Spokane

Visit Spokane, in the northwest of America, to enjoy varied and beautiful hiking trails, local handcrafts and boutique beers.

Start your stay in downtown Spokane where many of the sights are easy to reach on foot via skywalks, climate-controlled bridges that connect buildings.

Riverfront Park is right in the heart of downtown. Here, you can take a ride on the Spokane Falls SkyRide and enjoy views of the second-longest urban falls in the country. Within walking distance is River Park Square, a shopping, dining and entertainment precinct. As well as department stores Macy’s and Nordstrom, there’s a range of eclectic specialty shops, which sell anything from locally handcrafted items to tasty chocolates. The kids will love the square’s children’s museum and toy store.

Stop in at the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture to browse exhibits that feature local history and culture in five underground galleries. Next door is Campbell House, which was once home to prominent Spokane citizens at the turn of the century. Take a tour of the neoclassical revival-style house to see how the occupants would have lived.

Between sightseeing, sip fine brews at a number of pubs or taste wines from some of the 20 wineries in the region. Take a bottle of locally made wine to one of the city’s restaurants. Spokane’s culinary scene prides itself on using locally grown produce to create meals that match the flavors of the regional wine.

Venture outside the city center and explore nearby natural attractions such as the Olympic National Rainforest, Mount Rainier and Glacier National Park. Go on a whitewater rafting adventure, try fly fishing or rock climbing, or rent a bike and follow the 37-mile (60-kilometer) trail through the Riverside State Park to the Idaho state line.

Set along the Spokane River in the northeast of Washington state, Spokane’s outlying areas are best explored by bus or car. Public transit in the central city area is inexpensive and reliable.