Bellingham: Your Last-Minute Summer Escape for Seattle-Area Families
Photo:
This double-decker bus, more than 90 years old and originally from London, is a familiar sight in Bellingham’s Fairhaven neighborhood.
Where to fuel up and sleep in Bellingham
Fuel
In Fairhaven, get a treat at the Mount Bakery, lunch at Colophon Café and dinner at The Filling Station. For coffee or brunch, try FireHouse Café (featuring a fantastic outdoor seating area and an incredible tree) or Café Blue. Fairhaven’s familiar double-decker bus has had a rough go at various times, but it’s now open as a taco stand. Hooray!
Downtown, try long-time fave The Bagelry for lunch or a snack, family-friendly Boundary Bay Brewery or tasty Brandywine Kitchen for dinner. Old World Deli on State Street serves up amazing sandwiches. Find more amazing sandwiches at Café Rumba. No visit to Bellingham is complete without a cone from Mallard Ice Cream, the city’s premier ice cream shop.
Sleep
Pitch a tent at Larrabee State Park on Chuckanut Drive (reservations recommended, and note that you’ll hear very heavy train noise). About 20 miles northwest of Bellingham, Birch Bay State Park is a large campground on the water with wonderful beaches that are perfect for exploring at low tide.
If a hotel is more your family’s style, try Marriott’s SpringHill Suites in downtown Bellingham, with large rooms that feel more like apartments and include microwaves and mini fridges; or its sister hotel, TownePlace Suites, complete with kitchens. The swanky Chrysalis Inn sits right at the top of the Taylor Street dock and South Bay Trail. It’s a short trail walk to Fairhaven and has pet-friendly rooms.
