Need a break from the heat this summer? Here are 14 indoor recreation spots in Bellingham

One of the best parts of living in Bellingham is the access to the outdoors. But when hot weather hits northwest Washington, like it has for the past week, that can be a problem.

Luckily, there are plenty of options for indoor recreation around town too, even if they’re not quite as well known as Galbraith and Larrabee. Here are a few of the standouts.

Vital Climbing Gym

If you want to get a taste of the outdoors without leaving the air conditioning, Vital is one of your best bets. The downtown Bellingham climbing gym offers bouldering-style rock climbing, with routes for everyone from beginners to experts. Admission for non-members is $21, and if you need to rent climbing shoes, that will cost you another $5. It’s open every day between 11:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., and members get 24-hour access.

20th Century Bowling

Located less than a block away from Vital, 20th Century Bowling is a downtown Bellingham staple. They charge $3.50 a person for each game during weekdays, $5.50 on Sundays and weeknights and $5.75 on Friday nights and Saturdays. It’s open until midnight every night except for Fridays and Saturdays, when it’s open an extra hour.

Flatstick Pub

Staying on State St., Seattle-area chain Flatstick Pub opened a Bellingham location in 2021 . Part restaurant, part bar, part mini-golf course, the venue is open to all ages until 9:00 p.m., after which it’s only open to those 21 years and older. It’s closed on Mondays but open 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. the rest of the week, 3:00 to midnight on Fridays, noon to midnight on Saturdays, and noon to 9:00 p.m. on Sundays. Mini golf costs $10 a person.

Bellingham Axe

Or you could throw an axe. Across downtown, Bellingham Axe offers axe throwing on Cornwall Ave. All ages and experience levels are welcome, according to the venue’s website, and their instructors (or as they call them, AXEperts) will provide guidance to anyone who needs it. You can book an hour for $22 a person, 90 minutes for $31 or two hours for $40.

Summit Trampoline Park

Summit Trampoline Park has locations in Colombia, Uruguay, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, and as of 2018 , Bellingham . The indoor trampoline gym lets you bounce off the walls between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on weekdays, with an additional hour tacked on Friday and Saturday nights. On Sundays, it’s open from 12:00 to 7:00 p.m. Admission for non-members costs $19.75 for an hour and $27.75 for two hours.

Mach1 Speedway and Arcade

The former Volli indoor pickleball facility just north of the Bellis Fair Mall was turned into an indoor go-kart track earlier this year. Open until 9:00 p.m. on weeknights and 11:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, Mach1 charges $24.95 for one race, $44.95 for two, and $59.95 for three. They also offer an arcade, mini-golf and shuffleboard.

Ruckus Room and 1-Up Lounge

With locations in downtown and at the Bellis Fair Mall , the Ruckus Room is a go-to spot for classic arcade games. The downtown location offers food and drinks as well, while the Bellis Fair arcade hosts parties.

Over in Fairhaven, the one-up lounge is equal parts bar and arcade, offering video games, board games and drinks into the a.m. every day of the week. They charge a gaming cover, but it includes a free fountain drink or mocktail.

Whatcom Museum

The Whatcom Museum might seem obvious, but it’s a great option if you plan to spend a day indoors. With the usual collections of art, historical artifacts, Indigenous art and artifacts, and photographs, the museum currently has exhibits on fossil survey, bird carving and nature photography on display as well. The museum is open from noon to 5:00 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, while its Family Interactive Gallery opens at 10:00 every day but Sunday, when it opens at noon. Admission is free for members, $12 for adults, $10 for students, seniors, youth and veterans, and $7 for children between the ages of two and five.

SPARK Museum

While it’s slated for renovation soon, the SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention remains a downtown Bellingham staple. Open from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, the museum has a wide range of artifacts and exhibits on all things electricity. Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for children 12 and younger, and free for members and children under two years old.

Escape rooms

If you’re craving the air conditioning so much that you want to be trapped indoors, Bellingham has a handful of escape rooms. There’s the Eureka Room in downtown, which charges between $28 and $30 a person and open until 11:00 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Owned by the same team, Cryptid Escapes in Fairhaven, charges $35 a person and is open the same days until 11:30 p.m.

Unlock the Hotel Leo is somewhere between a traditional escape room and a production, located in the historic downtown Bellingham hotel. Visitors are led through the early 20th century building and have to solve clues as they work their way through the hotel. It’s only open Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tickets are available online and cost $45 a person for smaller groups, $40 each for groups of five to six people, and $35 each for groups of seven or eight. Visitors have to be 13 or older.

Also in downtown, LockBreaker Escapes offers three different escape rooms along with a game room. It’s open to all ages every day of the week, and admission ranges from $30 to $50.