The Best Neighborhoods to Trick-Or-Treat in Bellingham

Halloween is almost here and it’s time to cash in and collect some candy! Bellingham is a fantastic place for trick or treating thanks to flat neighborhoods, sidewalks for safety, and several business parks that get in on the holiday fun. 

If you’re looking to help your kiddos get as much candy as they possibly can, or if you just want them to have a good time with their friends, we have you covered. Here are our recommendations for the best places to trick or treat in Bellingham. 

Downtown Bellingham

Downtown Bellingham has a different sort of “night life” this time of year. As the sun sets prior to the late night activities of an older crowd, the stores, restaurants, and bars provide an age appropriate alternative to their typical wares. From 4-6pm on Halloween night, costumed candy seekers can go door to door to businesses instead of neighborhood homes to collect their prize. With over 100 businesses partaking this year, your sugar hounds are sure to fill their bags, plastic pumpkins, or pillow cases.

Columbia Neighborhood

The Columbia neighborhood is simultaneously one of the oldest neighborhoods in town and one of the best (if not THE best) neighborhoods for Trick-Or-Treating, and perhaps its age has something to do with that. This well established neighborhood is set up in a super efficient grid system with sidewalks, quiet streets, and massive mature trees of all varieties that provide cover and help make the neighborhood feel like a Halloween movie. No, not the scary ones, but the ones where hundreds of kids happily move from house to house in search of their favorite treats. The houses are fairly close together so the rewards are aplenty, just be careful as you search for parking as this will be a popular destination.

Geneva Neighborhood

For those that live outside of town or want a bit quieter of a destination, Geneva could do the trick. The houses are further spread apart and the neighborhoods do have more hills, but the back roads (anything off Lakeway) are lightly traveled and there are pockets of homes that are relatively close together. As you venture toward the waterfront of Lake Whatcom you may come across a home or two that give out the coveted King Size candy bar. Geneva would be a great neighborhood for families with young ones that want to hang out with their friends and get their first taste of Trick-Or-Treating in a less popular environment, or for pre-teens/teens that are venturing out on their own without supervision for the first time.  If you’re lucky, the South Whatcom Fire Authority may be hosting its annual Haunted Path at the Geneva Fire Station, but this year’s spooky entertainment has already passed as it was on the 24th of October instead of Halloween night.

Northern Heights Neighborhood

Northern Heights is technically outside of city limits, but technicalities shouldn’t get in the way of finding great stashes of candy. The Northern Heights neighborhood sits to the east of the Barkley neighborhood and the main thoroughfare is McLeod Road (near Squalicum High School). This neighborhood is entirely residential with the exception of Northlake Community Church and two public schools. There are sidewalks on all of the streets and cul-de-sacs north of Mcleod Road and the occasional street lights make for great spots to regroup and see what kind of candy you’ve collected so far. If you make it through the homes north of Mcleod Road, you can always head up the hill and visit the homes between Mcgrath and Britton Road, but keep in mind that there are no sidewalks in that particular part of the Northern Heights neighborhood. 

Cordata Neighborhood

To be fair to Cordata, we probably should have put this neighborhood right behind Columbia as one of the best places to go Trick-Or-Treating, but alas, this blog isn’t a ranked list. Cordata is one of the newest neighborhoods in town and has spearheaded Bellingham’s expansion to the north. Cordata is home to one of the biggest parks in town with a massive playground, splash park, pickleball courts, basketball, and a Velosolutions designed and built pump track, and has fantastic access to shopping and restaurants, but, most importantly for this article, it also has flat roads, sidewalks, and tons of houses. Between the side roads branching off Tremont Ave and Kline Road, you and your young ones will have access to hundreds of homes and, if you’re so inclined, you could even stop in for burritos at California Tacos or ice cream at Dairy Queen on your way home. Because who couldn’t use an extra treat after working up an appetite while collecting so many treats?

Fairhaven

Known for its artsy shops, old architecture, and moody fog encased mornings, Fairhaven also makes for a great stop on the Trick-Or-Treating circuit. The streets come alive with spooky costumes and joyful shrieks as Fairhaven hosts Fearhaven, a night where the local businesses team up to give away candy. Head to Fairhaven from 3-6pm on Halloween and enjoy the community spirit that the local small businesses provide. 

Bellis Fair Mall

Want to get inside for a climate controlled Trick-Or-Treating experience? Head over to Bellis Fair for Spooktacular Mall-O-Ween! Starting at 4pm on October 31st, this event lasts until the participating businesses run out of their candy supplies. As a bonus there will be a performance from local singer, Genelia, in the food court from 5:30-6pm!

The Ultimate Plan For Candy Hounds

Ultimately, Halloween is about getting dressed up and having fun with your friends, but for you serious candy hounds here’s how we’d string together the ultimate night of Trick-Or-Treating in Bellingham for maximum returns on candy collection. We would start the evening in Fairhaven, getting to Fearhaven right at 3pm. Once we made the rounds there we’d head downtown for the event that starts at 4pm and do our best to make it to as many businesses as possible by 5pm. We’d return to the car, swap out our candy bag/bucket for an empty one so we wouldn’t have to continue carrying the weight of our score, and then we’d drive to the Columbia neighborhood and attempt to park near Elizabeth Park. Despite the adrenaline rush of Halloween we’d make sure to drive carefully and keep an eye out for pedestrians. Once we were in the Columbia neighborhood we’d snake our way from street to street until our bags were full and there was a straight path back to the car. If we finished in the Columbia neighborhood at an appropriate time we’d empty our bags again, cross Broadway street into the lettered streets and repeat the process. After such a successful night we’d immediately call our dentist and make an appointment for a routine check up and cleaning. 

Regardless of potential rain, fog, or cloud-induced darkness, Halloween is always a magical night in Bellingham. Stay safe, use the buddy system, and have a blast out there with your friends and family. If you’d like to prepare for next year’s Halloween and move into one of the aforementioned neighborhoods, send us a message and we’ll help make that a reality. 

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For more than 50 years, the Weitzel & Andrew Home Team has helped buyers and sellers navigate the Sudden Valley and greater Whatcom County real estate market. Our passion for this community extends beyond real estate. We believe in supporting the people, events, and organizations that make this such a special place to call home.

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