Bellingham is home to family-owned farms, Halloween activities, spooky tours, and more during the fall season! There is always something to do and this fall you can fill your weekends with fun, local activities.
SM’ Apples
Just North of Downtown Bellingham in Ferndale, Washington is SM’ Apples U-Pick Orchard. This U-pick orchard is family-owned and home to about a dozen varieties of apples. You can check out their website here to find harvest dates and prices for their apples. Their U-pick Orchard is a great family-friendly activity for this fall! Spend the day tromping through the rows of trees picking apples for apple pie, apple sauce, canning apples, and more!
Bellewood Farms and Distillery
At Bellewood Farms and Distillery, you can experience a farm-to-glass distillery in action. Bellewood takes apples grown on their very own farm and turns them into their award-winning Gin, Brandy, and Vodka. Their unique tasting room is open Wed-Sun from 10 am to 5 pm. They aim to put the highest quality fruits into their distilled products, and they are proud to focus on sustainable agriculture.
If you are looking for family-friendly activities, Bellewood Farms and Distillery offer a host of fun activities for all age. Their U-pick apples are a fan favorite, and during September and October, they are known for their Orin, Sonata, Bellewood Prince, Honeycrisp, and Fuji apples. You can take their bin train out to the field and spend the day picking apples.
During late September through October, their Harvest Happens event runs every day from 9 am to 4 pm. In addition to apple picking, they have a large field of pumpkins to choose from, Fresh Cider Doughnuts and kettle corn on the weekends, and much more. Bellewood Farms and Distillery is an excellent place to celebrate fall and local harvests.
Sunday Drive on the Water
If you are looking for stunning views of the Puget sound paired with a bit of fall, driving down Chuckanut Drive is a great option. Chuckanut Drive is a winding road that follows Bellingham Bay from Edison to Bellingham. With excellent scenic views, this drive is popular year-round. Covered by a canopy of trees, during the fall, this drive becomes a colorful fall fairytale. If you have part of the day to spend, do this drive and perhaps stop at Taylors Shellfish as you pass by for excellent views of the water and even better locally harvested Oysters.
Gore and Lore Tour
Every fall, Bellinghistory with the Good Time Girls offers a Gore and Lore tour of Bellingham. The Gore and Lore Tours feature Creepy tales from downtown Bellingham’s crypts – unsettling hauntings, strange historical happenings, and horrific true crimes in the dark heart of Bellingham. If you are looking for a creepy activity to do this Halloween season, check out the Gore and Lore Tour.
Also hosted by Bellinghistory with the Good Time Girls, you can take a Sin and Gin tour. These tours follow Bellingham’s saloon history through the prohibition era. This tour is 18+ and is an excellent option for adults looking to get to know Bellingham’s past.
Bellingham’s Irish Festival
If you are looking for a unique fall event this season, consider checking out Bellingham’s Irish Festival. From October 8th- 10th, you can enjoy educational workshops, classes, and performances, as well as several theaters, shops, and restaurants that are participating. This is a fun way to learn about Irish culture and enjoy a weekend.
Enjoying the Outdoors
Fall in the Pacific Northwest is notably mild. The weather is clear during much of September and October, and the temperatures are mild, making for great outdoor recreation. In the Bellingham area, an outdoor enthusiast’s playground awaits. There are a number of relays, races, and hikes that the city of Bellingham hosts in the fall that are open to anyone to sign up. Several bike races in September and October are an excellent way to enjoy the lovely fall weather outside.
If you are looking to be a bit more adventurous, the Puget Sound and Bellingham bay are calm and the same temperature year-round. Many people enjoy paddleboarding, kayaking, and other water sports throughout the fall. Bellingham Bay is a perfect space to kayak through September and October.
Lake Padden is home to an excellent outdoor walking trail that is mostly paved or gravel, which means it will not get as muddy as other trails during the wetter months. Fragrance Lake is another great hiking option year-round as it is a 5-mile trail that brings you to a lake. The hike does not have very many extended viewpoints, which means your experience will not be impacted by weather.
City of Bellingham sponsored Events
During most Halloween Seasons, Bellingham hosts a number of fun, family-friendly events. In previous years, Halloween scavenger hunts, virtual Halloween historical tours, scary storytellings, Farmers Market Pumpkin Hunts, and more have all been on the Calendar for October. Make sure to check in with the City of Bellingham’s website this October to see all the activities.
Bellingham is full of activities year-round, and fall is no exception. If you are ready to celebrate the fall harvest, there are pumpkin patches and farmer’s markets galore for apple picking, corn mazes, and more if you are a Halloween adventurer, spooky tours, Halloween nights, and more on the horizon in Bellingham this fall. If you are just looking for more ways to be outside. Now that summer has ended, there is plenty of hiking, biking, and water sports options for you to enjoy in Bellingham through October. Cozy Flannels, hot apple cider, and pumpkin season are quickly approaching, so make sure to check out all of the options in your area of Bellingham.
Check back into the Bellingham Clever Neighbor to find more season activities, recommendations, and more.