Best Sites in Spokane, Washington

The Spokane River winds for miles, travelling right through the downtown area of Spokane with a beautiful cascading waterfall. Thus, the city is known as Spokane Falls.

Spokane’s riverfront area has many activities and events. The Numerica Skyride is popular year-round. The 15-minute gondola ride takes visitors across the Spokane River, directly in front of the falls.

Additionally, the riverfront has a large pavilion that features performances, festivals, and even fitness events. The world’s largest red radio flyer wagon also stands in Riverfront Park.

Many years ago, the riverfront area was a busy rail yard. In the photo below, you can see the clock tower of the former Great Northern station.

The historic Davenport Hotel and the Bing Crosby Theater are located in downtown Spokane.

And, the Spokane Arena is the home of the men’s Gonzaga basketball team. The arena also has concerts and other events throughout the year.

Dining in Spokane

Frank’s Diner offers a unique dining experience inside an old railcar. Although there might be a wait, the atmosphere, great food, and friendly service are worth it. We enjoyed a wonderful diner-style breakfast seated at the counter inside Frank’s Diner.

After visiting downtown Spokane, we made our way over to Clinkerdagger for dinner. For nearly 50 years this establishment has been a local favorite. And the best part is it’s located right along the Spokane riverfront. Since the weather was nice, we chose to sit out on the patio to admire the gorgeous surroundings. We had the coconut shrimp appetizer to start. I chose their famous prime rib for my entree and the hubs chose the salmon pasta.

Spokane’s former Central Steam Heat Plant building has been renovated, but much of the machinery and infrastructure was saved. Visitors to the building can see those transformations. Currently inside the building is a restaurant/bar along with event space. We stopped inside for a drink after a busy evening site-seeing in downtown Spokane.

About 35 to 40 minutes east of Spokane is the beautiful small town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. We’ve linked our travels there as well as Seattle, Snoqualmie, and Woodinville, Washington.