Fall Family Weekend
Thank You for Attending Fall Family Weekend 2022!
We hope you enjoyed your time with your student during Fall Family Weekend. Whether you ventured into town for a ticketed event or took in the sights and campus activities on your own, we hope you found meaningful ways to experience Western and explore the colors, flavors, and activities the fall season provides.
Our campus and community partners are already looking forward to hosting another weekend of fun and inspired events for you next year!
About Fall Family Weekend: The annual weekend of events and activities provide students and their families a variety of fun ways to connect with each other and the Western and Bellingham communities. A flexible schedule means you determine how and when you want to spend your time together. Activities kick off mid-day Friday and end by Sunday afternoon. While most events are free or lower cost, those requiring tickets will be available for purchase by late September. Past events have featured live comedy improv shows, a Halloween classic movie, planetarium shows, WWU athletics, campus and community tours, student performances, pumpkin carving, Western Gallery exhibits and outdoor sculpture tours, bike tours, farm tours, department open houses, and more!
Stay tuned for dates and news on Fall Family Weekend 2023 coming soon!
EXPLORE
Western, Bellingham, the Pacific Northwest, and the Salish Sea
Accommodations and transportation options for visiting Bellingham
- Visit the Accommodations page for information about Bellingham hotels, some of which offer WWU discounts.
- Explore regional transportation options for more information about getting to and from Bellingham and WWU.
Keep exploring the community
- Community Events - Fun, local activities to enjoy during your visit.
- WWU Students’ Guide to Bellingham: Fall quarter is here and it’s a great time to explore some of these favorite finds in Bellingham!
- Visiting Bellingham and the surrounding Whatcom County for abundant nature, outdoor adventure and sweeping scenery from the Salish Sea to Mt. Baker and North Cascades National Park!
- Savor the Bounty of Bellingham! From award–winning restaurants to fresh, budget-friendly food, Bellingham and Whatcom County is a foodie's paradise. Check out Washington State’s most famous European traveler, Rick Steves, through a series of videos.
- Whatcom Museum - The Whatcom Museum serves as both a community magnet and a regional destination for cultural experiences rooted in art, nature, and Northwest history.
- Whatcom County Parks - Our 16,000 acres of natural lands encompasses ocean beaches to mountain peaks. You’ll find challenging mountain bike and hiking trails as well as playgrounds and historic sites.
Western maps & tours
- Campus Map for Western - Main cartography and design by Josh Jones, 2011-12
- Virtual tour of the campus. Choose your own adventure!
- Watch a YouTube tour led by students around our beautiful campus.
- WWU Sculpture tour - Explore this extensive public sculpture collection founded in the 1960’s.
- Multicultural Center tour - Join the Associated Students on a tour of this beautiful, new facility.
- Western Tree tour - These four tree tours describe some of the more interesting specimens on campus and also provides some history about many of the trees.
Connecting with the broader Salish Sea Region
- Viqueen Lodge - The Viqueen Lodge is provided by the Associated Students as a leisure activity facility on Sinclair Island, south of Bellingham. Cabin and grounds maintenance are provided by volunteers of the Western Washington University community and the staff of WWU's Viking Outdoor Recreation programs and Viking Union facilities.
- Shannon Point Marine Center - Western Washington University's Shannon Point Marine Center is located within a 78 acre wooded campus in Anacortes that is covered in a mature Pacific lowland forest that is dominated by Douglas fir and Cedar trees.
- Salish Sea & Surrounding Basin map Created by Stefan Freelan, WWU, 2009. Explore in and around the bioregion through this map created by Stefan Freelan, Western's GIS Specialist and College of the Environment instructor.
- Car Free Salish Sea Journeys No car? No problem! Created by student, Daniel Heppner, 2020
- Salish Sea Alpine Resorts Created by student, Alexander West, 2020
- Redfish School of Change
- Native Land Acknowledgement Native Land is a tool that maps out Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages. Native Land brings about discussions of colonization, land rights, language, and Indigenous history tied to our personal histories. Created by Native Land Digital.
- Interactive Washington State park map - Find Washington State Parks near Western.
- Washington State Parks virtual Tours - Explore Washington State Parks from anywhere in the world.