While Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver are hotspots in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), Bellingham, WA is often overlooked. But it shouldn’t be!
To me, Bellingham fully represents PNW culture with its outdoor and artsy vibes and foodie haven. If you’re planning a visit to the PNW, make sure to put Bellingham on your list and if you haven’t even considered the PNW as a destination….we need to talk 😉
This Ultimate Guide provides a full itinerary for a weekend getaway in Bellingham. Do you have some extra days to spend in Bham? Drop a comment below and I’ll share more ideas for your trip!
**a lot of my photos were lost from this trip so excuse the lack of photos 🙁**
BEST TIME TO GO: With highs of 72 and lows of 50 in the summer months, June – August are the best times to visit Bellingham.
CLIMATE: Bellingham has typical PNW coastal weather. The strong influence from the Puget Sound and Olympic and Cascade Mountains provide an oceanic climate. Most rainfall is in November and typically the most snow can be found in January. It’s reported to have the lowest average sunshine amount of any city in the United States.
LANGUAGE: English is the predominant language.
MONEY: US Dollar ($USD). ATMs are spread throughout the city and most businesses accept all major credit cards.
AIRPORT: Bellingham International Airport (BLI)
TRANSPORTATION: Downtown Bellingham is very walkable but to get to some key hiking spots and surrounding areas, you’ll need a car.
If the weather is nice and you’re wearing comfortable attire and shoes, I’d suggest walking or biking around to see more of the city!
Public ride-sharing APPs like Uber and Lyft are readily available all over the city.
ACCOMMODATIONS: I recommend checking out Airbnb. We stayed in a beautifully clean house, Djiffle Park, which accommodates 4 guests, and has a fully equipped kitchen, WiFi, parking on-site, A/C, and a large yard for pets.
FRIDAY
OYSTER DOME
Just a 90-minute drive from SeaTac and 20 minutes south of downtown Bellingham, you’ll find a string of parked cars along Chuckanut Drive where the Oyster Dome Trailhead is. Located on the east side of the highway, this trail can get quite crowded, especially on the weekends. This is why I recommend doing it Friday afternoon on your way up before the after-work crowd arrives.
**In my research for this article, I found there is an alternative trailhead and parking area located at the Samish Overlook**
Oyster Dome is labeled as a moderate 5-mile out-and-back trail offering stunning views of Samish Bay and Bellingham Bay.
After a strenuous hike where you 🤞fingers crossed🤞 beat the crowds, head 1-mile north to Taylor Shellfish Farms.
TAYLOR SHELLFISH FARMS
With a motto of “Tide to Table,” it doesn’t get any fresher than this! They offer a variety of oysters, scallops, shrimp, mussels, and clams as well as beverages; wine, beer, and kombucha.
🦪 A few of my favorites: smoked scallops, pacific medium oysters, and fat bastard oysters.
Grab a seat outside to enjoy views of the Samish Bay where you might catch a glimpse of an employee bringing in the daily haul from the farms.
After stuffing our faces with delish shellfish and Kombucha, we decided to make our way into Bellingham and check in to our Airbnb.
While unpacking and settling in, we had a few glasses of Rose before calling an Uber (you can also walk or bike depending on where you are located & how many beverages you’ve had 🤪). We made our way to Boulevard Park to enjoy the sunset on Taylor Dock over Bellingham Bay.
BOULEVARD PARK
Boulevard Park is a charming bayfront space that offers a boardwalk, sandy beaches, and a lot of green space. During the summer months, you might catch a concert on the outdoor stage or bring your own entertainment with a frisbee, picnic, or use one of the public barbeques to grill out. Bring your fishing rod and find a spot on the boardwalk or one of the many shoreline fishing areas. Rent a bike or take a stroll down the overwater boardwalk.
CULTURE CAFE AT KOMBUCHA TOWN
Head downtown to the Culture Cafe at Kombucha Town for some live music and healthy-ish bites. Culture Cafe offers an extensive menu full of fresh food including bowls, wraps, salads, soups, and pub fares. I selected the most unhealthy item on the menu, Uncommon Mac N Cheese. Full of swiss, parmesan, smoked gouda bechamel and bleu cheese, infused with Wander Uncommon beer, and seasoned with fresh herbs this is no ordinary Mac N Cheese.
There are 10 varieties of booch from Kombucha Town on tap, so I opted for a kombucha flight to try the local brand. The flight included the Green Jasmine, Gold Light, Lavender, Cascadian Hop, Guayusa Mint, and Blueberry White. While they are all delicious, my favorites are the Lavender and Ginger.
**you can find Kombucha Town cans for sale in most grocery stores in Washington State!**
RUCKUS ROOM ARCADE
A few blocks away you’ll find something a bit different and quite niche to the PNW, Ruckus Room Arcade. This old-school arcade has classic pinball machines as well as newer games, air hockey, and skee ball. With alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks, you could ideally spend the evening here.
But with limited time, we wanted to see everything Bellingham had to offer, so we headed over to 20th Century Bowling Alley to end the evening. 20th Century Bowling Alley has a snack shack that also serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
SATURDAY
BIG LOVE JUICE
We made a reservation at Bayou on Bay ahead of time and our reservation wasn’t until 11am, so we had a few hours to kill in the morning. I didn’t want to unleash the hanger in Bham and knew I wasn’t going to make it until 11, so we decided to grab juice and a pre-brunch snack.
Big Love Juice provides cold-pressed juice filled with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, pre + probiotics, antioxidants, and amino acids all from organic fruits and vegetables. If you’re like me, choosing the right juice is the hardest decision (especially early in the morning). Big Love Juice allows you to try 5 of their classics with their Juice Flight!
Their juice flight includes the Big Love, Super Mood, Warrior, Love’s Eleven, and Rad.
THE BELLINGHAM FARMERS MARKET
The Bellingham Farmers Market is right behind Big Love Juice and opens at 10am on Saturdays from April to October. The Farmers Market features a variety of live music, food vendors, and notable local artists.
We grabbed some local organic honey, purse cookies, and checked out the local art, jewelry, and candles. There is an entire section of food vendors too, so don’t worry about going hungry if you decide to brunch here.
BAYOU ON BAY
Bayou on Bay is just a short leisurely 10-minute walk from Bellingham’s farmers market. As the name suggests, Bayou on Bay is a spicy and flavorful Cajun restaurant. It’s the perfect little slice of New Orleans in the PNW with the energy of the city and the service of the south!
They offer Cajun, Creole, and Southern cuisine and classic cocktails like the Bloody Mary, Hurricane, and Paloma. Since I surprisingly never tried alligator while living in Florida for 8 years 🤦♀️ I decided to give it a try! Much to my surprise…it was good, like really good! I know it sounds cliché but it’s texture and taste is similar to chicken. 🤷♀️
🍤 A few of my favorites: jambalaya, Mac & Cheese, biscuits and gravy, and the Bayou Bloody Mary
If you didn’t have too many Bloody Marys head a mile and a half out of the downtown area to burn off some of those calories with a trail walk.
WHATCOM CREEK TRAIL AND WHATCOM FALLS PARK
We started with the Whatcom Creek Trail which is a 4-mile easy trail that features a waterfall. There is hardly an elevation gain, the trail is well-maintained and shaded with beautiful scenery.
Next, we ventured out another mile and a half to Whatcom Falls Park. As the name suggests, Whatcom Falls Park provides 4 scenic waterfalls. Entering from the parking lot you’ll have an epic viewing of the notable stone bridge. Crossing over you’ll enter Whatcom Falls Park’s expansive 240-acres filled with hiking trails, picnic tables, covered shelters, and plenty of places to explore.
After hours of wandering around in nature, we head back to our Airbnb to freshen up before heading back downtown for dinner and drinks.
BOUNDRY BAY BREWERY & BISTRO
From the outside, Boundry Bay Brewery & Bistro looks like a large brick warehouse building. However, arrive on the weekend for brunch or dinner or weeknights for happy hour and you’ll find it bursting at the seams. Featuring an outdoor beer garden, patio, inside bar, and plenty of indoor casual seating
Unfortunately, the staff is not well-equipped to handle the hustle and bustle, so we had to wait over an hour for our food and constantly flag down staff for more drinks. Aside from that, the food is exceptionally delicious. I ordered the roasted balsamic-marinated portabello mushrooms stuffed with bleu cheese and a side of Yukon potatoes and seasonal veggies. Highly recommend 👌
MALLARDS ICE CREAM
Grab a scoop or two at Mallards Ice Cream two blocks away. Mallards Ice Cream was featured as Washington’s representative in the best ice cream shops in all 50 states as well as ranked in the top 10 by various foodie articles nationwide. Offering vegan flavors as well as interesting flavors such as ghost chili peppermint, lavender, and basil alongside the classics, you’re sure to find a flavor that suits you.
RACKET BAR & PINBALL LOUNGE
End the night at another one of Bellingham’s old-school arcades; Racket Bar & Pinball Lounge. Grab a drink at the bar downstairs, then head upstairs to the pinball lounge. It’s quite a small space, so it gets crowded but it just adds to the atmosphere!
SUNDAY
HOMESKILLET
Homeskillet is the ultimate representation of Bellingham in one tiny little eccentric eatery. You can not visit Bellingham without coming here and trust me, you won’t miss it. Miss. Velveeta Jones the colorful rooster will welcome you and the outside (and inside) look like a 1969 VW van exploded.
Being family-owned there’s definitely a no-nonsense vibe about it that you kinda fall in love with; the staff are quirky and shout out ridiculous cues to one another in passing. Homeskillet doesn’t take reservations or parties over 4 so be mindful of that.
🥞 A few of my favorites: veggie home skillet, homemade biscuits & homemade gravy, pancakes, and house-made Bloody Mary
In addition to the quirky staff and hippie ambiance, the delicious food is what keeps locals and visitors coming back time and time again.
FAIRHAVEN HISTORIC DISTRICT
Take a step back in time on a walk through the Fairhaven Historic District. Fairhaven streets are lined with red-brick Victorian architecture and stunning views of Bellingham Bay. While keeping their history, Fairhaven has sprouted many unique shops, cozy cafes, and delicious eateries that add to your Bellingham experience.
🎨📚A few of my favorites: Village Books, Artwood Gallery, and Skylark’s Hidden Cafe.
LAKE PADDEN
Not quite ready to head back, we stopped at Lake Padden before getting on the road. It’s located at Bellingham’s southern tip just west of the 5.
The 2.5-mile trail loops around the lake offering stunning views. It’s perfect to let your furry friend run free at the off-leash dog park or get a walk in before heading back to the Seattle area.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Did you give any part of this Bellingham itinerary a try? Please let me know what you think below! Or, do you need even MORE suggestions? Shoot me an email or drop a comment below if you have more days in Bellingham.
