Fairhaven

Fairhaven Review

Fairhaven, the historic district just shy of 3 mi south of Bellingham and at the beginning of Chuckanut Drive (Highway 11), was an independent city until 1903, and still retains its distinct identity as an intellectual and artistic center. The beautifully restored 1890s redbrick buildings of the Old Fairhaven District, especially on Harris Avenue between 10th and 12th streets, house restaurants, galleries, and specialty boutiques.

The Bellingham Cruise Terminal (355 Harris Ave. 360/676-2500), a massive brick building surrounded by gardens, dispatches daily ferries to the San Juan Islands, Victoria, and Alaska. There's terrific wildlife-watching right off the docks and adjacent shoreline, where sea lions, otters, and gray whales frolic out in the water as great blue herons, cormorants, and harlequin ducks bob on the surface. Fairhaven Marine Park, a long, sandy beach at the foot of Harris Street a few blocks south, is the place to launch sea kayaks. A rough trail runs south from the park along the railroad tracks to shingle beaches and rocky headlands, where you'll find clams, summer blackberries, and splendid views of Lummi Island.