En Route to Vancouver, Discover Bellingham, Wash. by Various Travel Authors on Creators.com

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En Route to Vancouver, Discover Bellingham, Wash.

By Molly Arost Staub

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — If your travel plans include a visit to the Olympics in Vancouver, this nearby small city by its own bay offers an overflowing cornucopia of arts and cultural activities far beyond what its size and population would suggest. One artistic specialty — sculpture — is a top priority. The hilly campus of Western Washington University is dotted with so many large and small pieces of sculpture, mostly outdoors, that it's ranked among the nation's top 10 university sculpture collections.

On campus, Western's Performing Arts Center hosts a three-week Bellingham Festival of Music each July that is composed of principal orchestra players from major orchestras. This past summer the violin section included Richard Roberts, the concertmaster from the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and Sinisa Ciric, the concertmaster from the New Atlanta Philharmonic.

Many of the area's cultural attractions lie within the downtown area. The Bellingham/Whatcom County region boasts the country's second largest number of arts businesses per capita after Santa Fe. Appealing to both artists and art lovers, the Whatcom Museum's new $17million LEED-certified green Lightcatcher Building will feature fine arts and a family interactive gallery.

Down the street, the original Whatcom Museum, housed in the former red-painted 1892 Whatcom City Hall, is now home to its historical exhibits. Victorian architectural elements, such as the carved oak staircase, have been retained. Exhibits cover local nature, native Inuit culture and industry. At the turn of the last century, Bellingham boasted the world's largest number of fish canneries, and the county claimed dozens of lumber mills and hundreds of shingle mills. Victorian period clothing, tools, clocks, children's toys and miniature tea sets add up to a substantial collection.

Graphic artists showcase their works during Downtown Art Walks on the first Fridays of the month in downtown Bellingham. Several artists open their studios outside of town within sight of the 11,000-foot snow-capped Mount Baker, which is 31 miles to the east. The Whatcom Studio Artist Tour welcomes visitors to three ateliers at Applewood Farm Studios. One artist, Vernon Leibrant, creates magnificent pieces with his wood turnings.

Also downtown, the Pickford Film Center hosts foreign, indie and opera films. The big news, however, is that it will move into its restored 1908 facility in June, 2010. The $3.2 million restoration, encompassing two film theaters, is being financed primarily with private money plus some government funding. Organizers are aiming for LEED certification here, too, by employing such practices as using wood that was sustainably harvested or recycled.

The opulent Moorish-style 1927 Mount Baker Theater, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, houses a symphony orchestra and touring Broadway productions.

Opened in 1995, Mindport's mostly handmade interactive science displays capture the imaginations of small youngsters and keep them anxiously waiting to try out each exhibit.

Older kids are entranced by the breadth and depth of the American Museum of Radio and Electricity's exhibits. Here the collecting passions of two men led to displaying thousands of radios, telephones, phonographs and related objects.

John Jenkins, the museum's board president, says that 5,000 youngsters visited last year. When they come, they experience their hair standing on end because of electricity, and some get to hold Benjamin Franklin's 1747 book, "Experiments and Observations on Electricity," which is valued at about $50,000.

Bellingham's Fairhaven district is a charming section of numerous 1890s red brick buildings that harbor boutiques, galleries and restaurants. The cozy Village Books has remained an independent bookstore for 30 years. Fairhaven's Island Mariner is also the source for boarding whale- watching boats; guests usually spot orca whales as their boats near the Canadian border after they've cruised among the San Juan islands.

IF YOU GO

For information on Bellingham or any of the attractions mentioned, including a free Bellingham-Mount Baker region travel planner, contact Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, 800-487-2032 or visit www.bellingham.org.

For the downtown arts walks, visit www.downtownbellingham.com.

Restaurants run the gamut in this university town. The Boundary Bay Brewery and Bistro claims it is the largest brew pub in the country based on barrelage and offers dishes with a northwest accent to accompany the brews:1107 Railroad Ave., 360-647-5593, www.bbaybrewery.com.

Skylark's Hidden CafŽ epitomizes Fairhaven's turn-of-the-last-century flavor, with its carved wood and fireplaces. American food at moderate prices is featured: 1308-B 11th St., 360-715-3642, www.skylarkshiddencafe.com.

The Oyster Bar, on gorgeous Chuckanut Drive, offers fine seafood along with stunning views of the setting sun over the San Juan Islands: 2578 Chuckanut Drive, 360-766-6185, www.theoysterbaronchuckanutdrive.com.

Molly Arost Staub is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.