Bellingham Things to Do

Western Washington University has 3 galleries on campus. The main one is the Western Gallery, connected to the art building. This showcases "temporary exhibitions featuring contemporary, interdisciplinary themes." In the Viking Union building there is the VU Gallery, a student curated space that displays both regional and international artists. Western students showcase their art at the B Gallery, located in the art building.

Every town should have a children's museum. Although I have not been to the one in Bellingham, I know many a family that takes their kids there. Great for a rainy day. There are rotating exhibits, a puppet theater, and arts and crafts workshops.

If you're gonna see a movie while visiting, try something a little different, a little more quaint. Pickford Cinema is a small locally operated theater with one screen, very intimate and old-fashioned. They show the movies you don't get to see in the biggy big theaters, like documentaries and independent films. They usually offer some interesting concession options like the strangely delicious Violet Crumble, or how about some Brewer's Yeast for your popcorn?

Check out www.fairhaven.com http://whatcom.kulshan.com/ and lots of links.

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is close as is Seattle

Boats to the San Juan Islands and Victoria, Canada as well as trains to Vancouver, BC and Seattle

If you ask any local about Clayton Beach, you're sure to get a huge wide eyed smile saying its one of the best places to visit in Bellingham. Its taken me a long time to find this place because theres several websites online that are a little misleading on how to get there.

Be sure to stop frequently along Chuckanut highway, a lot of the views are to die for, especially at sunset or during a sunny day!

This beach has lots of Chuckanut sandstone boulders that are great for practicing your rock climbing skills, and theres a lot of cool geological formations around to take a gander at! Theres examples of honey-comb weathering thats pretty unique, its where the sandstone has been worn by the waves to have holes and chambers in it that look like a bee's nest.

In low tide you can take your dog or kids out to take a look at the cool sand dollars the litter the shore, the occasional starfish and clam. Theres tons of trails around too. To get to the beach you take a 15 min hike thru the forest that reminds me of the Olympic National Rainforest. This trail is pretty well maintained except for after a recent rain where the trail is muddy but there are often little alternate trails you can take to avoid getting dirty.

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Head out to the cliffs by finding the trail thats just to the left of the Amphitheatre, watch the sunset. Its literally the most beautiful place on earth if you time it right. Many students and others come here to relax for a while, read a book or just sit and think. Theres many places that have been worn into the rock that serve as a natural seat.

To get there you need to go down Chuckanut Drive, which in itself is also a trip. It parallells I-5 for about 33 miles, starting in Bellingham and popping out around Burlington. Be careful at what time of year you go - Chuckanut is prone to alot of rock slides and falls.

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An easy hike through the lush green forest, Whatcom Falls is not to be missed. Follow the path past the falls themselves and you may see students leaping off the cliffs into the pool below. While I wouldn't personally leap off the cliffs, many do and have a great time doing it.

On a bright day like this past week, one could see young and old walking along the newly built taylor pathway, i think that is the name of it, for a comfortable walk or a bicycle ride along the bay. nice breeze and we sat down at one of the many benches provided with wonderful scenery of the bay and the hills beyond.
just civilized way of living.. and people as usual friendly and saying hello at the earliest chance