Weekend Trip to Spokane, Washington

I wanted to do a little recap about a recent roadtrip I took with my partner. We went to Spokane, Washington over the May long weekend, May 21-23, 2016. It was a lot of fun! We had never visited Spokane before and were impressed by its beauty. It was a very rainy weekend, but that didn't dampen our spirits.

We left early on Saturday morning, driving through B.C. to get there. It took about 7.5 hours total. We were able to go through Idaho, which was just gorgeous (especially going through Sandpoint). I would love to go back there sometime. Spokane is just inside the Washington border.

We stayed at the Ruby2, details here. Although it turned out to be a motel, it was still pretty decent. Affordable rates, and a great location. Breakfast was included as well, however it turned out to be pretty basic. Nevertheless, I would probably stay there again because of the proximity to downtown.

On Saturday afternoon we ate lunch at O'Doherty's Irish Pub. It was charming, with dollar bills taped all over the walls. The service was good and we enjoyed our meals. It is located in the downtown of Spokane and is worth a visit.

While we were eating lunch, we overheard that there would be a parade that evening. This parade ended up being part of the Spokane Lilac Festival. We decided to attend, and it was a lot of fun. There were many, many different floats! A lot of people came out to watch.

One of our favourite parts of our visit was to Manito Park. It is one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen. It is very large and very well maintained, with many lovely flowers and plants. I especially loved the peonies.

Admiring the peonies in Manito Park - don't worry I did not pick this flower, just wanted to hold it out for the photo.

Posing in the Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden, part of Manito Park

We also were able to visit Riverside Park while in the Spokane area, it was gorgeous as well, despite the rain. I felt bad for the campers there, though! We were able to walk around a bit, with our umbrella, and enjoy nature.

Enjoying a walk through Riverside Park. 

Riverside Park, Spokane, Washington

Beautiful plants under the rain

Of course, a trip to the United States isn't complete for us Canadians without a little bit of shopping. I got to stock up on Trader Joe's products, La Croix water (from Target), and some other goodies which I have been enjoying since I returned home.

All in all, a great weekend. Being in nature is always relaxing, and it was nice to get out of Calgary for a few days. We look forward to going back to Spokane as soon as we can.