Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Borneo orangutan
Malaysia • 12 days, 11 nights
Wild Borneo: Secrets of an Ancient Rainforest
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The wall commemorating 11,908 Jewish victims of the Shoah from Frankfurt.
Börneplatz Memorial
Entrance to the munitions area of the lower part of the bunker
Simserhof
Carlos Calderón Yruegas calls the villa his personal playground.
Villa Tabaiba
Apples and pears, Spitalfields Market.
Brick Lane Roundels
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Biosphere 2 campus (2016)
Biosphere 2: How Volunteers Survived for 2 Years in an Airtight Habitat
about 16 hours ago
Places like Forest Grove linger on the edge of wilderness and civilization.
Listening for Echoes of the Forest Grove Sound
about 18 hours ago
Longwood House, where Napoleon Bonaparte spent his final years.
The Longwood House: Napoleon Bonaparte’s Beautiful Prison
1 day ago
 Fenway Park at night
How Was Your First Trip With Your Significant Other?
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Washington Bellingham Whatcom Museum

Whatcom Museum

Like your grandma's attic—if your grandma were a little weirder, extremely well-traveled, and had a great eye for art.

Bellingham, Washington

Added By
amdawson
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Whatcom Museum’s John M. Edson Hall of Birds houses hundreds of taxidermied specimen, including this raven.   amdawson / Atlas Obscura User
The Whatcom Museum’s John M. Edson Hall of Birds houses hundreds of taxidermied specimen, including this raven.   amdawson / Atlas Obscura User
A Pacific Northwest diorama on display at the Whatcom Museum.   runarut, Flickr Creative Commons
An upstairs view of the Lightcatcher, home to Whatcom Museum’s fine art and indigenous cultures exhibits as well a the Family Interactive Gallery.   Joe Mabel, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Susan Murrell’s immersive “Sift/Shift” art and sound exhibit at the Whatcom Museum’s Lightcatcher building (2023).   amdawson / Atlas Obscura User
Susan Murrell’s immersive “Sift/Shift” art and sound exhibit at the Whatcom Museum’s Lightcatcher building (2023).   amdawson / Atlas Obscura User
“Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea” exhibit at the Whatcom Museum’s Lightcatcher building (2022).   amdawson / Atlas Obscura User
“Katazome Today” Japanese textiles exhibit at the Whatcom Museum (2023).   amdawson / Atlas Obscura User
“Many Wests: Artists Shape an American Idea” exhibit at the Whatcom Museum’s Lightcatcher building (2022).   amdawson / Atlas Obscura User
19th century jail cells in the basement of Whatcom Museum’s Old City Hall.   amdawson / Atlas Obscura User
Front entrance to Old City Hall, now the Whatcom Museum.   amdawson / Atlas Obscura User
Old City Hall, now the Whatcom Museum, in Bellingham, Washington.   Benjamin Cody, Wikimedia Creative Commons
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

With 500 taxidermied birds, jail cells from the 1800s, and a mysterious mannequin that’s been known to appear in the clock tower window (not an official exhibit, but a bonus), the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Washington, is a must-see.

The museum spans three buildings: At the Lightcatcher, take in fine art and traveling exhibits, indigenous cultural displays, and bring children to the Family Interactive Gallery. In Old City Hall, wander the John M. Edson Hall of Birds and listen to their unique calls, learn about local Pacific Northwest history (can you spot the hidden Bigfoot?), or walk inside a 19th-century padded cell in the basement’s old city jail and read the prisoners' carvings preserved in the walls. And if that’s not enough, make an appointment with a local historian at the Syre Education Center to examine the museum’s priceless photo archives. (Ken Burns has.)

With 200,000 items in its care, the museum's collections are a little like grandma's attic—and you never know what new and surprising items will be on display. But the Whatcom Museum is also a Smithsonian Affiliate, hosting masterpieces from around the country. From the weird to the wonderful, it has something for everyone.

Related Tags

Art Museum Museums And Collections Taxidermy

Know Before You Go

Admission to the Whatcom Museum gets you into both Old City Hall and the Lightcatcher, which are a couple of blocks apart. There is a parking lot at Old City Hall (121 Prospect St.), and street parking is available near the Lightcatcher (250 Flora St.). The historic Old City Hall jail cells are available for viewing by tour only (included with admission fee). Tours are held most Sundays, and details can be found on the museum website.

Community Contributors

Added By

amdawson

Published

September 29, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Whatcom Museum
121 Prospect Street
Bellingham, Washington, 98225
United States
48.752653, -122.481249
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention

Bellingham, Washington

miles away

Rock Rings

Bellingham, Washington

miles away

Fairhaven Historic Markers

Bellingham, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bellingham

Bellingham

Washington

Places 3
Stories 1

Nearby Places

SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention

Bellingham, Washington

miles away

Rock Rings

Bellingham, Washington

miles away

Fairhaven Historic Markers

Bellingham, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bellingham

Bellingham

Washington

Places 3
Stories 1

Related Places

  • “Yo Soy el Buen Pastor Ego Sum Pastor Bonus” by Bernardo Ramonfaur.

    Monterrey, Mexico

    Museo Arquidiocesano de Arte Sacro (Archdiocese Sacred Art Museum)

    Its collection features not only Christian-themed art but also works made by members of the clergy.

  • Chamblee, Georgia

    The Oddities Museum

    A celebration of one man’s obsession to collect the strangest items imaginable.

  • Hakone, Japan

    Hakone Venetian Glass Museum (Glass Forest)

    The first Venetian glass exhibit in Japan and one of the largest in the world.

  • Main hall of the Wiertz Museum

    Brussels, Belgium

    Wiertz Museum

    The former home and studio of Belgian artist Antoine Wiertz is now a museum dedicated to his work.

  • New Orleans, Louisiana

    The Great American Alligator Museum

    Come for the 14-foot-long taxidermy alligator. Stay for the mini costumed gators shooting pool.

  • Radebeul, Germany

    Lügenmuseum

    A museum dedicated to telling lies in service of the truth.

  • The collection includes eight intact human skeletons.

    Brooklyn, New York

    The Bone Museum

    This museum dedicated to the history of the medical bone trade and human osteology.

  • Ocean Springs, Mississippi

    Walter Anderson Museum of Art

    A small museum celebrating the work of a Mississippi artist who had a unique connection with the natural world.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.