Start from 55 curated places around Spokane, WA, then choose the recommendations that fit your guests.
Restaurants & cafés
Wooden City
A downtown spot built around a blue-tiled wood-fired oven turning out neo-Neapolitan pizzas plus shareable small plates and pasta. It opened in 2020 and immediately became the default answer to where do we eat downtown. Lively, loud, and reliably good for a group.
Italia Trattoria
An upscale-but-approachable Italian room in Browne's Addition known for handmade pasta and a James Beard-recognized kitchen. It is the spot Spokane couples pick for an anniversary that is not stuffy. Small dining room, so it feels intimate and fills fast.
Trails & outdoors
Bowl and Pitcher Loop Trail
The signature short loop in Riverside State Park, crossing a Depression-era wooden suspension bridge over the Spokane River below towering basalt pillars known as the Bowl and Pitcher. About two miles, easy, and the most photographed hike near the city. It is the first trail locals send visitors to.
Spokane River Centennial Trail
A 40-mile paved riverside path running from downtown out toward the Idaho line, the backbone of the region's trail system. The downtown and Kendall Yards stretches give river-gorge views with zero elevation. It is where the whole city walks, runs, and bikes.
Things to do
Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture
Spokane's flagship indoor museum, a Smithsonian affiliate covering regional history, Plateau Indian culture, and rotating art exhibitions, with the 1898 Campbell House mansion included. It is the rainy-day cultural anchor and the deepest look at the Inland Northwest's past. Plan a couple of hours.
Looff Carrousel
A hand-carved 1909 carousel in Riverfront Park with 54 horses, a giraffe, a tiger, and dragon chairs, plus a brass-ring game still in play. It is Spokane's most-ridden attraction and a multi-generational rite of passage. Indoor, climate-controlled, and pure nostalgia.
Landmarks & sights
Riverfront Park
The 100-acre downtown park built on the old Expo '74 World's Fair grounds, wrapped around the Spokane River as it splits into channels and drops over the falls. Locals come for the riverside paths, the Pavilion, and the footbridges over churning whitewater. It is the spine the rest of downtown hangs off of.
Spokane Falls
One of the largest urban waterfalls in the country, dropping right through the middle of downtown in a series of basalt ledges. The upper and lower falls are best seen from the SkyRide gondola or the Monroe Street Bridge. In high water the spray drifts over the walkways.