How to Plan a Summer Vacation in Spokane, Washington

If you plan a summer vacation in Spokane, you will busy from the time you arrive until the time you leave. Spokane is a city of over 180,000 in the Northwest United States. It is the former site of Expo 74. The Expo location has been turned into a 50-acre city park. The park now has an IMAX theater, science center, Opera house, convention center and early 20th century carousel.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Select your mode of transportation to Spokane. Air and bus transportation can be comparable in price, but a bus will take 10 times longer. If you book your bus trip in advance, you can save a considerable amount of money. A train station is located downtown Spokane. Train transportation will save about 20% compared to air and bus transportation. These modes will also require a car rental or some sort of transportation around the city. Driving by car is very economical but time consuming.
2. Get a hotel by the attractions you want to see. This will save transportation time in the city. The Visit Spokane Web site has a link to hotels. Select your region (downtown, Spokane east valley, north, south, west (airport)). The resulting page shows rates, details (amenities, restaurants, area attractions) and availability (see Resources below).
3. Packing is always a challenge. People usually take too much. Remember this is vacation; this should be fun and worry free. Take comfortable clothes and shoes. A jacket or sweatshirt comes in hand in case of bad weather and don’t forget your swimsuit for an occasional dip in the hot tub or pool.
4. Gathering city information will help speed up your trips around the city. Locating your destination before you get into your car will save time. Driving in unfamiliar areas can be frustrating enough without getting lost in the process.
5. Choose what you want to see and do. Try to group activities by geographic area. Remember most museums close around 5 o'clock PM. 5 o'clock PM is also rush hour time. Selecting a restaurant close to your location can save time in traffic.
6. Toss around the idea of taking a city tour. Tours are a nice way to see a lot in a small amount of time. Plus tour guides can provide valuable historical information and the latest events going on in town.

Tips & Warnings

• The Visit Spokane Web site has a calendar of events – broken down by month, week, search by venue (center place at Mirabeau Point, Jundt art museum, northwest museum of arts and culture or Spokane Veterans memorial arena) or search by interest (art, food & drink, museums, outdoors, sports or wellness).
• You can have a burger in a building shaped like a milk bottle at the corner of Post and Garland Avenues. It is a former dairy company building.
• Make a checklist of things to do before you leave your home for vacation. Contact the newspaper and mail service to suspend deliveries until you return. Adjust your thermostat and water heater to save energy. Have you and a partner do a final walk-through of the house just before leaving. Having someone there with you to check the locked doors, ensure lights are off, iron is unplugged, stove is off, will relieve the doubts that come up later while on vacation. Also have a contact person near your home in case of emergencies.