EP: 0053 - Whatcom County Hidden Gems with Sarah Colin

We trade our favorite Whatcom County hidden gems, then stress-test each one: which picks truly fly under the radar and which are simply great. From ferry-access hikes and flat lake walks to secret bakery windows, underrated pizza, and summer community nights, we map plans you can do this week.

• Baker Preserve on Lummi Island as a short ferry adventure with summit views
• AM/PM Beach in Sudden Valley as a destination beach with amenities
• Lake Padden off‑leash access via Galbraith lot for quieter dog miles
• Hertz Trail on South Lake Whatcom as a flat, swimmable lakeside walk
• Beach Store Cafe on Lummi for pizza, locals, and live music
• Breakfast at Avenue Bread James Street as a specific, worthwhile order
• Elizabeth Station’s sleeper pizza and pairing with Structures Brewing
• Iron Rooster in Fairhaven as a weekends-only pastry window that sells out
• Cobb & Cork in Bow and Chuckanut Manor as scenic, upscale date-night options
• Barkley Village events—Play Days, farmers market, Tuesday Tunes—as community glue
• Beach Cat Brewing’s Birch Bay and downtown spaces for family-friendly hangs
• Semiahmoo area as a staycation set with beach walks, spa, and Packers

We’d love your hidden gems—drop them in the comments so we can explore them next.

You can also reach Sarah at sarahcolin@johnlscott.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:07

Hello and welcome to the Valley and Ham Real Estate Podcast. I'm Paul Balzati. I'm here with Sarah Collin. Welcome, Sarah.

SPEAKER_01 0:13

Hello.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

And today we are going to talk about Wacom County Hidden Gems, which was your topic idea, and I love it. And I think that what I let's get right into it. And well, before we get right into it, I how we're going to do this is you're going to list your Wacom County hidden gems, and then I'm going to rate them as far as whether I think it's a good hidden gem or whether I think you failed on giving us good hidden gems. Or whether and it failed as in whether they're really a hidden gem or not.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

Got it. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:48

And so, um, and then of course, you know, when this is done, you know, on whatever social media platform we're, you know, you're watching or listening this on, I'd love to see other people's hidden gems, their comments on their hidden gems too. Like on YouTube, on YouTube, this would be really cool for people to list off their comments on all their favorite hidden gems. But okay, first off, let's talk about why you're so qualified to talk about Welcom County Hidden Gems. So you've been in real estate for how long?

SPEAKER_01 1:14

I've been in real estate for nine years.

SPEAKER_02 1:16

So you started you started young just like I did. And so nine years, and then you grew up in Walkham County, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:21

I grew up in Walkham County, moved away for a little bit for college, lived in Spain for a little bit, moved back and got my real estate license.

SPEAKER_02 1:29

Yeah, and it's just nine years ever since, just crushing it.

SPEAKER_01 1:33

No, it's weird.

SPEAKER_02 1:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

I don't like being called a veteran in real estate. That's like I'm kind of offended. You're but you are. I mean, I just I know, it just makes me feel old.

Why Sarah’s Picks Matter

Note: Sarah’s local cred and format set

Correction: Consolidate to single entry

Sorry, please ignore above

Start Over

Credentials & Format of the List

Note: single entry only

Final start

Host Creds & How We’ll Judge

Apologies, removing duplicates

Final

SPEAKER_02 1:44

Yeah. Well, you know what though, but I think your clients, they they look people like a veteran, they liked the expertise. They like the expertise that comes with those nine years. That's true. Okay. So let's talk about your expertise in in finding the hidden gems of Walker County. Okay, yeah. So we'll start out with more of kind of the nature hidden gems, and then we'll get into kind of more amenities, if we will. So what's your first uh what's your first one?

SPEAKER_01 2:09

My first hidden gem is there's a hike on Lemmy Island called Baker Preserve, and it's has like the most incredible views when you get to the top. It's pretty short, um, but it's gorgeous, and I love the the fact that you have to take a ferry to get there, and then you do have to drive onto the ferry, and then you drive to the hike because it's not really walkable. Um, so Baker Preserve.

SPEAKER_02 2:36

I like it. I rate it very good for a hidden gem. And I I haven't so first one you did well.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

Okay, okay, cool.

SPEAKER_02 2:44

And just uh just a couple more notes on that. I've never done that hike. Okay, and now I want to do it, so I like it. And then um, and then just for people who don't know Lemmy Island very well, that ferry is super easy, fast, cheap. Yes, like it's like every 30 minutes or you know, hour hour. Yeah, you know, um, and so super easy to get on and get over there. And uh and what are we talking about?

SPEAKER_01 3:06

It's small, scary when it's like windy and like the waves are like it's a small ferry on the side of the ferry. Yes, a little bit scary, but it's it's really cool.

SPEAKER_02 3:16

Yeah. Um I'm not scared, but you're oh you're super brave. Uh no, but okay, and then uh and then I just didn't want I didn't want us both to say we're scared to that. Okay, but that's okay. We're scared. No, I'm just kidding. No, I know it can get scary. All right, moving on, moving on. All right, so then um then okay, so at the trail, when you say long, how long is or how long is short?

SPEAKER_01 3:41

I think it's like um three miles total.

SPEAKER_02 3:43

Okay, so that takes like that's a 45 minute if you're hiking, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:48

I think it's like an hour and a half.

SPEAKER_02 3:50

Oh, an hour. Oh my gosh. All right, yeah. All right, fair enough.

SPEAKER_01 3:52

35 minutes is quick.

SPEAKER_02 3:53

Okay, so that's still like a decent set length hike hike then. But it's yeah, that's good.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Yeah, yeah. And it's it's uphill the first like while oh, and no dogs allowed.

SPEAKER_02 4:03

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 4:04

So why?

SPEAKER_02 4:06

That's interesting. Probably the dog poop on there. Yeah, that's fair. That's fair. Okay. So, but that sounds I'm sure when you get up at the top of there, seeing all the other islands and everything is awesome.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

Yeah, it's gorgeous.

SPEAKER_02 4:17

That is great.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

And you can like, I like to like bring wine, bring snacks, and like hang out up there for a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

Is there like a hangout area at the top?

SPEAKER_01 4:25

Yeah. Small, small.

SPEAKER_02 4:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:27

But it's such a hidden gem that there's hardly anybody up there ever at the same time as you. So we like to go with a big group of girlfriends and hang out up there for a while. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:36

Okay. I like it. All right. What else is your neck? What's your next one?

SPEAKER_01 4:39

My next one is AMPM Beach at Sudden Valley. Okay. Which being a lifelong Walkham County resident, I had never been there until this summer. And I was like actually blown away by how cool it was.

SPEAKER_02 4:52

Is I like it. I agree. I mean, as far as hidden gems, I think obviously if you live in or if you're familiar with Sudden Valley, it was because it's their big beach. But I think if you it's a hidden gem in in absolutely the sense that like if you live in Bellingham proper and you don't go out to Sudden Valley very often, yeah. I've I've only been out there maybe twice to the to the actual like visited the beach, like walked on it, you know. Yeah. And I agree with you. Uh when you go there in the summer, um, really, really busy with all the Sudden Valley residents, and um, and it's got a lot of amenities and it's beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 5:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:25

And um, I agree, it's it's a fabulous, fabulous um spot site. So okay, I like that one too. Um, what else do we got?

SPEAKER_01 5:33

Um, okay, this one you're probably not gonna agree with, but the off-leash trails at Lake Paddon specifically parking in the Galbreth parking lot and going through that entrance because not as many people park there, and those trails you can just go like for miles on them. And it may not be as hidden, but it is like one of my favorite places.

SPEAKER_02 5:57

I like it. It's not I wouldn't consider that a hidden gem. Yeah, I know it wasn't gonna pass your test because Padding, I think the padden trails are are kind of one of the classic signature areas, but I think the the the you're talking about the off-leash stog park area too. Is that what you're referring to?

SPEAKER_01 6:12

I mean, I'm talking about specifically parking in the Galbreth parking lot.

SPEAKER_02 6:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 6:17

So you past both Lake Padd and going south, going south. Yep, past both Lake Paddent exits, and then there's a parking lot for Galbreth.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

And if you go like deep to the end of the parking lot, there's an off-leash trail entrance there, and it's like pretty, pretty chill.

SPEAKER_02 6:34

And yeah, Jess uh, we just did a podcast on mountain biking, and she was she was talking about how they've expanded that parking lot.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

Yeah. Oh, that parking lot's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 6:42

So that makes it a little bit hidden in the sense that you know you may not even a lot of residents here may not even realize how the that parking lot, what that's even about. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:51

I think if you mountain bike, you know about it, but you probably don't know about it as much if you walk your dog. Maybe you do.

SPEAKER_02 6:59

But um, I agree. And that's and so I haven't really we just take our little small dog on just the regular two-mile the one around the lake.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

Yeah, my dogs are big and insane. Yeah. So I like to take them off leash so I don't have to like deal with them pulling me.

SPEAKER_02 7:16

Right, right. And that and that and you would still leash them, you just leash them on the trail, walk them back through, and then take them to the off-leash area.

SPEAKER_01 7:24

No, I park at Galbreth.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

Oh, you're saying you can be off-leash the whole time from there.

SPEAKER_01 7:28

Literally, as soon as you get out of the car, it's off-leash. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:32

Okay. Well, that's hidden because I didn't know that. Well, that's that's fun. Okay, I like that one. All right, what else?

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Okay, the next one, probably one you may not agree with either, but South Lake Wacom, Hertz Trail, right by the entrance of San Chantrell. Every time I go there, I'm always in shock by how not populated it is. And it's, I think it's like seven miles total, and it's flat, beautiful, follows Lake Whocom the entire time, and like really cool spots to hang out. Like when it's hot, you can find a place to jump in the water or you can walk all the way down. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

So not Chanterell, but hurts.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Not Chantrell. Yeah, Chantrell is the hike, which is also amazing, obviously. Yeah, you probably think that takes like 10 minutes to do.

SPEAKER_02 8:20

I I wouldn't know. You see, because here's the thing. I guess, I guess this is just me being um kind of a a real, you know, amateur hiker, but like to me, an hour and a half actually sounds kind of long.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

Oh, okay. So you're more of you like to go on walks. Exactly. You do one loop or a pattern like that. That's short.

SPEAKER_02 8:37

When you said short, I was hoping you were gonna say like 30 minutes and that's gonna get more into it. But um, but but no, I get it. No, but actually, this is another one that I'm this is what I'm a little more embarrassed to say that I haven't I have not walked that trail. That's I've I've obviously I've done Chanterelle several times because we both live in the Silver Beach neighborhood.

SPEAKER_00 8:56

Yep, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:57

You know, that would be a rite of passage to if you have, you know, to take the what are we doing? Yeah, Chantrell trail up for the views and everything.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

But that that the I I know my wife's done it, but I haven't done it. So I and I like the idea that it's flat, that there's lake access. I I'm familiar with it. I know where it is, where it starts. But um, I I think that's a really good head wouldn't actually.

SPEAKER_01 9:19

Oh, thank you. Yeah, and it's really fun. Like during the summer, you can just like there's all these little pop-outs off the trail where you can go hang out and swim, and it's just a really cool place.

SPEAKER_02 9:31

I like it. I like it. You're doing you're doing good on this. And it's getting me feeling anxious, like I need to get out and do some more hiking. So you're doing a good job. So what else do we got?

SPEAKER_01 9:41

Okay, well, I think now I think that might be my last nature one. Okay. Nature nature-y one. So now I'm gonna transition to restaurants, coffee, which I should have gotten like some more stuff not related to this, but I think that restaurants and coffee stuff is like my last section. So, anyways, speaking of Lemmy Island, one of my hidden gems is Beach Shore Cafe, which is on Lemmy Island, which honestly has some of the best pizza I've ever had in my life. And it's like like going hiking, it's like you have this big excursion. No, for to go to the Beachhore Cafe, you could actually walk on the ferry, get off, walk, walk off, and walk to the restaurant. But yeah, have you been there lately?

SPEAKER_02 10:30

I've been there and I think it's I think it's a fabulous restaurant too. And and I agree it's a hidden gem in the sense that there was a restaurant there. What was the name of the old one that The Willows. The Willows that was very famous.

SPEAKER_00 10:41

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 10:42

And um, and that obviously is no longer. And um, so I think that my mind used to assume that that other restaurant was just kind of an average cafe kind of thing. But I agree that when you go there, it's it's such a cool atmosphere. Obviously, all the locals and everything are are there all the time, of course. But it is fabulous food and a and a great setting, and it's a special enough place where I could see it'd be it'd be worth a trip too.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

Oh yeah, totally. I like to bring like people from out of town there, and like because just the like the whole idea of getting on the ferry and going, it's pretty cool, and like we like to go down to like the beach area and that type of thing. So, um, and they do like live music there in the summer. I don't know about winter, but yeah, we were there this, you know, a couple weeks ago for one of their live music events, and it was super fun.

SPEAKER_02 11:30

Yeah, I like it. I like it. Um, so and and I think we've learned that you're a big fan of Lummy Island.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

Yeah, I love Lummy Island. Yes. Well, my parents live just like right by the ferry terminal.

SPEAKER_02 11:43

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

And so we like go over there a lot, and like a lot of my girlfriends live in Ferndale, and it's just something to do. Like every summer we try to go ride our bikes around Lummy Island and then go to the beachdoor cafe for dinner and drinks, and yeah, because you can like ride your bike around the island, and it's yeah, just something fun to do that's a little bit outside of like Bellingham.

SPEAKER_02 12:07

Totally. I like it. Um, okay, what else do we got?

SPEAKER_01 12:10

Okay, so now I'm gonna go to Avenue Bread. But I'm gonna be specific. Okay. James Street breakfast. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 12:23

Okay, because I was gonna say Avenue Bread, definitely not a hidden gem.

SPEAKER_01 12:27

Avenue bread is not. Avenue bread is not a hidden gem.

SPEAKER_02 12:29

It's a very well-known restaurant, but I will say I've never had breakfast at Avenue Bread.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

Okay, well, and have you ever had breakfast? You haven't had breakfast at James Street than I used to say.

SPEAKER_02 12:39

I don't think I've only had lunch at the James Street one.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

Okay, so I love the James Street location. And my husband and I just had breakfast there a little while ago, and it was so good, which is probably why it's on my mind. But I was like, wow, why how are more people not? I mean, it was pretty packed, but yeah, it was really good.

SPEAKER_02 13:00

So we can we can then both acknowledge like so far, this is the least hidden gem on the list.

SPEAKER_01 13:07

Yes, yes, yes, yes. But I just like I was like, because I'm being so specific, yes, I can add it.

SPEAKER_02 13:13

Yeah, okay. Oh, and I I think going into the food realm, I think one semi not hidden gem, but hidden gem that I would put on that same one for myself would be Elizabeth Station, their pizza. You brought up pizza. Have you ever had pizza at Elizabeth Station? I haven't. So Elizabeth Station you think of for getting beers and wines and stuff like that, but I think they have arguably the best pizza in town. And so that would be kind of a hidden gem within a non-hidden gem kind of place. Although Elizabeth Station, you know, people don't know where the best place to get, like, you know, your you know, European different.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Yeah, yeah. And Elizabeth Station is definitely like tucked away. Kind of like doesn't look like it would be what it is.

SPEAKER_00 13:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

So yeah, because I I I I actually like rarely go there. I've gone there like probably five times ever.

SPEAKER_02 14:04

Yeah. I think that like I think right, it's almost a it's really close to structure, and I consider structures to have the best beer. And it's okay. And so then it'd be like if you wanted the best beer and then arguably the best pizza, those places are really close to each other and kind of, and so that's that's kind of a pairing, a personal pairing that's next to the structure those that has um like burgers, right? Um, the structures that the structure that yeah, that's down in the water.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:31

Okay, but they have a pretty good burger.

SPEAKER_02 14:33

Yeah, I I haven't had their burgers. So I don't know, but I'm sure I'm sure it's fabulous.

SPEAKER_00 14:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:39

Yeah. Okay. So um so Avenue Bread, but the breakfast there, you're saying is the the hidden and the non-hidden restaurant.

unknown 14:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

Um, do you got it? Well, yeah, I think you got a few more, right?

SPEAKER_01 14:51

Okay, I do. Okay. One more that I'm gonna mention is Iron Rooster in Fairhaven. And some people may say that's not hidden.

SPEAKER_02 15:01

I've never been there.

SPEAKER_01 15:02

Okay, it is it's hidden then. And the reason that they're more of a hidden gem is because they are only open Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and they are only um open until they sell out.

SPEAKER_00 15:14

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

So, or like till like two o'clock. It's like a French bakery and coffee. And it's in Fairhaven, right next to Archer Alehouse, and you have to walk up to the window and order and they give it to you. So it's not like a sit-down place, but you go there on a Friday or Saturday or Sunday morning, and it will usually have a little bit of a line, but oh my gosh, it's amazing.

SPEAKER_02 15:39

Yeah, okay. I like it. I like it.

SPEAKER_01 15:41

And then you can go like walk the bo the boardwalk and just kind of make a little morning of it.

SPEAKER_02 15:47

Yeah, totally, totally. If you're coming right out of there, absolutely. Um I like that. So, okay, what else do you think?

SPEAKER_01 15:53

And you've never been there, you said.

SPEAKER_02 15:54

And I haven't been there, so that I agree. I think that like if you live in Fairhaven, maybe that wouldn't be a hidden gem. But if you don't live in Fairhaven or you're not in Southside, if you're not out you don't live on the South Side, I guess, and you're not in Fairhaven all uh all the time. Yeah, you know, um, you know, for people who are listening or watching that don't live in Bellingham and Walken County yet, Fairhaven's obviously a you know, a historic, super popular, you know, village that's yeah, but it's also kind of tucked into like the very southwest corner of Bellingham. So if you live out in the county or you live on the other side of town, you know, you don't go into Fairhaven necessarily all the time. Like locals don't always go into Fairhaven. So yeah, for the non-speaking, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

I mean, if you don't live like close to downtown or in Fairhaven area, like it is a drive.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:38

Like you do have to drive, like you were saying, you and I live in Silver Beach. I mean, for me to get to Fairhaven, it's 1520 minutes. So like I really have to want you know that pastry if I'm gonna go there.

SPEAKER_02 16:48

And it's funny because you know, there's some parts of the country where they'd be like 1520 minutes. I know, but to us, that's one of the beauties of the is that we have to drive a whole 1520 minutes. I know. But uh oh but I'm gonna count it as a hidden gem because it's a good one. Um, what else do you got?

SPEAKER_01 17:04

Okay, in the Fairhaven area, also actually let me mention this other one for sure. This isn't Walcombe County.

SPEAKER_02 17:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

Cobb and Cork.

SPEAKER_02 17:13

Yes. I have. I have, but I would call it a hidden gem, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:16

Yeah, it's kind of like in the middle of nowhere.

SPEAKER_02 17:20

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 17:21

And it's I would say a little bit more upscale. And my husband did the mural around the building, so obviously I have to mention it.

SPEAKER_00 17:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

Um, but that is like so good and love taking Chuckanut down to Bow and kind of just having that experience. And like if you can time it right, you could see the sunset. And yeah, and I think the food there is incredible, and the cocktails are really good too.

SPEAKER_02 17:44

And and you know, by the crow, like the way the crow flies, that's within a two miles of the Walking County border. So that that's fine. That's because that's oh thanks. Yeah, that's just the very north corner of Skagit walk walk and border. Yeah, yeah. That's cool. Okay. And then uh you said you had another one at Fairhaven.

SPEAKER_01 18:01

Yeah, okay. This one's a little bit more of the upscale dining as well, I would say, Chuckin' Up Manor. And that, I mean, another restaurant with great views, good few good food, um, more of like a seafood type of food.

SPEAKER_02 18:19

Yeah. Like a seafood type of food.

SPEAKER_01 18:22

Yeah. What would have been the word I was looking for? Just a seafood restaurant? Oh, more of a seafood vibe.

SPEAKER_02 18:30

Yeah. Um, no, but um, no, so I uh I've been there, I went there a long time ago, but I haven't I haven't been there in years. And so and I and I I I wouldn't consider that also hidden gem because it wouldn't be on my radar necessarily as like a place to just go go to with my wife kind of thing. I I think of like when I'm in when I'm in that kind of a spot, I think that like Keenan's or something like that would be the more mainstream. Keenans, don't get me wrong. It's fabulous. It's fabulous.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

But it that would be a more mainstream, like if you're gonna go on a date anniversary date or something, you know, you go to like a keen's and I would say like Cobb and Cork and Chuckin' Up Manor are like like if you wanted to do something special, right? Like they're something like out of the ordinary because for us it's always like black cat. Yeah. Black cat and Fair Avon is like that's like our go-to. Right. So I feel like to make something a little more special, yeah, Chuckin' Up Manor or Cobb and Cork are like great options. And Chuckanoat Manor, like you drive by and you would like not even think of it. Like it kind of blends in.

SPEAKER_02 19:31

No, that's a really I like this. You you're doing good. This is all all excellent. All excellent. Is there anything else?

SPEAKER_01 19:37

Okay, I think I have one more.

SPEAKER_02 19:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:39

And it's going back to like the coffee.

SPEAKER_02 19:42

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 19:43

Camber. Okay, is do they say it camber or camber? Camber. Camber. I think it's camber. Yeah, that's how I say it.

SPEAKER_02 19:49

I don't think that's a hidden gem. Okay. But talk about it.

SPEAKER_01 19:52

Okay. Um, I love it. I uh I actually rarely went there because like I don't go downtown too often and like parking down there is just like hard sometimes. Um, but when I am down there and I go to Canberra, it is like always very, very impressive.

SPEAKER_02 20:16

It and I I'm kind of of course I'm just you know bantering here because it is a really cool spot. Yeah. I love it. I love it too. And I've only been in there a couple times, so it's not like I'm in there all the time either. I think it's it's one of those coffee places that is kind of you know has a name now because it's it's kind of a cooler spot downtown. But um, but it is great coffee from you know a couple times I've been there and it it checks all the boxes. And um, yeah, and if you're like coming from out of the area and you're like looking for something different, like because obviously there's tons of coffee places here.

SPEAKER_00 20:49

Yeah, yeah, totally.

SPEAKER_02 20:50

I think it's definitely agree, it's it's a place for it's a gem.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

Yeah, not hidden, just a gem. And I also think that the food is really good as well. Like they have really good breakfast sandwiches. Yeah, that's right. And so I think when like you have a place that has good like drinks and food or coffee and food, like it's good.

SPEAKER_02 21:09

Totally. Yeah, I know like when we go, when I go to if I'm gonna go out, you know, in the morning with my wife, like I'm good with like just some sort of baked thing or whatever. Like, and she's like, she wants, you know, like sometimes people want to have like real food in the morning. Yeah, and not every coffee place has that. Yes, and and so I think that like so she would want to go. So I I'm gonna remember I feel like I have a lot of hiking I gotta do and a lot of dates I gotta take my wife.

SPEAKER_01 21:32

That was uh why you brought me on.

SPEAKER_02 21:35

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 21:35

Figure out your next date.

SPEAKER_02 21:37

We're gonna call this podcast um things Paul should take his wife to go do.

SPEAKER_01 21:41

Yeah, well, I hope I hope she gets excited.

SPEAKER_02 21:43

Well, and I mean, but really for others, you know, that listening and and watching that that's what that's the that's the inspiration, is the hope.

SPEAKER_01 21:49

Yeah, and I feel like I've tried like a lot of stuff in Walcombe County, and yeah, these were some of my favorites when I got to thinking about it that may be a little less well known. Mike is Camber and Avenue Bread.

SPEAKER_02 22:03

Do you have anything left?

SPEAKER_01 22:05

What do you have? I have diary. You have Elizabeth Station, anything else?

SPEAKER_02 22:09

I had Elizabeth Station and Structures, which structures is probably not a hit. That's my gem of brewery. Because I feel like sometimes people get stuck going to just a couple breweries and don't go to all of them. And I think structures would be um the uh and then I think that um what's the what's the not the not the um Aslan brewery, but Aslan Depot Depot. I feel like Aslan Depot is a really cool spot that like we love to go to, and um you can still get the food there, but the beer and and drink menus a lot more diverse. Yeah, and I feel like a lot of people don't go there, they go to the main one. I think the main one's more popular.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

The depot is very like mysterious, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:50

Mysterious, it's like darker, yeah, jazier. Yeah, it is, and then they literally will have jazzy or like different, different um DJs with like kind of funky music. And so you can go in on a Saturday and they'll have a different DJ or musician or something, and it's kind of a little more eclectic than just going to you know the the regular brewery scene, kind of a little more interesting.

SPEAKER_01 23:12

One thing I will mention is just the efforts that Barclay Village is making. Oh, yeah, in like having stuff going on, like this summer, for instance, they have like a Barclay play days where they have in the morning stuff set up for kids to go play like once a week, and then they have the Barclay Farmers Market, and then they have the live music every Tuesday.

SPEAKER_02 23:33

Tuesday tunes.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Yeah, and those types of things I think are really cool, and not a lot of po people know about it. And I think how long has Barclay been doing like this type of stuff?

SPEAKER_02 23:43

Barclay's been doing yeah, maybe three or four years. I think Tuesday tunes, this is the second or third summer in 2025.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

So I would say that the that's kind of a hidden gem. Yeah. Because I think when you think of like farmer's market and like those types of things, you think of downtown Bellingham.

SPEAKER_00 23:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

But I think Barclay does have a lot of cool stuff going on for that so next summer.

SPEAKER_02 24:02

That's a good point for just in the summer activities, especially if you're this direct if you're if you move this direction, being aware that Barkley has a lot of they're really trying to create that kind of um community feel that you can get downtown. So you you can get it in a place like this and not just downtown. So that's yeah, a lot of those activities are are hidden gems. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 24:20

Yeah, and I loved them. Like we live near Barclay Village, so we went to a lot of them this summer, and I loved it. I love having something to do that's like entertaining for my daughter.

SPEAKER_02 24:30

Yeah, and then and then kind of like if you live downtown or in Ferry Haven and you go to those events, it it does really create a community connection because every time you go, you run into people from the from the area that you're like, oh yeah, yeah. You know, so it's it's great that way. And we that we had a great time sponsoring one of those um with space band, which is yeah, which is a lot of fun. Oh, I got my other the other hidden jam. Yeah. Speaking of going back all the way back, yes, Silver Beach neighborhood was the fork.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_02 24:58

The fork is a fabulous that's like south end of Lake Wacom for Silver Beach neighborhood. It's kind of a Silver Bay Beach neighborhood, and people who live off Y Road, yeah, area, it's kind of all their local spot, but it's it's kind of fine dining um restaurant, but then also um, but has a great happy hour and then really great breakfast and stuff too. And if you if you may want to drive around the lake and head out and check out that spot, that's really cool too.

SPEAKER_01 25:20

Yeah, yeah. You go do your hike, then you stop for brunch on the way home.

SPEAKER_02 25:24

Okay, and I want to do one more.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

Oh, yes, of course.

SPEAKER_02 25:26

Well, um I think that Beach Cat, I think that Beach Cat's not hidden at all, but Beach Cat Brewing in Birch Bay is super cool if you want to go to a get a beer in Birch Bay. And then they opened up a new spot in downtown, which is not hidden, it's getting super popular, but because it's so new, a lot of people haven't checked it out yet. And I think Beach Cat's new downtown location is the best location to go have that location is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 25:56

They have like just like very inclusive for like children, families, and large groups of people, like they have the seating, tons of seating on the deck there, tons of seating inside. Yeah, I love and they always have a food truck there. Yeah, and obviously my husband did the murals in there too. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:16

And that's I didn't even remember. No, I didn't remember. Yeah, so I just but I and I I know the owners there, they're great.

SPEAKER_01 26:21

Yeah, yeah, they are. They're they're they're really awesome. Yeah, and the one in Birch Bay is really cool too. Two totally different vibes. And honestly, Birch Bay has a lot of really cool stuff too. Um gosh, I just went somewhere in Birch Bay that I can't remember where I went, but like the semiamu area, I feel like in its in its own way is a hidden gem because not a lot of people go up that way that live in Bellingham, but like Packers is really good, just being on the beach right in Semiamu is awesome. And semiyamu, the hotel, like has a spa, has a pool, like has some nice amenities as well that most people think, oh, the chrysalis.

SPEAKER_02 26:58

Right. Yeah. Okay. Well, I think we'll wrap it up because I think we we actually went, we we did some bonus, we did some bonus gems, right?

SPEAKER_01 27:05

Sure, we did.

SPEAKER_02 27:06

But I think you did a really good job, and um, those were all fabulous um recommendations. And um you can reach out to Sarah if you want more ideas like that for what to do or where to buy in Balkan Worken County. So um, but anyway, thank you for watching, thank you for listening, guys.

SPEAKER_01 27:24

Bye.