The Good Time Girls return for another season of walking tours under new ownership. Old favorites and new tours will be offered June-September under the command of former guides Kolby LaBree and Wren Urbigkit.
New this season is a variety of general tours suited for all ages and sensibilities alternating on weekend afternoons throughout the summer, including new tours of the Columbia-Eldridge Neighborhood and State Street as well as Whatcom Creek and Fairhaven.
Good Time Girls have traditionally partnered with local watering holes to offer a ticket option good for an adult beverage following the tours. The Columbia-Eldridge Neighborhood Tour offers libations from popular neighborhood hang-out Elizabeth Station. As of late May, partnerships with other favorite local establishments are still “brewing.”
Tickets range from $15-$ 20, tours run about 1-hour and cover under one mile on foot.
“The goal of all our tours is to make history enjoyable. We feel history is extremely interesting and important, and also often hilarious. Our goal is to get people having as much fun with history as we do. We hope to get them thinking about the past, how it has shaped the present and what it can teach us going forward… all while having a good time.“
Founded in 2011 by Marissa McGrath and Sara Holodnick, the Good Time Girls have filled a niche providing regular guided historical walking tours of Bellingham, with a special focus on vice and quirky history. After founders Marissa and Sara decided to pursue new paths, former guides Kolby and Wren were determined to keep the “good times” rolling.
Kolby LaBree is a born “hamster,” mother of three and resident of the Columbia-Eldridge neighborhood. She has a degree in anthropology from WWU and a background in cultural resource management and historic preservation. She specializes in historical and genealogical research.
Wren Urbigkit is an armchair historian and public speaking nerd. She also enjoys working at the beautiful Mount Baker Theater and teaching cello lessons. She has lived in Bellingham for 10 years with her husband and two girls and currently dwells in the Birchwood Neighborhood.
Kolby and Wren will continue to offer the signature Good Time Girls seasonal walking tours while expanding year-round programming and all-ages educational offerings under the name “Bellinghistory.” The Good Time Girls trademark brand of feminism, sass and entertaining history will remain at the forefront of all of their offerings.
The Good Time Girls’ staple “Sin & Gin” tours explore the history of vice in Bellingham, from the early wild-west days through the prohibition era, led by a costumed guide. Sin & Gin Tours run every weekend June-September at 7 pm in downtown on Friday evenings and on Saturdays in Bellingham’s “Southside” aka Fairhaven.