Spokane Summer Activities
Spokane is a city that rewards curiosity. The summers here are warm and bright, and the long daylight hours invite exploration. Some people find a favorite corner of the city and return to it again and again. Others spend the season chasing new experiences: a new trail, a new coffee shop, a new neighborhood, a new conversation. One of the gifts of attending Gonzaga is that Spokane becomes more than the backdrop to your education. It becomes part of your life. We asked our Admission Staff to share a few of the places, traditions, and activities they look forward to each summer. Here are some of their favorites.
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 enjoying great food and company. This tradition has always not only been a highlight of my summer but also the year!
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 11-20.
To learn more about the upcoming Spokane County Fair, check out their website. To learn more about Becky'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! The Centennial Trail is a 37-mile, paved path along the Spokane River stretching from NW Spokane, through our campus, all the way to Idaho. I love that the Trail makes it so easy to get from Gonzaga's campus to downtown and back while enjoying the city, Riverfront Park, and nature all at the same time.
To learn more about The Centennial Trail, check out their website.
Diana Davila - Summer League Volleyball
One of my favorite things to do during the summer is play in the Spokane Parks & Recreation summer league volleyball program. It’s a great way to stay active, spend time with friends, and do something I genuinely enjoy! Whether you're super competitive or just looking for a fun way to get out of the house, it’s a great opportunity to meet new people and stay involved in the community. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that all that time outside helps you work on your summer tan!
To learn more about Diana'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.
MC Clark – Farmers Markets & Street Fairs
From May through October, Spokane neighborhoods host awesome farmers markets and Street Fairs. Summer in Spokane is the perfect time to explore different neighborhoods and support small businesses! Nearly every day of the week, there’s a different farmers’ market around the city, plus street fairs, outdoor arts & music events, and Pride celebrations all summer long.
You can buy fresh, seasonal produce, baked goods, handcrafted jewelry, local art, and more. It’s also fun to sample all the different food trucks. Farmers’ Markets and Street Fairs are also a great way to build community. I like to bring a picnic blanket to listen to the live music with my friends.
Check out a map of Spokane Farmers Markets here. To learn more about MC’s role in our office, check out their webpage.
Megan Baird – Velocity & Zephyr Soccer Games
During the summer there always is a great match to catch at ONE Spokane Stadium. Velocity and Zephyr are in their second season of playing here in Spokane. There is a great energy at the matches, a group of fans have a section where they play drums and start chants. It is a great place to spend summer days with family and friends! Some alumni are on the team as well. I love continuing to support our Zags!
To learn more about USL Spokane, check out the their website. To learn more about Megan'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.
Red Kwenda – Walks on the Spokane River
I really enjoy taking walks along the Spokane River, especially in the summer when all the flowers have bloomed, food trucks are parked in Riverfront Park, and everyone's outside enjoying the day. It's so cool to see people enjoying the natural beauty of Spokane!
To learn more about Red’s role in our office, check out their 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 DeKlotz –Pickleball at Comstock
There is a fantastic park hidden on South Hill that has multiple tennis and pickleball courts! I recommend going in the morning or late evening when the sun is not at its peak. It is a great area that hosts concerts in the summer and a nice location to enjoy a picnic with friends.
To learn more about Will'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.