A Day in Spokane

Begin your tour of Spokane west of downtown at the Finch Arboretum on Woodland Boulevard off Sunset Boulevard. From the arboretum, head east on Sunset Boulevard, left on Chestnut Street, and left on 1st Avenue to get to the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. Riverside Avenue, a block north of 1st Avenue, leads east to Riverfront Park. From here you can see Spokane Falls. If you have kids in tow, make a stop before or after the park at Mobius Kids, the children's museum in River Park Square shopping center. Then take a short walk north on Post Street to check out Mobius Science Center at its new location in the historic Washington Water Power building. About a mile south of downtown off Grand Boulevard is the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, and the pleasant Manito Park and Gardens are about six blocks south of here.

If you have time to venture out of the city, head north on Division Street, which becomes U.S. 2 (Newport Highway) to Cat Tales Zoological Park, about 13 miles from downtown. From here a 2-mile drive east will take you to Townshend Cellar, where you can sample Columbia Valley and huckleberry wines (open Friday–Sunday, noon–5). Drive through the countryside another 10 miles south to reach Arbor Crest Wine Cellars and its pleasant views of the Spokane River. From here, head north to Interstate 90 for the 6-mile drive back to downtown.

Timing

You could easily drive the in-city route in an hour. Plan to spend a half day at Riverfront Park and two hours at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, with at least a half hour to an hour for stops at the other sights. For the destinations outside the city, figure on driving about 1½ hours round-trip from downtown and making half-hour stops at each site.