If you are planning to travel to Spokane, with kids in tow, you will be surprised by all the activities this city has for families. We spent 2 nights at an AirBNB while on a summer road trip and spent our one full day at Riverfront Park. Here are some of the fun places we explored in the park, as well as, some restaurants we tried out.
Accommodations-
There are a lot of hotels and short-term rentals to choose from in and around downtown Spokane so you have plenty of spots to choose from. We decided on a bungalow style 2 bedroom that we booked on AirBNB that was just outside of the downtown area. We enjoyed the distance from downtown so we could quickly get to all the locations we planned but it was far enough out to be quiet and secluded. Spokane is the home of Gonzaga University so they cater to the student body and have plenty of accommodations throughout the city for visitors.
Riverfront Park-
We spent a few hours exploring Riverfront Park, a 100-acre urban park in the heart of the city with a ton of attractions. We parked on the North side of the park and ran around the colorful Hooptown basketball courts and watched kids run around the Ice Age Playground. Our daughter wasn’t up for running around the playground but it looked like a ton of fun, complete with a splash pad.
We headed across the bridge and enjoyed views of the Spokane Falls before checking out the Looff Carousel and the Big Red Wagon (it’s a slide!). Just wandering around the park is magical, there’s so much to see and do.
Where to Eat-
Our first stop when we arrived in Spokane, was lunch at Franks Diner on 2nd Avenue. This cute little diner is in an old train car and our daughter absolutely loved that we could eat in a train! If you’re lucky, like we were, a train will travel by on the railroad tracks that are adjacent to the diner. The food was typical diner food and we got breakfast items, because breakfast at any time of day is the best!
Anthony’s Restaurant at Spokane Falls is a little on the fancy side for kids but we took our daughter because we heard great things, and there’s a great view of the Spokane Falls. We did feel it was a little overpriced for the food and drinks but it was our one splurge on the trip. The place was packed on the night we visited and they did a good job of accommodating our daughter. My dad and stepmom joined us for this particular dinner and we enjoyed the atmosphere.
Just down the road from our rental we found a burger place called Wisconsinburger. We decided to try it out for a late lunch and it was delicious. It’s off the beaten path in the middle of a residential area and it was really peaceful sitting outside. We had to try the cheese curds and we don’t have anything to compare them to, never having tried them, but they tasted good.
For lunch during one of our outings, we stopped in at Wiley’s downtown bistro. We found it while wandering into the downtown area from Riverfront Park, it’s just a couple blocks in. The atmosphere at lunch was casual but it looks like it could get a little more fancy, but intimate, for dinnertime. We enjoyed a few drinks and shared a wrap with pasta salad while out daughter fell asleep in my lap! It was a quiet walk back to the car!
We had a fun filled two nights in Spokane and found lot’s of kid friendly activities and dining options. You can check out our whole road trip plans on my post here.
Whole Health Momma 
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