One of Bellingham's most beloved local institutions is marking a major milestone this year. Good Time Girls, the guided history tour company formally known as Bellinghistory Tours, is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2026 with a full slate of themed outings running through October, including sunset cruises on Bellingham Bay and a short documentary film screening in September.
What Good Time Girls Offers
Good Time Girls offers walking tours through some of Whatcom County's most historically rich neighborhoods and districts, including downtown Bellingham and the Fairhaven Village neighborhood. The company's guides are known for weaving together local lore, regional history, and colorful storytelling, bringing the past to life in ways that standard historical plaques simply cannot match.
Tours run on various themes throughout the season, touching on topics such as Bellingham's bawdy waterfront past, the history of Fairhaven as an independent rival city before its annexation by Bellingham in 1903, and the characters, scandals, and everyday lives of Whatcom County residents across the decades. Reservations and current tour offerings can be found at the Bellingham history and visitor page.
For the anniversary year, the company is also hosting a podcast called "BellingHistory with the Good Time Girls," available on multiple platforms for anyone who wants to explore local history from home.
Special Events This Summer and Fall
Two History Sunset Cruises remain on the August calendar, scheduled for August 18 and August 25. Each cruise sets sail at 6 p.m. and is led by Kolby LaBree, co-owner of Good Time Girls. Participants can expect waterfront lore, maritime history, and views across Bellingham Bay as the sun drops toward the San Juan Islands. The cruises are a partnership between Good Time Girls, the Whatcom Museum, and San Juan Cruises.
In September, the company plans a short documentary film screening about the group's history, and two former guides are expected to return to host tours as part of the anniversary celebration. Additional details will be announced through the Good Time Girls social media channels and website as the date approaches.
The tours and events are a natural fit for the shoulder season, when Whatcom County's crowds thin out but the weather often remains cooperative well into October. For visitors and longtime Bellingham residents alike, an evening cruise or afternoon walking tour offers a genuinely different way to see familiar places.
Why It Matters After 15 Years
Running a small, community-rooted tour company for 15 years in any city is a significant achievement. In Bellingham, where local character and independent spirit are part of the city's identity, Good Time Girls has built something that goes beyond tourism. The guides have become community historians in their own right, and the tours have introduced generations of newcomers and lifelong residents to the layers of history beneath the city's streets.
Bellingham's history is richer and stranger than most people realize. The city at various points was a serious rival to Seattle as a regional hub, hosted major salmon and coal industries, saw explosive growth during the Klondike Gold Rush era, and navigated the complex and often troubling history of Indigenous displacement that shaped the entire Pacific Northwest. Good Time Girls brings those stories to street level, at a walking pace.
The anniversary season is a good reason to book a tour if you have been meaning to go for years. Both the sunset cruises on August 18 and 25 and the September film screening are time-limited opportunities. For more information on what is available through October, check the current schedule and other ways to enjoy Bellingham this season while the warm weather holds.
