The Best Things to Do in Spokane, WA, According to Locals

A few weekends ago I had the pleasure to explore the best things to do in Spokane, WA like a local. How you might ask? I took over the Visit Spokane’s Instagram account and had the locals tell me the best things to do in Spokane, WA.

I also attended a preview of their Crave Northwest food event that happens mid-July, where I was able to pick the brains of food influencers and professionals from Spokane. And you know me, I always do my manic research to cross-reference sources and find themes of where food and travel authorities say I shouldn’t miss.

Needless to say, I got a lot of trustworthy recommendations. And I can confidently say this guide will make sure you spend your weekend like a local. So here it is: a shortlist of where to stay, what to eat, and things to do in Spokane, WA, as told by locals.

The Best Things to Do in Spokane, WA, According to Locals

Don’t feel like putting these things into an itinerary? I’m a licensed travel planner that would be happy to create a custom trip just for you!

About Spokane, WA

Spokane is one of the eastern-most cities in Washington state. It’s about a 4.5 hour drive from Seattle and 35 minutes from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Founded in 1873, it was first known as “Spokane Falls”. It experienced its heyday in 1883, when gold was discovered in Idaho. It was well-connected by railway, and you can feel that historical significance when the trains rumble by even to this day. In fact, 50% of the buildings still standing in Spokane are deemed historic and protected by the city.

Spokane, WA is great for a weekend trip. In fact, Hotwire nominated it as one of the top 10 small towns perfect for a quick getaway.

I recommend leaving during non-rush hour times so that you can get there from Seattle in the actual 4.5 hours it should take. If you leave on a Friday after 3 pm, up that drive time by at least 60 more minutes. And even more than that if it’s the winter and the pass is closed.

Where to Stay in Spokane, WA

The Montvale Hotel

The Montvale Hotel is Spokane’s oldest hotel. It dates back to 1899, when Spokane judge John Binkley purchased two adjoining lots and built guest rooms starting at $1-$2 per night. It changed hands over the years and remained accommodations, but fell into neglect in the 80s. And it wasn’t until the late 90s that it was restored into the gorgeous historic hotel that it is today.

The rooms are modest and comfortable (especially the bed!), but where this hotel really shines is the common spaces. Most of its rooms overlook a central seating area with a 360 degree balcony providing views of the vintage furnishings basking in sunlight thanks to atrium windows. They also curates work from artists and displays it throughout the hotel. You can find information about the artist via a book in your room, or read more on the placards next to their work.

One of my other favorite things about The Montvale Hotel was that they provide free bike rental! We used these to explore the area and I recommend you do this too. Spokane is a mellow, relatively flat city so it’s perfect for biking. This will allow you to hit up more of the things to do in Spokane, WA!

The Davenport Hotel

If you’re able to splurge, I recommend checking out The Historic Davenport Hotel. This luxury hotel also narrowly-missed demolition and neglect, but was refurbished in 2002. Famous names like Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, JFK, Babe Ruth, and Snoop Dogg have stayed here, and I can see why.

As soon as you walk in you can see the historic opulence at every turn. There’s ornate molding, wallpaper, gilding, and vintage furniture everywhere you look. Even if you don’t stay here, it’s worth a visit.

You can get brunch in the main dining room that’s right in the main lobby, get a drink at the Peacock lounge, or snoop around the Hall of Doges, Spokane’s oldest and most exquisite ballroom.

I didn’t stay here, but I did snoop. My absolute favorite gem was the Hall of Doges. Back when they were working on restoring it, a lot of the surrounding structure was unsalvageable. However, building owners Walt and Karen Worthy refused to tear down the Hall of Doges. So they literally lifted it out of the hotel and plopped it back in it’s place once the building was ready. I respect that commitment to history so much, as I’m sure you know given my obsession with antique shopping.

We arrived at about 8:30 am to find the lights were off and no one around. This made it a magical place to snap photos and take in the history. However, when security came up to begin setting up the ballroom for what we guessed was a wedding, we were scolded for not having purchased a sitting fee to snap pictures. Whoops!

If you’re hoping to sneak a peak and snap some pics, we recommend getting there early and bringing a tripod (as the lights will be off). If you love taking photos, this is a thing to do in Spokane, WA that you shouldn’t miss!

Things to Do in Spokane, WA

Visit Riverfront Park and Spokane Falls

No trip to Spokane is complete without a visit to Riverfront Park. It’s a series of paths and greenery that weaves along the water. We took our bikes from The Montvale Hotel and stopped along the way to take photos of what interested us.

One of those stops was Spokane Falls. The water you see at Spokane Falls flows from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. How much the falls are raging varies with the season, but the early summer when I went brought lovely views. There’s also an awesome bridge that connects Riverfront Park to more trails along the other side of the river, while also offering majestic views over the waterfalls. Get here early to be the only one on the bridge!

Bike between urban wineries

You know I love the Seattle Urban Wineries, so when I found out that Spokane has their own winery “cork district” I knew I had to explore it.

There are about 20 wineries all within a walk or quick bike ride of each other. We chose to bike ride to a few of them. The first one recommended to us was Robert Karl Cellars. It’s in an unassuming building with no windows, and once inside you feel like you’re in the warehouse, but these were hands down our favorite wines of the trip. Winemaker Joe is a physician by day and makes beautiful reds, particularly his claret. If you’re a fan of unpretentious, yummy wine from small makers and don’t mind the warehouse ambiance, this place is for you!

Two others recommended by locals were Barrister Winery and Arbor Crest Cellars. Barrister Winery is in the city and is right next to a raised train track. You get to it by walking along an alley filled with beautiful murals. You think you’re going to just end up in a warehouse, but then an opening appears and you see they’ve set up a barrel wall, string lights, and patio seating.

Inside they have a huge warehouse with old hardwood plank floors.

It’s cavernous and a bit medieval, but you can really tell that the space can be grand when given the wedding touch (and they had a lot of pics showing weddings they held in the past).

In the past they used to make their wine in another building because they thought the rumble of the train hurt the wine. But years later, they learned that the shaking actually helped the wine sediments settle to make beautiful red wines. Now all their wines are made on premises so they can be naturally affected by the shaking of the (many) passing trains.

Arbor Crest Cellars is about a 20 minute drive outside of the city center.

The editor of SIP Northwest magazine recommended I go here and I was not disappointed. They have absolutely beautiful grounds. Their vineyard sits on a cliff and they have a lot of different nooks to explore. Along the cliff edge are the vineyards and cherry trees (yes, I snuck a few. They were Rainiers!).

The Arbor Crest estate was built in 1924 by Royal Newton Riblet, an inventor and mechanical innovator who developed patents on things like a square-wheel tractor, pattern sprinkler system and mechanical parking garage. At the time of its construction in the early 1920s, it was among the most “wired” homes in the nation.

You can grab some wine from the tasting room and explore the grounds at your leisure. Some highlights include an ivy covered arch that used to be guest quarters, a gazebo overlooking the vineyards, a rose garden, a pool, a life-size checker board, or a stone gazebo tucked into the cliffs overlooking the Spokane Valley. This is a destination winery and it’s encouraged to bring a picnic so you can take your time enjoying your stay. Multiple locals confirmed this is one of the best things to do in Spokane, WA!

Sample local craft brews

If beer is more your thing, you’ll be happy to know that there are more than 20 breweries to explore in Spokane. We actually knew this before asking locals, as we discovered the Inland Northwest Ale Trail during our road trip to Idaho a few winters ago. You better believe I dug out that map so we could get more stamps on their beer passport!

We only ended up making it to one brewery this trip, but it was a goodie. The Steel Barrel Taproom is a block away from The Montvale Hotel and pours more than 20 draft beers from local breweries and others around the PNW. Some of our favorite were from Spokane-based Young Buck Brewing, such as their seasonal cucumber beer.

If you can only make it to one brewery, we recommend this one because it serves a bunch of local brews under one roof. Oh, and they also serve ceviche, but more about that when I talk about where to eat below.

Pickup souvenirs or items for yourself at local stores

Unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to do as much shopping as we wanted because a lot of stores are closed on Sundays. We did get to the Hillyard Antique Mall and a few surrounding antique shops on Market Street, but we hear the main area to go shopping for vintage goodies is North Monroe Street. You can find some stores recommended by locals via my map below. I’ll update this when we get back to Spokane!

Check out Manito Park’s Japanese Garden

The ride up to Manito Park via Rockwood Boulevard makes it seem like you’re in another city. There are beautiful mansions dotting a tree-dense residential area. If you see an open house, I highly recommend getting your snoop on.

Manito Park has 90 acres of manicured lawns, gardens, a duck pond, and a stone bridge. We passed by the crowded rose garden and snuck into the Japanese Gardens, which is much more secluded and serene. While small, it’s peaceful and makes for gorgeous photos…especially if you can get the koi fish in your shots!

Visit the farms in Green Bluff

Green Bluff is a 26-farm collective just north of Spokane that offer farm stands and u-pick orchards. The area also contains some wineries, breweries, cideries, and a meadery. Unfortunately we didn’t make it this time, but y’all know I love u-pick! This would be an especially good thing to do in Spokane, WA if you have kids in tow.

Where to Eat in Spokane, WA

Zona Blanca

Zona Blanca was hands down our favorite place we ate in Spokane. So much so that we ate here twice in less than 24 hours and I think it’s one of the best restaurants worth the drive from Seattle. It’s a ceviche place located inside Steel Barrel Taproom that’s run by Chef Chad White, a Top Chef alum. I mean, ceviche and beer makes total sense in my mind!

Every ceviche we got was awesome, but our favorite was the baja atun with tuna, serranos, avocado, and a traditional poke-like sauce. I recommend getting your ceviche served on a tostada. The added crunch is worth it!

The other dish you must try is the dorilocos. Prepare for this: it’s Doritos served with shrimp ceviche and gummy bears. It sounds insane, and I was skeptical as hell, but multiple locals told me it was a must try. And I’m so happy they did. I was completely obsessed with it. Especially eating the gummy bears that sunk to the bottom and were drowning in the sweet chili ceviche sauce. I’ve never had anything like it, so don’t miss out!

Brain Freeze Creamery

If you come to Spokane, WA in the summer, you’re going to need something to cool down. Enter Brain Freeze Creamery. They serve homemade ice cream and waffle cones out of their two locations. I was obsessed with their chocolate ice cream. It took everything in my power to not go back again, and again, and again…

Bruncheonette

I was so torn about where to brunch in Spokane. I’d read about so many good places! So I put a poll out to Visit Spokane’s followers. It was close, but 58% of people said to go to Bruncheonette.

What sold me on Bruncheonette was the tamale waffles. I’ve never had anything like it. It tastes exactly like a tamale, sans the soggy filling. We got there at 10:30 am on a Sunday and didn’t have to wait, but the crowds started pouring in at 11 am. So get here early!

Italia Trattoria

Multiple sources recommended we go to Italia Trattoria, a James Beard-nominated restaurant in a quaint residential area of Spokane. Everything we got was solid, but the standout was the meatballs. They were an awesome texture and soaked up the sweet tomato sauce beautifully. Honestly, they didn’t even need the pasta!

First Avenue Coffee

First Avenue Coffee is conveniently on the same block as The Montvale Hotel. It’s a hipster coffee shop serving really good pour over coffee. But the best part about it? They aren’t pretentious about serving said pour over coffee.

I tend to steer clear of fancy coffee places. Not because I don’t love their coffee, but because I feel stifled by their pretentiousness. I know you’re not “supposed” to put milk in your coffee. Whatever, I prefer it. Don’t judge me for it! Luckily, they don’t at First Avenue Coffee. And that’s exactly how a coffee shop is supposed to be!

Other Places to Eat Recommended by Locals

There were so many great places I read about…more than I could possibly fit into a weekend trip. I created a Google Map of all the places I explored or plan to visit the next time I’m in Spokane, WA. While everything on there is recommended by locals, these were the ones that were consistently mentioned:

• Cottage Cafe for brunch. Get the fried chicken steak and gravy.
• Cochinito for street tacos.
• Rockwood Bakery to experience a charming place hidden in a residential neighborhood.
• Ruins for a late-night meal, since they don’t take reservations.
• Chaps for brunch number two.
• Central Food for a local ingredient-driven lunch.

I can’t wait to head back to Spokane, WA to try all the other yummy restaurants, breweries, and wineries! If you know of other things to do in Spokane, WA, please add it to the comments below!

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Disclaimer: Visit Spokane provided me a a 2-night free stay plus dinner in exchange for my honest opinion about the city. All thoughts expressed here are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep The Emerald Palate going!