Not sure what you are doing for New Year’s? Celebrate the end of 2011 at First Night Spokane. At various locations throughout downtown, all within walking distance of each other, you will find an amazing variety of shows and activities to please all ages and tastes. The cost for an admission button that covers all events is just $12, or $15 the day of the show. You can purchase them online or at many businesses throughout Spokane. First Night runs from 7 p.m. to midnight.
Several great performers will entertain you with juggling, comedy, boogie-woogie piano, jump-rope acrobatics (from Rene Bibaud, who has performed with Cirque du Soleil) and old vaudeville style clowning. Shows are at 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 p.m.
From 7 to 10 p.m., pick up a passport from one of four locations. At each location, you will receive a clue to solve before moving on to the next location. Once a clue is solved, you will receive a stamp on your passport. When you have all four stamps, drop your passport into a Yoke’s Dinosaur Egg Safari enter-to-win box to be entered into drawings for prizes.
Start your healthy resolutions a few hours early with a 5k run through downtown Spokane. Runners line up at 6:30 p.m., and the run begins at 6:45 p.m. An optional bag drop makes it easy to get your coat and purse afterward. Fill out and bring the waiver form before you go. Click here for a map of the course.
Don’t let fear of downtown parking keep you from First Night! Just park at the Riverpoint Campus just east of downtown Spokane (412 E. Spokane Falls Blvd.) in the yellow lot and catch a bus to one of several First Night venues. Buses run every ten minutes from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Free Carousel Rides and Ice Skating
From 7 to 11 p.m., you can skate free at the Ice Palace in the heart of Riverfront Park (you still have to pay for skate rental) and take free rides on the beautiful Looff Carousel, also located in Riverfront Park.
The Comedy Show at the Spokane Masonic Center
Four comedians will perform in the ballroom. Show times are 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 p.m.
You can also check out plenty of live music, theatre from Stage West Community Theatre and the Spokane Community College Players, Spokane Theatre Ballet, improv comedy from Blue Door Theatre, and much more! Check out the full schedule on the website.
The holiday season is upon us, and there are plenty of fun things to do around Spokane with the kids that will create great memories, help keep everyone from succumbing to cabin fever, and maybe even start new holiday traditions in your family. Here are just a few great family outings that will entertain everyone without blowing your budget.
The MAC Museum of Art and Culture is putting on living history performances in its largest exhibit, the Campbell House, during the two weeks around Christmas when most kids are out of school. The Campbell House is a turn-of-the-20th-century English Tudor Revival mansion designed by renowned Spokane architect Kirtland Cutter. You can see the house decorated for the holidays and learn about the times in which it was built and the daily life of the Campbell family from December 21 through January 1 on the days the MAC is open (the MAC is right next door to the Campbell House) from 12–4 p.m.
New for this year: Check out the just-opened Interpretive Center to create your own Campbell House experience and connect the past and present with interactive computers and hands-on exploration, and you can also take a horse-drawn carriage ride. Admission is free for MAC members or $7 adults/$5 students and seniors, which includes both museum entry and a tour of the Campbell House. For more information, call the admissions desk at 509-363-5355. The MAC is located in Spokane’s gorgeous historic Browne’s Addition neighborhood at 2316 W. First Ave.
A friend with three children in elementary school shared this story:
My kids had been out of school on break for three days and they were driving me crazy—fighting, not listening, whining, throwing tantrums. Suddenly I realized that for the past two months it had been go-go-go, with football practice, dance lessons, after-school activities, and homework every day, and now they suddenly had nothing to use up their energy. So I loaded them into the Suburban and took them to Mt. Spokane to go tubing. Those kids played HARD and wore themselves out and had a great time. They couldn’t stay awake on the ride home, and after that, I recognized my children again and things were back to normal.
Enough said? The hill has been moved and newly constructed this year at Lodge 2, just north and downhill of the parking lot and Ski Patrol building. With several lanes, a new tow-rope to haul tubers back up the mountain, a limit of 50 participants per session, and plenty of snow, the Children’s Choice Tubing Hill is great for families and safer than uncontrolled sledding in parks. The hill is open weekends and holidays (except Christmas and Christmas Eve), for the remainder of the season, with sessions beginning at 10 a.m. and the last session starting at 2:30 p.m. One-and-a-half hour sessions are $10 for everyone 42” and over. Kids under 42” are free but must ride with a paid adult. Check conditions before you come up. Mt. Spokane is 28 miles from downtown Spokane; click here for directions.
Horse and Carriage Rides through Downtown Spokane
Through Christmas Eve, the Downtown Spokane Business Improvement District and Spokane Teachers Credit Union presents free old-fashioned horse and carriage rides through the streets of downtown. Just show up on Wall Street at Main Avenue on Fridays 3–8 p.m., weekends 12–5 p.m., or Christmas Eve 12–3 p.m. This is a great outing for family from out of town! Rides are given on a first-come, first-serve basis. After your ride, you will receive free candy canes and coupons for hot chocolate and coffee at participating downtown businesses. Click here to see a video preview of the ride.
The Ice Palace, one of the nation’s best outdoor ice skating rinks, is open all winter long under the Pavilion in the heart of Riverfront Park in downtown Spokane. Lessons and drop-in hockey are available. Click here for hours. Admission is $4.50 for adults and $3.50 for youth/seniors/military, and skate rental is $3.50. Thursday nights are Inlander appreciation nights—get your ticket from the Inlander, a free weekly publication, to skate for $1. The Spokane Falls SkyRide, IMAX Theatre, and Looff Carousel are also open all winter if you want to spend more fun family time in the park.
By far the biggest New Year’s Eve party around, First Night Spokane is a huge, alcohol-free festival of the arts in downtown Spokane for the entire family. This year’s theme is “Dawn of Time” Year of the Dinosaur. At venues within a walkable area of downtown, you can enjoy live music, theatre, dance performances, film, dance parties, art, comedy, and a fireworks show. There are plenty of activities for kids, including face painting, bookmark making, magic shows, free ice skating and carousel rides, and rolling video games. Click here for the schedule of the night’s event’s, which get started at 7 p.m.
If your family is making a resolution to exercise more, start early with the 5k Resolution Run! Runners line up at 6:30 p.m., and the run begins at 6:45 p.m. An optional bag drop makes it easy to get your coat and purse afterward. Fill out and bring the waiver form before you go. Click here for a map of the course. Admission buttons are just $12 in advance or $15 on New Year’s Eve. Kids 10 and under are free with a paid adult. Purchase tickets here or at various participating Spokane businesses.
On New Year’s Day, celebrate First Day Spokane and get free admission to the MAC Museum of Art and Culture with your First Night button plus discounted passes to play in Riverfront Park.
Travel Spokane is a website built to inform Spokane visitors about the latest news, events, and opportunities in Spokane. The information is provided free courtesy of Stratford Suites. If you are looking for a Spokane Hotel be sure to check out our website at www.stratfordsuites.com
Not sure what you are doing for New Year’s? Celebrate the end of 2011 at First Night Spokane. At various locations throughout downtown, all within walking distance of each other, you will find an amazing variety of shows and activities to please all ages and tastes. The cost for an admission button that covers all events is just $12, or $15 the day of the show. You can purchase them online or at many businesses throughout Spokane. First Night runs from 7 p.m. to midnight.![[del.icio.us]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[LinkedIn]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkedin.png)
![[MySpace]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Reddit]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Twitter]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
