Spokane：A Great Place to Lift Your Spirits

Spokane is also famous by its nickname, the Lilac City, because of the lilac flowers blossomed continuously, since the city established in 1881. The town is under Washington State, located on the North-Western side of the USA and the biggest of the Spokane County. It is the center of the third largest urban area in the Pacific Northwest. Apart from the historical and geographical importance, the place is rich in scenic beauty due to the river and the mountains here and there. Here, a nature lover can enjoy the abundance of nature along with all the amenities of a well-established city. It is an exciting place with a lot of tourism activities, and tourist will get a myriad of things to do. As a tourist, you can enjoy a blend of urban hospitality and can actively involve in many cultural activities. One can enjoy many exciting things, a Gondola Sky Ride or watch the mammoth Spokane Falls or just roam around the city, the lush green meadows and botanical gardens.

1. Manito Park

Manito Park and Botanical Gardens is a great place to lift your spirits with beautiful greens all around. The abundance of varied species of plants and colorful flowers will surely take you away from the mundane world. The park has two sections – upper Manito and lower Manito and consists of seven gardens. The seven gardens are Duncan Garden, Gaiser Conservatory, Joel E. Ferris Perennial Garden, Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden, Rose Hill, Dahlia Garden and Lilac Garden. The main attraction in Duncan Garden is the large granite fountain and the spectacular flower beds. The Gaiser Conservatory is rich with desert and tropical plants. Watching perennial plants something you can enjoy at Joel E. Ferris Perennial Garden. Each of the gardens is popular with their identities, such as Rose Hill for roses, Dahlia Garden for dahlia flowers and Lilac Garden for cultivars.

2. Centennial Trail

Centennial Trail, which is also calling as Spokane River Centennial Trail is a perfect place for hiking lovers. The trail takes you through hilly terrain, young ponderosa pines, and the Riverside State Park Equestrian Area. It is a paved recreational trail stretches about 37 miles, ideal for non-motorized vehicles and foot-travelers. The trails start from the massive Nine Mile Falls and take you to the rocky canyons located on the western side of the town, along the Idaho state border road. The trails continue beyond Washington and take you to Coeur d’Alene. Exploring the trails is a great experience. The downtown park is a suitable location to start your expedition to the east and western part of Spokane. Traversing to the west part will be a challenging experience as the trails are rough and rugged, and it will take you to the end of Sontag Community Park. Towards the eastern side, the trails look comparatively less challenging, and it takes you through the Gonzaga University and takes you to the Idaho border. You should be fully equipped to meet the harsh conditions and should carry enough water, food and essential travel kits. Travelers required to have Discover Pass at Centennial Trail inside Riverside State Park and no pass required for other trailheads.

3. Green Bluff

Green Bluff is a small farming community and census-designated place in Spokane County. The town is famous for equestrian properties as well as small farms. The beautiful Green Bluff is renowned for its fruits and vegetable farms, and among all is the 33 families owned orchards, wineries, ranches, and farms. You can enjoy a variety of activities here such as picking fruit, vegetables and enjoying the live music concerts. In addition to this, you can actively participate in many outdoor activities. Some of the activities are navigating corn mazes, horseback events, shooting pumpkins either with hayrides or canons, etc. One of the important celebrations is the Beck's Harvest festival, which takes place every year during the Fall Harvest Festival is a major attraction, and many families converge here to enjoy the event. They have all sort of fun and frolic activities, such as the jumping pad, hay maze, cow train and much more in the ‘Friendly Family Farm Fun Land. Green Bluff is a fantastic place. Anytime when you visit you can enjoy Orchards, wineries, scenery and more items than expected.

4. Spokane Falls

Spokane Falls is a waterfall and dam on the Spokane River, located in downtown Spokane. The waterfall is at the heart of the city, and this gives it a wonderful feeling to the visitors with its absolute scenic beauty. Because of the location, you can view it from many angles. The falls divided into two sections the upper falls and the downfalls. The Dam section is in the upper falls area, and the downfalls area is the diversion dam, known as the Monroe Street Dam. It is one of the most significant hydro-electric projects in Washington State and produces about 10MW power. It will be a fantastic experience to have birds eye of Spokane over the Monroe Street Bridge. In the spring, the flow is torrential. In addition to the falls, you must see the other cascading water just upstream from the falls. They are equally impressive and can view from a footbridge.

5. Riverfront Park

Riverfront Park is a public park for leisure and recreation in Spokane, located very close to the Spokane Falls. The park spreads over one hundred acres along the magnificent Spokane River opened for public in 1974. It is a place where you can enjoy skating strolling, running, and picnics and get together. The Riverfront Park developed for the Expo '74, during the World Fair exhibition and all the recreation activities constructed for the exhibition preserved as a landmark, and has become a popular tourist destination. Out of the many stunning creations, the most impressive one is the Pavilion, a metal structure standing 44 meters tall above the ground. The park is also famous for the Carousel, which is popularly calling as the Looff Carousel, which is a cluster of handmade structures of 54 horse, chariots, 1 tiger and 1 giraffe. Apart from the above, the attractions include the amusement park, the centennial trail, rides, skating rink, IMAX Theatre and Spokane Opera House, etc. The park also organizes exciting events every year such as the Bloomsday Post-Race celebration during May, Hoopfest in very June, fireworks celebration during every 4th of July and Kid’s Day every year August. It is an ideal place to take a break from the stressful life and engage in leisure and fun activities.

6. Gonzaga University

Gonzaga University is a private university in Spokane founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, located in downtown Spokane along the River Spokane. The university had its named after St. Aloysius de Gonzaga, an Italian, who joined with the Society of Jesus, and lost his life while volunteering for the victims of epidemic sufferers later canonized in 1726. Though a private university, Gonzaga has become a heritage of the place. The university gives much focus on liberal curriculum and what make it different rest of the educational institutions. On average 2,500 graduates and 5,000 undergraduates roll out from the university. The university has an impressive track record on sport and academic activities. Some of the most exceptional alumni are for speaker of the US House Tom Foley, basketball player John Stockton, and notable singe Bing Crosby. It is mandatory for the students to stay on campus for two years, from the beginning of their semester. Students can have various activities and can ice skate during the winter and stroll on the Riverfront Park or opt for a sky ride over the Spokane Falls.

7. Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture

It was formerly the Cheney Cowles Museum, and later named as the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture is another great place of attraction in Spokane. The museum is part of Smithsonian Institution and has the accreditation of the American Alliance of Museums. The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC) has the most extensive collection of five underground galleries in the Inland Northwest. It also has cafes, store, education center, community room and the Center for Plateau Cultural Studies. You can also find the historic Campbell House built in 1898 in the museum campus, outdoor amphitheater, auditorium, archives and extensive library collections. The entire exhibition and other programs depict around three major subjects, and they are the regional history, American-Indian culture, and the visual art. It is an interesting spot for individuals who want to know about ancient American history and development.

8. Mount Spokane State Park

Located 26 miles northeast of Spokane city, Mount Spokane State Park is a densely forested park located in the Selkirk Mountains. It is one of the largest state parks in Washington having a trail of 100 miles for hiking, biking, and horseback riding lovers. The trail range from easy to difficult so that it becomes gradually sustainable and adventurous. The park spread around Mount Spokane and many other peaks including Beauty Mountain, Mount Kit Carson, and Quartz Mountain. It will be an exciting experience, to watch the spectacular view of the city from the Quartz Mountain and the historic Vista House located on top of Mount Spokane. The views on the horizon extend limitless towards the north Idaho panhandle, and Canada, a great experience one cannot afford to miss.
Mount Spokane is a great place for winter activities like downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing. Camping and picnicking are also available.

9. St. John's Cathedral Spokane

St. John's Cathedral Spokane is a Christian center of prayer and worship in Spokane for over eighty years. The Cathedral, named after St. John the Evangelist, Is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane. The church is built entirely of cut stone, the carvings, and the figures in stained glass, include symbols of many faiths. You can find the notable carvings by Ole Sunde of Seattle and by Arcangelo Cascieri and Adio di Baccari of Boston. The classic Gothic style glass windows create a unique ambiance in the church. Here, you can enjoy the Carillon take place at Sunday services, at times of religious and civic festivals.

10. Mount Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park

Mount Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park is a ski resort inside Mount Spokane State Park in Spokane County. The resort is about 23 miles northeast of Spokane. The highest peak of the mountain is 5,889 feet from the sea level, and the base is at 3,818 ft. above the sea level. The difference in the height of the base and peak make a natural vertical slope facing towards east and tourist can enjoy the elevated passenger ropeway to reach the summit and back. The elevated ropeway can carry about 4,000 passengers per hour with a maximum speed of 26.8 miles per hour. It is an ideal place for the ski lovers and snow adventurers.

◎ Closing

With all the diversified natural and human-made beauties, Spokane is a great tourist spot. It is a great place for all sorts of tourists including nature lovers, adventure lovers, and wanderers. Even the cultural base of the site will keep your spirit high. Here, you will definitely find the newer and more rejuvenated yourself. Spokane has everything to take you away from the materialistic world to a heavenly realm.