Nestled in the Mount Baker Rim community, Arch House is a beautifully designed two-bedroom, one-bathroom, arched frame cabin. The home was first purchased in 2021 by Erica and Alex Egner, who hoped to create a mountain getaway that could also serve as a vacation rental. They spent the next year and a half designing, renovating, and tailoring the home to their vision. “We’re both…
Located just south of the Mount Baker Highway in the small town of Acme, the Acme Diner is a true American diner. This must-stop location features a full selection of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options to satiate your hunger at any time of day. The food is sourced…
If your scalp is haunted by half-hearted hair care, there’s a place in Bellingham where you can go to revive it. Moondog Head Spa & Haunt is the private studio of hairstylist Deirdre Miller. It may share space with…
DARK ‘N STORMY The Dark ‘n Stormy is a classic, and the perfect drink to make at home! With only three steps and ingredients including the garnish, it’s also one of the more accessible cocktails to make on a budget. While the exact origin of this cocktail is…
After facing some challenging years, an iconic Skagit County staple is making a comeback as a go-to spot for locals and visitors. Under new ownership, Conway’s Pub and Eatery is being refreshed with a focus on revitalizing the neighborhood atmosphere while preserving the pub’s roots. Long known for its oysters, burgers, and dive bar charm, Conway’s is once again the lively gathering place that patrons enjoyed for decades. “We wanted to…
It’s been coined “the easy island” for its bridge access, but Camano has more to offer than its lack of ferry lines. Less than an hour from Bellingham, with pristine beaches, plenty of hiking options, and foodie-worthy eats, Camano checks the box for a cozy fall day trip. Step Into Nature Pack your Merrells—Camano is full of easy hikes and combable shores. The island is home to two state parks: Camano Island State Park, with year-round camping, and Cama…
Downtown Bellingham is becoming somewhat of an art exhibit, featuring works sanctioned and unsanctioned from many local artists and muralists. One artist making his mark on the scene is Ivan Colin, an abstract artist and muralist who first moved to Bellingham in 2017. Originally from Napa Valley, California, Colin was drawn to art during high school, when he saw it as a skill to grow during class outside…
Walking into Pure Bliss Desserts, it almost feels like you’ve been transported to another world; elegant and classy interior decor calms the eyes, appearing in various colors of muted and matte pink, white, and black. On the wall to the left of the entrance is their motto, painted in sharp black letters: “From scratch. Small…
Anyone looking for even more scares this Halloween season should stop by Bleedingham, Bellingham’s annual horror film festival. From Oct. 24-26, attendees…
1. Indulgence is just a sandwich away with Mount Bakery‘s Jambon Buerre! Dijon mustard, cotto ham, smoked prosciutto, triple cream brie, all complemented by a thick layer of Camargue butter—this is a treat and a half. 2. For a casual and filling lunch stop, the Roast Beef on Grilled Focaccia from Caffe Adagio is perfect. Rich focaccia, mozzarella, roast beef, and tomato make this feel both hearty and delectable! 3. Big flavor comes in just a few…
October is one of my favorite months in the Pacific Northwest, with its shorter days, crisp air, and sudden abundance of earthy roots, winter squash, and apples. It’s the season when…
130 Categories. 78,318 Submissions. 1,212,472 Individual Votes. 390 Winners. A 16-Year Tradition. Each October, we bring you the results of our annual Best of the Northwest readers’ choice contest. For the entire month of July, readers, fans,…
Azzurra gift shop Owner Sasha Leaman didn’t start her career in retail—in fact, she never even worked in a shop before opening one of her own. A healthcare professional with a clinical doctorate in physical therapy, Leaman’s path to curating a refined…
Indigenous Peoples Day, which falls annually on the second Monday of October, is a chance to celebrate the contributions and living cultures of Indigenous peoples. “Indigenous people” usually refers to a people who are the original inhabitants of a place and whose lifeways, language, and spirituality profoundly connected to their homeland. Here in what we now call Bellingham and the surrounding areas, Indigenous peoples include Lummi Nation,…
RED SCHOONER VOYAGE 12, Wagner Family of Wine Red Schooner is a distinctive red wine produced by the Wagner family, renowned for their flagship label, Caymus. What sets Red Schooner apart is its unconventional approach: Malbec grapes are grown in the high-altitude vineyards of the Andes Mountains in Mendoza, Argentina, then carefully chilled and shipped by sea to Napa Valley. This maritime journey—referred to as a “voyage” and denoted on each bottle—allows the Wagners to craft…
Legoe Bay sits on the western side of Lummi Island, the long, low strip of land that Bellinghamsters see when they look across the water from downtown. Being something of an Indoor Girl, I never expected to go anywhere near a commercial salmon fishery, but when Ian Kirouac of Lummi Island Wild invited me on a tour of one of their reef netting rigs I could not resist. What, I wondered, was so…
The Shop Sandwiched between Avenue Bread and The Bagelry, Sojourn is the perfect lunch break shopping stop. Sojourn first opened in 1994, when Owner Peggy Platter saw a lack of boutiques in town and an empty lot on Railroad Avenue, and had a vision. Tired of the big- name stores that once occupied Bellingham’s downtown, Platter was determined to bring a local touch to the city’s shopping market. “I love being…
Thomas Lutz is the craftsman behind Uisce Irish Pub’s 36-foot mahogany bar in Bellingham, the custom dining furniture at the now-defunct Willows Inn, and dozens of bespoke pieces of fine furniture all over the Pacific Northwest. After 32 years living on Lummi Island, he finds it difficult to imagine living anywhere else. Lutz grew up in the New York…
Bellingham residents may be familiar with the stories of Jennifer Worthley and Bryan Matamorosa, the culinary couple who own It’s The Sweet Things and Bry’s…
Since Time Immemorial is a recurring series featuring community members whose families have been here since time immemorial. The ancestral knowledge carried by Lhaq’temish, Nooksack, and other Coast Salish peoples is knowledge about how to live in our shared home in a good, life-sustaining way. We live in a time when we need to restore our relationship…
Every October, Skagit farms open their gates for the annual Skagit Valley Festival of Family Farms, a two-day celebration of agriculture and heritage. This year’s event takes place Oct. 4–5 and features around 14 participating farms across Bow, Burlington, Concrete, Mount Vernon, Rockport, Sedro-Woolley,…
The grounds look like something one might see in Tuscany—creamy stucco buildings topped with terracotta roofs, with the Cascade mountains as a backdrop. The faces who peered from the windows during the property’s heyday, however, weren’t European vacationers—they were patients struggling with inner demons. Schizophrenia or…
