Favorite Spokane Summer Activities
Summer is one of the most exciting times here in Spokane! The city comes to life with events, great dining, and amazing outdoor opportunities. With so many things to do in Gonzaga’s hometown, our Admission Staff would love to share what our favorite activities are during the summer months here in Spokane.
Aaron Danowski – Hoopfest
Spokane hosts the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the world on the last weekend of June each year. Thousands of teams from across the country come and play on dozens of courts set up on the streets of downtown. It's so fun to get some friends together and play and witness the madness of the event!
To learn more about Hoopfest, check out their website. To learn more about Aaron's role in our office, check out his webpage.
Alexa Gaske – Picnics at Manito Park
Manito Park is on South Hill and has plenty of walking trails, gardens, and more to see! I love packing a picnic and exploring new spots to read under a tree and enjoying the beautiful Spokane weather!
To learn more about Manito Park, check out their website. To learn more about Alexa's role in our office, check out her webpage.
Allyson Pratt – Camping
Camping was one of the ways my family decided to enjoy the wonderful summer weather. Every year in August we would pack up the car and head out away from the hustle and bustle for a week. With plenty of campsites along the Spokane river and in close parts of Idaho we would spend an awesome week together playing card games, going swimming and hiking, and enjoy great food and company. This tradition has always not only been a highlight of my summer but also the year!
To learn more about camping in Spokane, check out Planet Ware’s website.
Becky Stockton – Lake Coeur d’Alene
Spending a day on the lake is a quintessential summer activity! Lake Coeur D'Alene is only about 40 minutes away from downtown Spokane and is home to the world-renowned Coeur d'Alene resort. There are public beaches, boat and paddleboard rentals, parasailing, and a fun downtown to walk around and find food.
To learn more about Lake Coeur D’Alene, check out Visit North Idaho’s website. To learn more about Becky's role in our office, check out her webpage.
Becky Doyle – Spokane County Fair
I cannot get enough of the Spokane County Fair! Toward the end of summer and the beginning of the school year, Spokane hosts its own county fair just a ten-minute drive from campus. If you love fun rides, exciting games, and delicious fair foods, this is the best way to close out summer here in Spokane. The Spokane County Fair takes place this year September 6-15.
To learn more about the upcoming Spokane County Fair, check out their website. To learn more about Becky Doyle's role in our office, check out her webpage.
Brittany Van Blaricom – Pig Out in the Park
Pig Out in the Park is an annual food and music festival in downtown Spokane. Pig Out is a great way to try and sample foods that can be found in Spokane and the surrounding area while listening to 60+ local bands and solo artists. As someone who enjoys trying new foods, Pig Out is perfect, as I can sample cuisine that I haven’t had the opportunity to try before.
To learn more about Pig out in the Park, check out their website.
Carie Weeks – Spokane Falls Waterfall
With easy walking access from Riverfront Park and Huntington Park, I love to spend time next to the largest urban waterfall in the US. When it's really hot outside, the spray from the Lower Falls is so refreshing, and no matter what time of year, it's a beautiful and majestic site. (The walk down to Lower Falls includes some stairs.) For those who want a different vantage point, you can also take a gondola ride over the falls and enjoy the birds-eye-view.
To learn more about the Spokane Falls Waterfall, check out Visit Spokane’s website. To learn more about Carie's role in our office, check out her webpage.
Claire Silva – Centennial Trail Adventures
Ride, walk, run, Lime scooter, the Centennial Trail provides so many options to explore Spokane and the surrounding area! You can get from Gonzaga's campus to downtown or head back to campus as well. The trail is a great way to explore the city and see the beauty of Spokane.
To learn more about The Centennial Trail, check out their website. To learn more about Claire's role in our office, check out her webpage.
Grace Edwards - Farmers' Markets
From late spring to early fall, I like to visit Spokane's many farmers markets. You can find one nearly every day of the week, but my favorites are the Thursday Market in the South Perry District and the Kendall Yards Night Market. A farmers market is the perfect place to enjoy the beautiful weather, get some good food, and support local farmers, artists, and musicians!
To learn more about Farmers' Markets in Spokane, check out Visit Spokane's website. To learn more about Grace's role in our office, check out her webpage.
Levi Garcia-Morales – Spokane Indians Baseball Games
Spokane has a great Minor League Baseball team named the Spokane Indians! Watching the team play is a great way to spend time with your friends & family, enjoy awesome ballpark food and get to root for the hometown team. It also has really cool things to do on the side like seeing how fast you can throw a baseball, getting pictures taken with the team mascot and buying a jersey or baseball bat to take home. Even if you've never seen a baseball game before, it's a great opportunity to take a break from everything going on and enjoy something new!
To learn more about Spokane Indians Baseball, check out the team’s website. To learn more about Levi's role in our office, check out his webpage.
Lindsey Spencer – Floating the River
My friends and I love to float the river for a couple of hours on a Saturday. We always bring snacks, a waterproof speaker, sunscreen, and clips to hook our tubes up to one another. It's really relaxing and I love seeing a quieter side to Spokane. Pro tip: make sure to keep an eye on river levels to make sure it's a safe time to go and wear a lifejacket!
To learn more about floating the river, check out Spokane Riverkeeper’s website. To learn more about Lindsey's role in our office, check out her webpage.
Nate Mannetter – Green Bluff
Folks often think of this collection of small farms just North of Spokane for events in the fall, however, it has amazingly delicious and fresh food in the summer as well. Come up to pick fresh berries in June and delicious peaches in July and August.
To learn more about Green Bluff, check out their website. To learn more about Nate's role in our office, check out his webpage.
Rosa Velasco – The Hiking Scene
Spokane offers so much to do outdoors and one of my favorite activities is going on hikes with my husband and our dog Kylo. There are plenty of trails to choose from and all within 30-60 minutes from downtown, we enjoy exploring a new one every Sunday and Kylo likes sniffing every tree trunk along the way.
To learn more about exploring Spokane, check out Visit Spokane’s website. To learn more about Rosa’s role in the office, check out her webpage.
Sandra Vance – Patio Season
Spokane has an amazing food and restaurant scene, and what better time to enjoy them than during the summer! I love to spend time at my favorite spots like Versalia Pizza and Cascadia Public House to enjoy some great food and beautiful weather. Even better if I can bring my pup with me!
To learn more about outdoor dining opportunities, check out Visit Spokane’s website. To learn more about Sandra's role in our office, check out her webpage.
Sara Whelchel – Water Recreation
There are 76 lakes within a 1-hour drive from Spokane! My favorite thing to do throughout the summer is to explore a new one each weekend on a kayak. My personal favorites are Hauser Lake, Liberty Lake, and Lake Coeur d'Alene. They provide wonderful opportunities to explore the beautiful Spokane scenery while cooling off during the hotter months.
To learn more about Spokane’s lakes and rivers, check out Visit Spokane’s website. To learn more about Sara's role in our office, check out her webpage.
Steve Keller – Trail Running
The Spokane area trail network is amazing! The trails are in beautiful, wild country and are very well maintained. Few experiences are more transformative and peaceful as an early morning run on a Saturday to watch the sunrise from a nearby mountain peak. It's a memory that you'll carry with you forever!
To learn more about our amazing trails here in Spokane, check out Visit Spokane’s website. To learn more about Steve's role in our office, check out his webpage.
Theresa Howlett – Paddle Boarding
There's a lot of water in the Spokane area - from the Spokane River which goes through downtown to the lakes nearby and in N. Idaho. There are so many options to paddleboard, swim (and if you're like me, paddle boarding involves lots of swimming :) ), kayak, etc. surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery!
To learn more about paddle boarding, check out Explore Washington State’s website. To learn more about Theresa's role in our office, check out her webpage.
Will Shoup – First Fridays
On the first Friday of each month, downtown Spokane hosts a bustling art crawl. Galleries and parks host sculptors, buskers, and dancers, and several restaurants, cafes, and pubs convert their wall space to gallery space showcasing painters, photographers, and a wide variety of other mediums from artists of the Inland Northwest.
If your interests are more literary, Auntie’s Bookstore and Neato Burrito have regular readings by prose and poetry writers, including on many First Fridays. Whatever medium speaks to you, the creative scene in Spokane is thriving, and there is always new work to see and hear!
To learn more about First Fridays’ downtown art crawl, check out Downtown Spokane’s website. To learn more about Will's role in our office, check out his webpage.