PERFECT
by
Photo
Anne Godenham
WRITTEN BY ANNE GODENHAM AND KRISTEN BOEHM
EVER WAKE UP on the weekend and feel a tug to get out of the house and do something fun, but you have no idea what fun thing to do? Sometimes, you can waste a whole beautiful day languishing around trying to figure out a plan. Well, we’re here to help, with 52 ideas for a great day out and about in the North Sound. From pottery painting and picnicking with a book to bar crawls and whale-watching, there’s something here for every personality and all kinds of weather—you’re sure to find inspiration for your next perfect Saturday!
Photo by Anne Godenham
Go Clam Digging
While all but the bravest diggers will wait until spring, razor clams are available all year in Washington—just make sure to check the Department of Fish & Wildlife’s website before you head for the beach. The department sets mini dig seasons throughout the year, according to clam population, tides, light, and marine toxicity levels. Once you know your weekend is cleared for digging, all you need is a license, a clam shovel, a bucket for your catch, and a pair of waterproof boots!
Salute Our National Celebrities
Grab your binoculars, stop for a hot drink, and drive east along Highway 20 to look for bald eagles. Winter (late November through January) is eagle season in the Skagit Valley; the huge birds migrate to the river to feast on the salmon carcasses left on the banks, which means tons of opportunities for viewing and photography. If pulling over at random spots and trying your luck doesn’t appeal, start at the Skagit River Bald Eagle Interpretive Center in Rockport for help making a more concrete plan.
Photo by Kapil Kapre
Museum Medley: Culture, Art, and History
Tour some local museums to fill your perfect day with new knowledge and appreciation. If you love tech and invention, head to the Heritage Flight Museum in Burlington and the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention in Bellingham. Visit the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum, The Skagit County Historical Museum, and the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner for a trifecta of craftsmanship, history, and art! To explore local history, check out the Sedro-Woolley Museum, Lynden Heritage Museum, Orcas Island Historical Museum, and even Ferndale’s Pioneer Park, which hosts a village of real late-1800s slab cedar houses open for touring from May-September. For those with kiddos, let them explore at the Children’s Museum of Skagit County in Burlington. And if you like everything, you can’t go wrong at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, which hosts a Family Interactive Gallery, a photo archive, a permanent exhibit about local Native culture, and rotating art exhibits.
Photocourtesyof CreativiTea
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Find Color on a Gray Day
If the winter darkness is getting you down, inject some color into your day by painting pottery! Whether you choose to paint a
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Snow Day!
On those special Saturdays where grey skies yield piles of fresh, fluffy snow, make sure to get out there and have yourself a perfect snow day!
For general frolicing or small hill sledding, Bellingham has some wide open spaces and gentle inclines in parks like Lake Padden Park, Maritime Heritage Park, and Fairhaven Park.
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Get Inspired at IKEA
IKEA is notorious for stressing people out, but there’s one sure-fire way to combat the cortisol increase the confusing layout and crowds of families can cause: lean into the chaos. Instead of visiting the furniture giant when you need something, why not go for the experience? Have some meatballs with lingonberry sauce in the cafeteria, then let the meandering floorplan take you through room after room, testing out armchairs and soft-close kitchen drawers as you go. You might even be inspired by some of the creative room layouts their designers come up with!
Enjoy the (Indoor) View at an Art Gallery
The views in the North Sound are unparalleled, but even our stunning region has its less-than-beautiful days. That’s when local galleries are a great way to both stay warm and remind yourself of the natural beauty all around us (under a layer of cloud cover). Enjoy out-of-season landscapes and moody seascapes while you soak in the quiet, contemplative surroundings at Perry and Carlson in Mount Vernon, Smith & Vallee Gallery in Bow, The Heron’s Nest Gallery in Fairhaven, or Sharon Kingston Art Studio and Gallery in Bellingham—and that’s just to name a few.
Expand your Artistic Horizons at Make.Shift Art Space
Weekends are busy at Make.Shift Art Space, a non-profit art center in Bellingham focused on grass-roots expression. On any given Saturday, you can spend a day there by taking a beginning arts class like DIY Block Printing, checking out the rotating art exhibit in the gallery, shopping at a pop-up market, or renting a studio to record a music track or work on a project. Keep it going into the night by attending an all-ages concert in their basement venue! Just remember, Make.Shift is for everyone in the community, leading to their motto: “No Booze. No Drugs. No Jerks.”
Take a (Short) Wander Through Downtown Edison
The tiny downtown area that makes up Edison (part of Bow-Edison, which is a census-designated place in Skagit Valley), is home to a disproportionate number of fabulous shops and eateries. Grab brunch at Tweets and then wander north along Gilkey Avenue, popping into Indigo Dreams, Hedgerow, The Lucky Dumpster, and Book Shucker for some shopping. Or start with the shops and finish with lunch at Slough Food, Mariposa Taqueria, Terramar Brewstillery, or The Edison Cafe. Whatever you do, don’t leave without picking up a treat from Breadfarm!
If downhill skiing and snowboarding is more what you’re after, Mt. Baker Ski Area is the gift that keeps on giving! With three lodges, nearly 700 inches of annual snowfall, marked runs and plentiful backcountry opportunities, snowsports lovers can’t go wrong.
If you’re willing to go a little further for something new, about two hours South and bit East is The Summit at Snoqualmie, with their family-friendly (“no skill required!”) Summit Tubing Park! Over 18 groomed tubing lanes, provided snow tubes, a lift to the top of the 500-foot-long hill (with 40 feet of vertical), and even night sessions with rainbow lighting make this destination a sure-fire contender for best snow day ever.
Looking for a more relaxing snow day? We have local agencies like Mt. Baker Vacation Rentals and Luxury Getaways to help you find the perfect place to kick back and enjoy a picturesque snowy day in, from log cabins in the Deming woods to private alpine lodges in Glacier.
For you comfy-cozy lovers, don’t forget to accent your snow day with all the creature comforts. Mount Vernon’s own gourmet Forte Chocolate creates decadent hot cocoa powders you can whip-up at home, plus crispy dessert barks to crumble on top.
Photo by Emily Porter
Fall in Love with Whales
Go beyond watching whales—take a Saturday to learn all about them, explore different options for sightings, and come away with a whole new understanding of these complex marine mammals.
Start at The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor, which has been educating the public and stewarding whales in the Salish Sea since 1979. On the first floor of the museum, you’ll find their newest exhibit area, which features an exhibit honoring Sooke (L-112, a resident orca from L pod), an exhibit about the dangers of plastic, an overview of baleen whales, and more! Upstairs, the second floor hosts the Gallery of Whales, which will teach you all about the Salish Sea’s resident J, K, and L orca pods, with life-sized models and real articulated skeletons.
From there, join San Juan Kayak Expeditions for their Lime Kiln Half-Day Tour. You’ll launch from San Juan County Park into the Whale Sanctuary area designated on the west side of San Juan Island. You’ll spend several areas paddling around gorgeous coastline, and although there’s never a guarantee, you might spot orcas, humpbacks, minke whales, porpoises, otters, harbor seals, and maybe even some sea lions!
Afterwards, retreat to one of Snug Harbor Resort’s waterfront cabins, also on the west side of the island. The cabins face Mitchell Bay, where the resort also has its own private marina. Relax on a private patio just 45 feet from the shore and see if you can catch any last glimpses of our marine neighbors!
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Try a New Gastropub
Bars and lounges are great for happy hours or after-work drinks, but on a Saturday afternoon you might want to stay a while and have a meal with your beer. Luckily, we have a ton of great breweries and bars that double as mellow (but high-quality) restaurants! In Skagit, we love The Office Tavern in Burlington, District Brewing and Temperate Habits Brewery in Mount Vernon, and The Firehall Kitchen & Taphouse in La Conner. Meanwhile, you can’t throw a burger in Whatcom without hitting a great brewery lunch, but we always recommend El Sueñito Brewing Company and GRUFF Brewing Co. in Bellingham and The Newsroom Pub in Lynden. More into wine than beer? Head to Blaine and visit The Vault Wine Bar.
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Build up Your
Shellfish-Eating Muscles
Many shellfish aficionados will tell you that Penn Cove, on Whidbey Island, is the source of the best mussels around—in Coupeville, they host a whole festival celebrating them. Whether you eat a bowl of delicious Penn Cove mussels at a local restaurant like Rock n’ Rye or The Oyster Bar or take a day trip to Coupeville for the festival on the first weekend in March, spring is a great time to build this particular strength!
Photo by Cocoa Laney
Fun and Games
Maybe your perfect Saturday is all about racking up points, executing a perfect strategy, and claiming the win! If you like a game day at home, check out stores like Cosmic Games, Aegis Games, Wishes Toys Books and Games, and even Comics Place for RPG supplies, board games, and card games. If you’d rather get out and about, check out Bellingham’s The Racket Bar and Pinball Lounge, the Ruckus Room Arcade and Fun Center, or Fairhaven’s 1-Up Lounge. Aim & Game in Ferndale offers everything from axe throwing to an arcade, and Phoenix Nest Classic Video Arcade stays true to the retro-vibe, even keeping most games at 25 cents per play!
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Head North Across the Border
Grab your passport and head north for a day trip to Vancouver! The coastal British Columbia city is one of Canada’s most diverse and densely populated cities, and welcomes an average of 10 million tourists a year. These travelers are drawn to Vancouver because of its blend of architectural and natural beauty, thriving cultural arts scene, and exceptional food.
Can’t-miss attractions include VanDusen Botanical Garden, the Vancouver Aquarium, and Stanley Park (the third-largest park in North America!), but our favorite thing to do in the city is to wander the neighborhoods, stopping for snacks and meals and coffee and cocktails along the way. The waterfront Gastown district is the oldest commercial area of Vancouver and is home to the famous Orpheum Theatre and the Vancouver Art Gallery. For a funkier vibe—and a bustling outdoor market—head across Granville Bridge to Granville Island, an industrial site-turnedupscale neighborhood that’s become a hub for artsy shopping and entertainment, as well as a foodie destination. If all that food and walking has made you sleepy, why not stay the night in one of the city’s many beautiful hotels? Plus, then you’ll have time on Sunday morning to squeeze in some dim sum in Richmond on the way home! Our current favorites are Kirin Seafood Restaurant, Golden Paramount, and Royal Garden Seafood Restaurant, but you really can’t go wrong.
Go on a Garden Center Tour
With so many nurseries in our region, it can be overwhelming to choose where to shop. So for this one day, make a rule: look, but don’t shop! Head for a wander (and maybe some photo sessions) through the flowering aisles of Christianson’s Nursery & Greenhouse, Salazar's Nursery and Landscape Supplies, and Well’s Nursery in Mount Vernon, or peruse perennials at Kent’s Garden & Nursery, Joe’s Gardens, and Garden Spot Nursery in Bellingham. Take notes on anything you feel tempted to buy, then reassess next weekend before you go to close the deal.
PhotobyCocoaLaney
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Tiptoe Through the Tulips
Spring is a riot of color in the North Sound, from the purple foxgloves that dot the I-5 to the pink buds on plum and cherry trees all over the region. The most concentrated displays of color, though, are found every April at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, when five local farms open their fields and curated gardens to the public. The breathtaking beauty is worth the traffic and the crowds, trust us. (Can’t wait for April? The daffodils pop up in March, and a quick drive through the bright yellow fields in West Mount Vernon will give you the dopamine hit you need!)
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Sleep Under the Stars
While summer is the most common time of year for camping, booking a site for spring usually means less competition for the best spots, and while the nights can be cold, that’s actually perfect for gathering around the fire! Plus, after a chilly morning the days often warm up enough to enjoy the same hiking and water activities you’d do in summer. Some of our favorite spring campgrounds are Rasar State Park in Skagit and Larrabee State Park on Chuckanut Drive.
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Put Your Saturday on Ice
Getting tired of the hot sunny days already? Cool off with a day of ice skating at Bellingham’s Sportsplex Arena. Drop in on a public skating session to wobble around without the threat of hockey sticks or pucks whizzing by, or register for a skating class like Learn to Skate Saturdays to get axle-ing like a pro!
Beach It at Birch Bay State Park
Year-round, weather permitting, you can spend a perfect Saturday unplugging at Birch Bay State Park! This little state park is the perfect combination of wooded campground and rocky beach. Set up camp in the trees (pitch a tent or bring a trailer) before going to explore the beach, swim in the relatively warm shallows, or bountiful clam-digging at low-tide. Shoot some hoops at the basketball court, hike or bike ride around the trails, or just set up a hammock and take a shady nap. We’d recommend going back to the beach to watch the sunset, then gathering around a campfire to tell stories and roast your favorite treats.
Saturday Market Fun
Saturday markets are the perfect makings for a perfect day! They’re an excellent way to get some fresh air while shopping for fresh produce, hand-crafted consumables and crafts, and vintage finds. Typically, we love a morning market combined with a stop somewhere for coffee or breakfast, possibly followed by some hang time in a park or enjoying a walk around town, before heading home with our spoils.
The Bellingham Farmers Market fills the downtown Depot Market Square and even the street leading up to it with wellloved local artisans and producers. They put the farm back in farmers market, with dozens of stalls representing local agriculture like Cloud Mountain Farm Center, Alluvial Farms, BeeWorks Farm, Bellingham Flower Farm, and many more. Cascadia Mushrooms farms and forages potent and delicious fungi. Lummi Seafood Market, LLC, and Sea to Shore Seafood Co. provide the freshest catches! Bakeries, creameries, fermenters, and coffee roasters are on-site, too. Craftsmen sell everything including knives, pottery, woodworks, jewelry, skincare, and clothes. Add the ready-to-eat food vendors, and there’s truly something for everyone!
For those with a hunger for vintage, unique home decor, and art of all sorts, you’ll want to keep an eye out for Wonderz Market, held once-monthly in Bellingham for most of the year. They have an ever-changing line-up of vendors, so there’s always something new to find. Some of their regulars are clothing airbrusher Blythe Ave Market, eclectic decor reseller Funky Fresh Finds, and Bellingham-famous jewelry crafter Good Boy Mercantile.
With some planning, you could hit both these markets on the same day! Worry not, though—you’ll find no shortage of farmers markets throughout Whatcom, Skagit, and the San Juan Islands to visit any given Saturday during the spring and summer, with some even continuing into the colder months. 20 20
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Visit Sedro-Woolley
If you don’t live in or near Sedro-Woolley, you might never have been—it’s a bit of a ways east from I-5—but it’s worth a visit! In addition to a charming historic downtown area, Woolley boasts beautiful scenery, great locallyowned shops, and a bunch of great restaurants. Plus, they have the cutest pharmacy/coffee shop we’ve ever seen: Apothecary Coffee inside Schaffner’s Pharmacy.
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Bellingham Bar Crawl
Downtown Bellingham has more unique bars than ever, so if your perfect Saturday includes plenty of brews and spirits, we challenge you to hit the town! To ease you in, start at Ponderosa Beer and Books, where you can sip while perusing books on their mezzanine. Working your way into downtown, go to The Temple Bar for light bites with the next round, then The Admiralty Lounge where you might start feeling a little bit like a salty sea dog. Just a hop away is the friendly Uisce Irish Pub, then head down Cornwall Avenue to Penny Farthing Bar & Restaurant at Chuckanut Bay Distillery, where you can tuck into a filling meal. Continue to Holly Street, then head west towards JUXT Taphouse and Jack’s, or east towards Matthew’s Honest Cocktails and The Orion. That’s not even all of them, but we think that’s plenty to start!
Have a Lake Day
With so many fabulous lakes in our region, we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to inland beach days. Lake Whatcom is the go-to beach spot for many Bellingham residents (it’s also a great place for water sports), but Lake Samish is equally beautiful and boat-friendly; Lake Padden has a fantastic, beginner-friendly hiking loop around it, as does Lake Louise in Sudden Valley. Down in Skagit, Big Lake is known for boating and fishing, Lake Shannon is a secluded beauty with views of Mount Baker, and Clear Lake has a great beach for young kids.
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Hungry or Thirsty? There’s a Festival for That
There are almost too many food and beer festivals to name here in the North Sound, but one of the most popular events to get your hops on in Bellingham is April Brews Day, where you can sample brews from more than 50 craft breweries and nosh on delicious food truck offerings. In the summer, we celebrate all things berry with Skagit’s Berry Dairy Days in June and Lynden’s Northwest Raspberry Festival in July. And the end of summer is just the beginning of festival season: September in Bellingham brings SeaFeast, VegFest, and GreekFest, and Skagit’s Farm to Pint Fest and B’Town Fall Fest run in September too.
Photo by Kym Larvie
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Take a Hike
The Pacific Northwest is famous for its mountains, its views, and the general outdoorsiness of its residents, so of course we have to suggest you spend a perfect day hiking! If you’re in Whatcom County and you’re a fairly experienced hiker (or just in good shape), you’ve got to try Oyster Dome. The 5-mile round-trip trail gains 1,000 feet of elevation and reaches more than 2,000 feet at its highest point, and the views at the top sweep from Anacortes to Lummi Island, with Samish Bay and its islands in between and Vancouver Island in the background. For hikers who like to take it easier or bring kids along, Whatcom Falls Park has a range of trails, some of which are paved.
In Skagit, Sauk Mountain is a challenging 4-mile hike with stunning views at the summit (5,541 feet up). Tight switchbacks take hikers through dense foliage and beautiful wildflowers in the spring, with the option to peel off on a side hike to an alpine lake; at the top, you can see all the way across the Skagit Valley to Mount Vernon. If you’re looking for something mellow, try Dock Butte in Concrete. It’s just under 4 miles out and back, with an option to pop over to Blue Lake along the way. The San Juan Islands are a favorite view from mainland peaks, but they also have plenty of fabulous trails to offer their residents! On Orcas, the 2.9-mile Cascade Lake loop is a great place to start, while Moran State Park offers more than 38 miles of trails for a wide range of experience—head 2,409 feet up to Mount Constitution for the most challenging.
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San Juan offers a handful of easy to moderate hikes, from the 1.8-mile, 52-foot elevation Bell Point Loop trail to the 3.5-miles of trails with 350 feet of elevation at Jakle's Lagoon & Mt. Finlayson.
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Connect With Nature—in Style
Love the idea of camping under the stars and getting away from it all, but not the reality of sleeping on the ground and trekking to shared public bathrooms to brush your teeth at night? You sound like a glamper! Glamping (glam + camping) is sleeping outdoors without roughing it: many glamping sites offer kitted-out safari tents or yurts with real beds, and some (like Lakedale Resort in Friday Harbor) even have multi-room cabins with full private bathrooms. You can have your campfire s’mores without the dirt and bugs.
Volunteer in Your Community
Give back to the community and feel accomplished at the end of this perfect Saturday. Find opportunities through Skagit Volunteer Center and The Volunteer Center of Whatcom County, or just reach out to your favorite local non-profit—chances are they’ll be happy to accept your help. Whatcom Million Trees Project and Wild Whatcom will get you out in nature; volunteer at the Whatcom Literacy Council to help adults gain literacy; the Alternative Humane Society and Humane Society of Skagit Valley volunteer opportunities directly support animals; volunteer at Lydia Place to help your neighbors in need.
PhotobyDean Davidson
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Race Day
For some, there’s nothing more rewarding than getting up early, teeing up at the starting line, and giving a run your all. To turn any Saturday into your perfect running day, make sure you’ve got all your supplies from BBay Running, Fairhaven Runners & Walkers, Skagit Running Company, Yeager’s Sporting Goods, and Backcountry Essentials. Find community and races with Skagit Runners and Greater Bellingham Running Club (GBRC). If you love joining in with organized events, we’ve got all sorts of fun-runs, races, and marathons to suit every type of athlete!
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Heart-Pumping Adventures
Get the adrenaline flowing and fill your day with thrills! At Summit Adventure Park the whole family can have fun jumping across the open trampoline court, rope-swinging into a giant airbag, wall climbing, and more. If you have a need for speed, try MACH1 Speedway and Arcade’s indoor electric go-kart racing, or go to Skagit Speedway to watch car racers rip around the track. Head a little further south to High Trek Adventures in Everett for high-flying ziplines and a ropes course, plus laser tag, a wall-climbing tower, and more.
Party at a Local Music Festival
Love nothing more than jamming out to live music? We’ve got an excellent festival line-up throughout the year for you to party at! One thing all our local music festivals have in common is a core theme of community.
Northwest Tune-Up will be July 11-13 this year, and always takes place down at Bellingham’s Downtown Waterfront. In addition to commanding huge crowds at their waterfront stage for the concerts, this festival celebrates bicycles and local brews.
Going strong for over 20 years, the Subdued Stringband Jamboree is a multi-day fest that takes place at the Deming Log Show Grounds, this year Aug. 7-9. This is the festival to be at if you love folk and roots music, hanging out at the campgrounds, and making friends into the night.
If you’re more into performance arts and shenanigans, Sh’Bang! might be the festival for you! Held at the Lookout
Arts Quarry, this one boasts multiple whimsical stages where musicians perform nearly every genre, an off-road Downhill Soapbox Derby, and tons of circus arts, among other performances. This year, Sh’Bang! will run Aug. 29-31.
The Bellingham Celtic Festival will come around Sept. 17-21 this year, and takes place across multiple venues in Downtown Bellingham. This festival is great for lovers of string and other traditional instruments, and of sitting at a bar with a frosty beverage and joining in on a jam, singalong, or dance session.
Lastly, for fans of popular, alternative, and electronic dance music, the Bellingham EXIT festival has been bringing performances to venues around Bellingham for the last few Octobers. This one brings art installations and markets to its various venues along with a huge lineup of both big name and small local acts.
Photo courtesy of Forrest Templin
Get Your Hands Dirty with Ceramics
Whether or not you’ve worked with clay before, spending a day in the ceramics studio is a dream come true for many! It’s hard work, and you will get messy, but nothing’s more rewarding than bringing home a mug, planter, or little sculpture that you put your heart into. Bellingham has multiple studios to choose classes or workshops from (MUD Ceramics Studio, Burnish Clay Studio, and Baker Creek Ceramic Studio). In Anacortes, clayhouse is a newer studio that runs handbuilding “Clay Dates,” workshops, and private classes and parties.
Picnic With a Book at Your Favorite Park
If you like to picnic by the water, Marine Park in Fairhaven is a perfect blend of shaded grass and lapping waves. On your way, stop at Avenue Bread for a sandwich and maybe pick up a new novel from the Local Authors display at Village Books. In Mount Vernon, grab a Muffaletta Sandwich and a selection of snacks from Skagit Valley Larder and head across the river to Little Mountain Books & Botanica for a new read, then spread out your blanket at Edgewater Park and listen to the river rush by as you read and nosh.
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Bring on Brunch
We know Sunday is the default brunch day, but Saturday is prime brunching time, too! This delectable, flexible meal between breakfast and lunch has gone from an invention of necessity after late nights to the main social event of the weekend. There’s serious competition for the title of best brunch spot in these parts, so consider what kind of vibe you’re looking for. Martini Brunch in Mount Vernon is a 21-and-up spot that promises a good time for catching up with friends. If you’d like to combine brunch with walking and shopping, try cozy coffee spot Cafe Blue or French-inspired bistro The Black Cat in Fairhaven. For a homey cafe with an excellent drinks menu and a special focus on decadent sweets, try Sugar Mama Cafe in Anacortes.
Meet Me at the Fair
Crowds, craft and agricultural shows, rides, games, prizes, live performances, and deliciously deep-fried food! That’s a recipe for an amazing Saturday at the fair. Every year in August, Lynden hosts the Northwest Washington Fair at its fairgrounds and events center. With it comes grandstand music concerts, adorable and impressive animals, crafts exhibits, performances that entertain and inform, the Lynden PRCA Rodeo, a demolition derby, and a fantastically diverting carnival. This year, the Northwest Washington Fair will run Aug. 7-16, which gives you two Saturday opportunities! If you didn’t get enough, the Washington State Fair in Puyallup will be just after that, lasting almost a month from Aug. 29-Sept. 21. The self-proclaimed “biggest party in the state” is celebrating their 125th year in 2025, so you know they’ll be going all out!
Sleepless in Seattle
For you urbanites out there, there’s no better place for a perfect Saturday than the Emerald City. We know we can’t suggest a single day’s itinerary that would please everyone, so forgive us if we don’t mention your must-dos.
Sure, maybe you’ve been to Pike Place Market, but have you actually tried what it has to offer? Get there before the crowds with this Early-Bird Tasting Tour of Pike Place Market, available on viator.com. It starts at 9 a.m., lasts about twohours, and takes you behind-the-scenes with a small group to taste everything from smoked salmon to local chocolate. continued on page 58...
Photo by Anne Godenham
Find a cafe and kick-back to enjoy some delicious coffee. For a certified classic experience, hit-up one of Caffe Vita’s locations, or Seattle’s oldest espresso bar, Cafe Allegro
Hit the streets for some shopping! Visit Seattle recommends the Ballard neighborhood “if you’re a boutique freak,” so go here if you like hip and quirky stand-out shops. For a classic and high-end shopping spree, the Downtown core and University District have got you covered with places like Nordstrom and Zara. We always make sure to head to Chinatown for Uwajimaya, a huge Asian market, and its encompassed Kinokuniya Bookstore.
For dinner, head back towards Pike Place Market and get ready for an experience at The Pink Door. This ItalianAmerican restaurant is, indeed, done-up in shades of “perfect … milky pink,” and presents live entertainment every evening that can range from trapeze to tarot. Don’t worry, you can see what show’s in store ahead of time when you’re making your reservation (which we highly recommend you do).
You could definitely call it there, but if you’re still going strong, Seattle’s night-life awaits you! From high-end cocktail experiences like Needle & Thread at Tavern Law to colorful bars like The Unicorn and multi-stage dancing at Kremwerk, there’s something for everyone.
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Adventure by Train
We’re lucky to have an Amtrak train stop at the multimodal Fairhaven Station in Bellingham and the Skagit Station in Mount Vernon. Amtrak train service connects us to Vancouver in the North and Seattle in the South. Hop onto an Amtrak Cascades train and head south, seeing gorgeous vistas and the Oregon Coast as you go (this route takes you as far as Eugene, Oregon). Board Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train in Seattle to travel in comfort and style, with delicious on-board food and the Sightseer Lounge car. If you want to head West, check out Amtrak’s Empire Builder, which can take you from Portland or Seattle across Washington and towards Chicago.
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Experience Salmon Days in Issaquah
Head south to experience the salmon festival that’s been going for 55 years! The festival’s many ‘spawnsors,’ vendors, and volunteers come together to feed, water (or beer), and entertain visitors with hundreds of artisan booths, live music, and the beloved Dock Dogs competition. Make sure to stop on the Issaquah Creek bridge to cheer on the salmon as they head home from the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery—and while you’re in the area, say hi to Jakob Two Trees, Issaquah’s 14-foot Thomas Dambo troll!
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Get Spooked
Visit some of the North Sound’s reportedly haunted spots! The Northern State Hospital in Sedro-Woolley, Sycamore Square in Fairhaven, and Mount Baker Theatre in downtown Bellingham are all surrounded by ghost stories, unexplained events, and sightings of repeat ‘visitors.’
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Movie Marathon
Movies are a unique artform, a visual storytelling experience that can make us laugh, cry, learn, and dream. Most of us have childhood favorites or comfort watches that can be restorative to revisit. For this 7Saturday, set up your perfect movie marathon den at home—we recommend pillows and blankets, low lighting, and snacks galore. Pickford Film Center recently revived Bellingham’s beloved movie archive, Film Is Truth 24 Times A Second, so check out the catalogue of more than 22,000 titles! Or, if you feel like having a movie marathon at the theatre, head to the Pickford on a Saturday in October for their annual documentary film fest, Doctober. You can take in up to four documentaries back-to-back.
Photo by Tyler Nelson
Photo by Tyler Nelson
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Aquariums and Zoos
A special visit to the zoo is a tried and true way to fill your weekend with some wonder! The Vancouver Aquarium is the largest aquarium in Canada (according to itself), and is home to over 65,000 animals big and small! Exhibits include Marine Mammal Rescue, Frogs Forever?, sea lions at Steller’s Bay, stingrays and blacktip reef sharks at The Tropics, and more. The Greater Vancouver Zoo spans 120 acres, with large animals like big cats, bears, and plains animals.The Seattle Aquarium is the ninth most-attended aquarium in the U.S., and opened its Ocean Pavilion expansion in August 2024 to be a “living classroom” on reef biodiversity. Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo
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Go Mad for Fall Foliage
Late September through the end of October is colloquially called “Larch Madness” here in the North Sound—more specifically, in the North Cascades, where Washingtonians flock to witness the strange phenomenon of color-changing conifers called larches. The mountains turn a vivid gold as the needlelike leaves on subalpine larches prepare to drop, and the effect is stunning. It’s well worth a drive east along Highway 20 for the best views.
is organized by “bioclimatic zones,” so you can visit animals in their African Savanna, Australasia, Living Northwest Trail, and Reptile Realms (among others). In the winter, when animals are tucked away somewhere safe and warm, they transform the zoo into a wonderful lighted experience called WildLanterns. For those who’d like a more laid-back experience, visit the Port of Bellingham’s Marine Life Center, a free-admission center that helps to educate and encourage stewardship of the Salish Sea. They’ve usually got some sea creatures and shells to learn about, plus a touch pool!
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Go Wine Tasting in Woodinville
Fancy a day of wine tasting in a stunning location that’s just far enough from home to feel like an adventure? Woodinville is your answer! Just 30 minutes northeast of Seattle, the valley is home to well-known wineries like Chateau Ste. Michelle and Goose Ridge Estate Winery as well as many smaller (but equally well-regarded) vineyards—more than 100 wineries and tasting rooms in all, representing every wine region in the state.
Photo by Anne Godenham
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All-Day Spa Day
For this perfect Saturday, all you have to do is bring yourself to Flow Motion in Ferndale and focus on healing and rejuvenation. With their “Bliss Out!” package you get a 3-hour spa pass for a self-guided exploration of their Himalayan salt cave, amethyst cave, infrared salt sauna, zero-gravity massage chairs, library, and relaxation lounge, which includes a hot tea bar. You’ll also have a halotherapy session in the salt cave, plus an additional healing massage or Vibrational Sound Therapy. Upon each visit, you’ll be provided with a luxury spa robe, towel, and sandals. To extend your spa day even further, consider a yoga class before or after your spa time! Flow Motion holds regular, hot, and aerial yoga classes.
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Sample Sweet Specialties in Lynden
Head north to the beautiful Dutch town of Lynden and take a day sampling the many treats available there! Of course, you’ll want to start at Lynden Dutch Bakery for classics like Dutch Boterkoek (Butter Cake) and Edaleen Dairy for their famously creamy ice cream, but don't sleep on Lesley's Baking Basics, a cottage bakery that serves up homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, and other delights right from the owner's front porch!
U-Pick Harvesting
Heading out to a farm or field and hand-harvesting a crop to take home is definitely a Washington go-to for a great Saturday. In summer, berries are ripe and ready for plucking. You’ll want to start looking for strawberries in June, raspberries in July, and blueberries and blackberries in August. There's the well-known Boxx Berry Farm and Barbie’s Berries in Ferndale. Bellingham Country Gardens grows berries, plus veggies and sunflowers! Late summer and fall means it’s time for apples and squash! Many u-pick farms will also be running fall festivals. Corn mazes, tractor rides and hayrides, fresh cider, markets, and even bonfires warming the crisp air make for perfect Saturdays in themselves. Bellewood Farms & Distillery is a go-to location in Lynden, and in Mount Vernon there’s Schuh Farms! Christianson’s Nursery & Greenhouse gets a shoutout for their Skagit Valley Giant Pumpkin Festival, which hosts a giant pumpkin weighoff every year! If you’ve never cut down your own Christmas tree, don’t be intimidated: the u-cut tree farms in our region
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Host a Weekend Party
Any weekend is a good weekend for a get-together! Why wait for an occasion when you can party anytime you want? Whether you’re throwing a garden party, dance party, costume party, cocktail, or dinner party, the prep is largely the same. Start your Saturday by transforming your space with decorations, mood lighting, and whatever else you need to perfect the vibe. Consider some fun party activities like karaoke, games, or even a photo booth! You can try creating one on your own, but professional partiers Glitt3r Lyfe and Oh Snap! Photo Booths would be happy to do it for you. and others have extra entertainment—Big Lake Trees in Skagit even brings in Mr. and Mrs. Clause for photos—but they’ll all have gorgeous, super fresh trees to choose from. Bundle up and bring the family to tromp through acres of trees and find your perfect one! Put out unique pastries from Iron Rooster Bakery or charcuterie from Hela Provisions, chill the drinks from Welcome Road Winery or Bloomhaven Bottle Shop, and get cooking if you’re hosting a luncheon or dinner. Finally, get all dressed up, whether that means dressing to the nines or getting into fresh PJs (pajama parties are never out of style).
are super beginnerfriendly and welcoming. They usually have saws you can borrow and will net the tree for you, and usually they’ll help you get it properly secured on your car if you need a hand. Some farms are more bare-bones and others have extra entertainment—Big Lake Trees in Skagit even brings in Mr. and Mrs. Clause for photos—but they’ll all have gorgeous, super fresh trees to choose from. Bundle up and bring the family to tromp through acres of trees and find your perfect one!
Photo by Anne Godenham
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Take a Ferry to a Day Trip Destination
Enjoying a ferry ride makes it on to many Washingtonians’ list of things to do on a perfect day. We love being whisked across the water in these hard-working boats. Many ferries have both inside and outside decks for passengers. Inside, there’s usually puzzles on the tables and snacks available. Outside, you can gather at the railing and look down to see the cold water breaking against the ship, or outwards towards your destination to see islands, coast, homes on the shoreline, and possibly sealife. Our ferries can take you to island communities like Eastsound and Friday Harbor, and port towns like the picturesque Port Townsend. Once you get there, your Saturday is your oyster!
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Bake Your Heart Out
Did you know that the prestigious King Arthur Baking offers culinary classes at two locations in the U.S., and one of them is right here in Burlington? King Arthur Flour's Baking School at The Bread Lab can teach you how to make everything from croissants and other laminated pastries to empanadas and fresh pasta—they even do a three-day British Baking class!
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Live it Up at the Casino
Our casinos are one-stop options for a perfect day filled with variety! For instance, at Swinomish Casino & Lodge, you can relax in your lovely room or suite, have fun gaming and sportsbook betting, have an excellent dining experience at 13moons, or enjoy the day on the green at Swinomish Golf Links!
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Warm up With Animal Snuggles
Love animals but don’t have the ability or desire to live with them full-time? In Bellingham, you can hang with furry friends on your own terms! Grab a coffee and a cuddle (if the cats deem you worthy) at NEKO: A Cat Cafe, where visitors can spend time with adoptable rescue cats of all ages. If you fall in love, don’t worry: they’re all adoptable! Whether you’re looking to play with a kitten—in which case your best bet is
‘kitten season,’ April-October—or curl up with a mellow old Tom, NEKO’s cats are here for you. If you’re more of a dog person, you’re in luck: Are You My Human Dog Rescue & Lounge is only a few blocks away. You can even check out their website to see the current lineup, in case you have specific pup preferences—they’re all guaranteed to be funny and sweet and lift your mood. Fair warning if you can’t have a dog in your home or think you don’t want a pet: all their residents are adoptable, and they’re likely to have some truly adorable puppies, so enter at your own risk! Want to hang with dogs in a more hands-off environment or avoid the temptation to take one home? Parks are always a good place to ‘meet’ other people’s dogs, but you can also grab a pint and watch the pups play at Paws for Beer in Fairhaven.
Visit Your Local Public Library Destination
Libraries are wonderful places to spend a day, with tons of resources on offer, and often different vibes based on the location. Libraries don’t just provide access to books, graphic novels, movies, and research materials, they also host community events like book clubs, crafting meetups, guest speakers, storytimes—the list is endless! One new, modern library that deserves a visit is the Mount Vernon Library Commons, opened in late 2024. Libraries tend to have surprises hidden around their corners—downstairs at the Bellingham Public Library Central Branch, there’s a rack of free magazines to dig through (that’s big for collagers and enjoyers of random articles like ourselves). 51 51
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Ring Out the Year Right! Destination
Finish the year strong with a refreshing winter day out on the water! If kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding sounds too cold (or the lake is iced over), bundle up and bring a hot drink to walk onboard the ferry—you can spend a day in one of the stops or just putter around the Salish Sea enjoying the view!
For even more ideas, check out our annual North Sound Life Guestbook and Welcome to Whatcom guide, and keep an eye on the Agenda in every issue of Bellingham Alive!
Photo by Anne Godenham
La Conner Public Library