10 Best Sights in Bellingham, Washington Cascade Mountains and Valleys

Highway 11, also known as Chuckanut Drive, was once the only highway accessing Bellingham from the south. The drive begins in Fairhaven, reaches the flat farmlands of the Samish Valley near the village of Bow, and joins up with Interstate 5 at Burlington, in Skagit County. The full loop can be made in a couple of hours, but the many notable eateries along the route, especially around Bow—home to the Bow-Edison Food Trail—may tempt you to linger. For a dozen miles this 23-mile road winds along the cliffs above beautiful Chuckanut and Samish bays. It twists its way past the sandstone face of Chuckanut Mountain and crosses creeks with waterfalls; look for lively oyster bars here,too. Turnouts are framed by madrona trees and pines and offer views of the San Juan Islands. Bald eagles cruise along the cliffs or hang out on top of tall firs. Drive carefully: the cliffs are so steep in places that closures resulting from rock slides occasionally occur in winter.

Just 3 miles south of downtown Bellingham and at the beginning of Chuckanut Drive (Highway 11), this bustling historic district 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 stylish boutiques. The action is centered on Fairhaven Green, the site of festivals, concerts, outdoor movies, and other fun gatherings throughout the year.

South of Fairhaven and accessed from Chuckanut Drive, this rugged 2,683-acre park offers an 8,100-foot stretch of rocky shore with quiet, sandy coves and also has trails that climb up along the slopes of Chuckanut Mountain. Even though the mountain has been logged repeatedly, there's still plenty of lush forest. Trails lead through ferny fir and maple forests to hidden lakes, caves, and cliff-top lookouts from which you can see to the San Juan Islands—the 4½-mile round-trip Fragrance Lake loop is a particularly rewarding hike. At the shore there's a sheltered boat launch; you can go crabbing here or watch the birds—and the occasional harbor seal—that perch on the offshore rocks. The area west of Chuckanut Drive has picnic tables as well as tent and RV sites with hookups, which are open all year.

Bellingham's art and history museum fills three buildings near one another downtown; its centerpiece is the Lightcatcher, a LEED-certified building with an 180-foot-long translucent wall. It's home to FIG, the hands-on Family Interactive Gallery, along with permanent collections of contemporary Northwest artists and spaces for rotating exhibits. Three blocks away, Bellingham's imposing redbrick former city hall dates to 1892, became a museum in 1941, and now contains historic exhibits. The third building, the Syre Education Center, contains a photographic archive. The museum's restaurant, Bar Cicotti, is in the Lightcatcher and garners raves for its creative Northern Italian lunch and dinner fare.

The only public access in Bellingham to rippling, 14-mile-long Lake Whatcom is at its north end, in this park about a 10-minute drive east of downtown. Locals swim in the sheltered, if rather brisk, waters of a cove. Keep an eye out for beavers, river otters, ducks, great blue herons, and yellow pond lilies at Scudder Pond, which is another 100 feet west (reached by trail from the parking area at Northshore and Alabama).

With a long pier, a boardwalk over an old rail trestle, and a paved trail that skirts the waterfront overlooking the islands of Bellingham Bay, this leafy community park between downtown and Fairhaven is one of the loveliest spots in the area to stroll, jog, read a book, or watch the sailboats. At the center of the park is a branch of the popular local café Woods, which offers sweeping water views. Other amenities include a playground, a small beach, barbecue grills, and picnic tables.

Informative tours and tastings are offered at this celebrated downtown distillery that's garnered dozens of awards for its botanical-infused gin, sweet whiskey, and Krampus herbal liqueur. The distillery's bi-level Penny Farthing Bar & Restaurant is open from mid-afternoon through dinner and serves well-crafted cocktails and Spanish-inspired tapas. 

Situated above the campus of Western Washington University, 175-acre Sehome Hill Arboretum, with its native trees, shrubs, and other plants, has good views of Bellingham Bay and Lummi Island, especially from the facility's observation tower. More than 6 miles of trails encircle the beautifully landscaped grounds.

At this quirky downtown museum, rooms filled with some of the world's earliest electrical appliances—light bulbs, phones, batteries, motors, radios, TVs—along with photos, news clippings, and interactive exhibits tell the story of how electricity transformed our world. A particularly interesting exhibit sparked by the film The Current War traces the competitive battle for technological supremacy among Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla. On weekends at 2:30, docents present a wildly entertaining electric light show, complete with 12-foot lightening bolts, in the museum theater.

On upper Whatcom Creek, Whatcom Falls Park (reached via Lakeway, east from I–5) features a creek with a number of pretty waterfalls; one has a popular local swimming hole, although the water is very cold. Trails lead down creek and up the creek to Scudder Pond and Bloedel Donovan Park.