WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The sun finally decided to bless our neck of the woods and this weekend there are tons of opportunities to enjoy the spectacular spring weather. This week’s Lifestyle Lookout features hikes, art walks, beer gardens and some great live music. Let’s get to it.

While the North Cascades are still snow-covered, there are hiking options abound in the lowlands. From Sumas Mountain to Lake Whatcom Park and the Chuckanuts, western Whatcom County is your oyster.

Larrabee State Park is easily accessible from Bellingham, and while you want to avoid Chuckanut Drive’s southern reaches because of a rockslide, you can still access Oyster Dome and the rest of the hikes on Blanchard Mountain from Samish Overlook.

Spectacular views from Samish Overlook and access to trails on Blanchard Mountain including Oyster Dome. Photo by Adam Smith
Pine and Cedar Lakes Trail is a popular and grueling hike in the Chuckanut Mountains. Photo by Adam Smith

AllTrails and Washington Trails Association both offer great apps and websites to guide you on your way.

If a stroll around downtown Bellingham is more your pace, Friday, May 2 is First Friday, offering some great opportunities to wander the streets enjoying local art.

Paper Whale is hosting The Immersive Art Project. Starting Friday, four vacant storefronts will be “activated” with temporary galleries showcasing immersive works that interact with the spaces they occupy.

All the galleries are in spaces that are currently for lease, so perspective business owners can pop in to see how to best use the space. Art lovers, meanwhile, can just pop in and get lost in the expertly curated exhibits.

For all the details go to Paper Whale’s website.

Whatcom County is home to many talented youngsters. Allied Arts wants to show you what they can do.

The Bellingham Children’s Art Walk runs from Friday, May 2 to Friday, May 16. Over 50 downtown businesses will feature artwork created in schools throughout the county.

Find all the details at alliedarts.org or stop by the Allied Arts Gallery at 1213 Cornwall Ave to grab an art walk map and get information on all the live music and other events happening for First Friday.

It is the first weekend of May which means it is opening weekend at Kulshan Brewing Company’s Trackside on Bellingham’s Waterfront.

Stroll down to enjoy live music at their 25,000 square foot beer garden. Grab yourself one of the 20 beers on tap while you are there. Wine, cider and non-alcoholic beverages are also available at this all-ages space. The Trackside location will be open all summer.

For all the details, go to kulshanbrewing.com and be sure to read this week’s We Are Whatcom featuring Dave Vitt, the founder of Kulshan Brewing Company.

Cinco de Mayo is on Monday. That means the good folks at El Sueñito Brewing Company will be celebrating all weekend. They will have food and drink specials, a painting party on Saturday and a dance performance from Chicas Reinas y Chicos de Oro on Monday.

El Sueñito Brewing Company is located in Bellingham’s Sunnyland neighborhood at 1926 Humboldt St.

Our featured live show this week is at the Shakedown in downtown Bellingham. Seattle’s Massy Ferguson will bring their brand of country-rock to the stage on Saturday night. It will be a night of “amplified twang and raw, guitar-driven bang.”

Massy Ferguson is playing with ToadMortons and Bellingham’s Salt Pine. Tickets are just $10 and can be purchased at shakedownbellingham.com.

Listen to this week’s Lifestyle Lookout below and every Friday on the KGMI Morning News: