Move over Slothy. Look out for hidden octopuses around downtown Bellingham
Something new is coming to downtown this month, and no, it’s not another stuffed Sloth.
Gabriel’s Art Kids, a children’s art school, is hosting the 2025 Opal Scavenger Hunt. It’s a free, citywide scavenger hunt that runs from July 15 through Aug. 15 for all ages, featuring octopuses hidden around downtown Bellingham.
Participants can visit businesses across Bellingham, find the hidden octopuses and submit photos for a chance to win prizes.
The octopuses can be found at these 13 participating businesses:
▪ BAAY at 1059 N State St.
▪ Makeshift Art Space at 306 Flora St.
▪ UpFront Theatre at 203 Prospect St.
▪ Sweet as Waffles at 122 E Magnolia St.
▪ Fiamma Burger at 1309 Railroad Ave.
▪ Fiamma Pizza at 200 E Chestnut St.
▪ The Bagelry at 1319 Railroad Ave.
▪ The Stone Moon at 1304 Cornwall Ave.
▪ Avellino Coffeehouse at 1329 Railroad Ave.
▪ A New Leaf Flowers at 1327 Cornwall Ave.
▪ Dakota Art Store at 1322 Cornwall Ave.
▪ Cafe Velo at 120 Prospect St.
▪ Gabriel’s Art Kids at 1405 Dupont St.
The first person to find all the octopuses will receive a BAAY mystery prize, a gift certificate for The Stone Moon, a mystery prize bag from Makeshift Art Space and two gift cards for Avellino Coffeehouse.
Other prizes will also be awarded to participants who find all the octopuses, as well as one grand prize for a randomly selected participant that includes an Avellino Coffeehouse gift card, tickets to “Art in the Dark” at Gabriel’s Art Kids, a T-shirt, two tickets to the UpFront Theatre and four tickets to the Spooktacular event at Gabriel’s Art Kids.
To compete in the scavenger hunt, submit photos of the octopuses online by Aug. 15.
This story was originally published July 16, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
