Mount Baker Highway (Route 542)
Whatcom Museum of History and Art, WA

Located at the beginning of the byway in Bellingham, a visit to the Whatcom Museum of History and Art is a good way to begin your drive along Mount Baker Highway. This museum actually consists of four buildings, the main building, Syre Education Center, ARCO Exhibits building, and the Children's Museum. The admission to most of the buildings is free and the museum offers a great experience for the whole family. In fact there is something for everyone at the Whatcom Museum.

The main building has art and history, contemporary art, and Victorian clothing, woodworking tools, and toys. The Syre Center has exhibits on birds of the Pacific Northwest, Victorian era period rooms, Northwest Coast First Nations and Inuit (Eskimo) exhibits, First Nations baskets, logging, and settlement exhibits. The ARCO Exhibits change periodically, but cover such topics as history and contemporary art. In the Children's Museum, it's all hands on. The youngsters will love all of the interactive exhibits.