Entertainment

POSTED: Tuesday, Apr. 17, 2007

Semiahmoo holds unique allure

Blaine can be easy to pass by when motoring across the border. However, this village with a vista is an intersection of art, nature and history packaged in lovely seaside town that is worth pulling off the freeway to visit.

What’s there: Shopping, dining, sculpture walk, parks

Who will enjoy it: Couples, families and out-of-towners.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

How to get there: From I-5, take exit 276 and go left under the freeway. Continue on Peace Portal Drive for just a few blocks to the city center.

Parking: Free parking spaces line both sides of Peace Portal Drive.

Plan to stay: One to two hours. The downtown area is only about 10 blocks long and is a nice, easy walk. There are public restrooms at the west end of Blaine’s Marine Park at the north end of downtown.

DINING

Peace Portal Drive is dripping with dining opportunities for any appetite or budget.

Breakfast: Nicki’s Diner, 1700 Peace Portal Drive, 332- 7779; open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays. Or try Seaside Bakery Café, 477 Peace Portal Drive, 332-9866; open 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays.

Lunch: Pizza Factory, 738 Peace Portal Drive, 332-3636; open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday- Saturday; 1-9 p.m. Sundays. Or try Paso Del Norte, 758 Peace Portal Drive, 332-4045; open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Dinner: Wheelhouse Bar and Grill, 746 Peace Portal Drive, 332-3512; open 11-2 a.m. daily. Or try Bella Marina, 825 Peace Portal Drive, 332-2505; open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.

FOUR THINGS TO DO

1. Downtown Art Tour

Location: Various

Hours: Dawn to dusk

Blaine’s downtown, self-guided art tour mixes permanent outdoor exhibits with temporary pieces featured for sale. The sculptures are spread out up and down Peace Portal Drive and Marine Drive down toward the marina. One piece named, “Spirit of Blaine Harbor” by Dan Klennert is a representation of a salmon that was forged from scrap metal.

2. Semiahmoo Spit

Location: across the mouth of Drayton Harbor

Hours: Dawn to dusk

Semiahmoo Spit is a tiny strip of land surrounded by marine views of Drayton Harbor to the east and the Inland Passage to the west. To get there, head south on Peace Portal Drive, then take a right on Blaine Road (SR 548). Take another right on Drayton Harbor Road and then a left on Harborview Road. Take the next left onto Lincoln Road. Follow Lincoln Road, as it becomes Semiahmoo Parkway all the way to Semiahmoo County Park and the Spit. Visitors can hike, bike and walk up and down this stretch to get a better view of the wildlife the spit has to offer. Mudflats leading to the ocean are crowded with dunlins, pintails and harlequin ducks that have the beach buzzing with activity.

3. Marine Park

Location: On the right as you turn onto Marine Drive

Hours: Dawn to dusk

Marine Park is a picnickers dream. Covered picnic areas that face the water make the ocean a welcome dining companion. In addition to the park’s ocean views, it’s right across the street from Blaine’s public marina. Whether visitors come to enjoy the park’s outdoor sculptures or hear some music at the amphitheater, this charming greenbelt appears custommade for a day-tripper’s leisurely stroll.

4. Historic buildings tour

Location: Various, begin at the visitor information center, 215 Marine Drive, 332-4544; open 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Tuesday- Sunday.

Hours: Dawn to dusk

Admission: Information center accepts donations

Stop into the visitor information center and pick up a free walking tour guidebook. Blaine’s three self-guided walking tours take visitors on journey back in time to the mid- 1800s when Blaine and its first houses, businesses and churches were young. The tours zigzag the neighborhoods east of Peace Portal Drive and bring visitors face to face with Victorian architecture and historic brick facades. The guidebook is filled with archived pictures that allow visitors to place the mid-19th century in the present. Most the sites on the map are still private residences, so be sure to look but don’t trespass.

UPCOMING EVENTS

“Wings Over Water”

Northwest Birding Festival: March 31, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Join amateur and professional bird watchers for the fifth annual Northwest Birding Festival. Formerly known as the Washington Brant Festival, this year’s festival dons a new name to greet Brant geese and other water birds as they grace the shores of the Pacific Northwest in their annual migration. The festival will include viewing stations, seminars, a live raptor exhibit, and field trips to the Semiahmoo Spit and Blaine’s Marine Park.

Historic Plover Ferry: May 26 & 27 through Sept. 1 & 2, weekends only

The Plover Ferry is a historic voyage across the mouth of Drayton Harbor to Semiahmoo. Built in 1944, this footpassenger vessel ferried cannery workers and Blaine residents back and forth until 1964. These days the ferry has been restored to its original glory to ferry tourists and visitors to the scenic Semiahmoo Spit. It operates from noon-8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays. The ferry accepts donations: $2 for adults and $1 for children.

“Day Tripping” seeks to explore areas in Whatcom County that can be enjoyed in an afternoon. If you have an idea for “Day Tripping” contact Lance Henderson at lance.henderson@bellinghamherald.com or call 756-2859.