Along that bike path there is the Marine Life Center, free to the public, that has a few aquariums and a great touch tank. There is a park/ playground, swim spot, and sand volleyball courts at Bloedel Donovan Park with some nice walking paths in the woods across the street heading towards Whatcom Falls. Have some Shredders? There is a kid's pump track at the Friday night event site, Trackside. There is also a little beach there with a good playground and an Ice cream shop. The best ice cream is the indecision scoop at Mallards Ice Cream downtown. If you've got a car there are lots of U-Pick farms around from flowers to berry's that will be in season. These are real family friendly, a few I like are Bellwood Farms, Laurel Lavender Farm, Boxx Berry farm, and Home Farm.