On April 7–11, 2010, giant, life-size dinosaurs will once again roam the earth, taking over the Spokane Arena. Based on the award-winning BBC television show, this incredible spectacle features “a whole menagerie of creatures, many of which have never been seen outside the pages of scientific journals,” according to Tim Haines, creator and BBC series producer of Walking with Dinosaurs. If you enjoyed the blockbuster film Jurassic Park or have ever marveled at dinosaur fossils in a museum or illustrations of dinosaurs in a magazine, then you will be blown away by this realistic sensory experience of being transported 65 million years back in time. Seventeen dinosaurs, representing ten different species, move, roar, and look just like the originals in this live performance.
The thrilling display even replicates the earthquakes, volcanoes, and comet impacts of the Triassic and Cetaceous periods (208–144 and 144–65 million years ago, respectively), but this show is suitable for all ages. Adults and children alike will be enthralled. Book your family’s adventure soon—when the show came to Spokane in 2007, shows sold out! An ideal Spokane area hotel to stay at, especially if you are bringing children to the show, is Stratford Suites. The two-bedroom suites provide privacy for families, and a fully equipped kitchen in every suite gives you the convenience and affordability of eating in.
Come watch the Ornithocheirus, the largest creature to ever fly, the Allosaurus, known as the lion of the Jurassic, the T-Rex, king of prehistoric predators, and other amazing favorites come to life this April. Get ready for the show by designing your own virtual dinosaur, piecing together a dinosaur from skeleton pieces, and playing a game of digging for dinosaurs at the Walking with Dinosaurs website.
Walking with Dinosaurs tickets are available through TicketsWest, or just go to the Spokane Arena website. When you book your luxurious, fully-furnished suite at Stratford Suites hotel, be sure to check out our shop and stay packages for a weekend of Spokane shopping and fun.
Copyright 2005 Creative Edge Marketing and Event Management and its licensors.
Pamper Yourself at the Health Beauty Spa Show January 16–17, Spokane Community College Lair
Recover from the holidays with a relaxing massage and sample all the latest beauty treatments at Spokane’s popular Health Beauty Spa Show, sponsored by Northwest Woman Magazine. This unique, big event is the best (and cheapest!) way to try out all the spa treatments you have been curious about—from anti-aging facials, microcurrent face lifts, and the hottest new make-up to aroma therapy massage, bio-feedback, and vibration therapy.
Over sixty exhibitors with a wide variety of services and products are participating. If you travel to the event, choose the Spokane area hotel Stratford Suites to make a luxurious weekend out of it with heavenly pillow-top mattresses and down pillows, leather furniture, full kitchen, and 50” hi-definition televisions in every room.
Tips if you go:
Sample treatments are $5 each. If you are in a hurry and have your heart set on trying a specific service, arrive in the morning to avoid waits as many treatments are very popular.
The show is accepting non-perishable food and hygiene items for the YWCA, and if you bring an item to donate, admission is only $5 (regular price is $7).
Go to the website before you go to get a coupon to bring mom free and to buy three treatments for only $10.
Don’t miss the Ninth Annual First Night Spokane 2010 as Spokanites welcome the New Year and a new decade! The party starts at 7PM on December 31st, when the whole city will celebrate with a family-friendly, alcohol-free event. First Night brings businesses, artists, entertainers, and families out late in Spokane to celebrate another year’s beginning. To join in the fun, buy a First Night button ($12-$15) at any local Zip Trip store, the concierge desk at River Park Square, Auntie’s Bookstore or Bergman’s Luggage. Children 10 and under can attend free.
Anyone who wants a great party on December 31st should visit Spokane for First Night. Make the most of your trip with a hotel stay at Stratford Suites, which offers both short term and extended stays. take advantage of our shuttle to avoid the downtown parking hassle.
When you get downtown, find the event you want to attend by checking out First Night’s website. For the event, Spokane will be divided into four Party Zones, each with their own schedule. Headliners are Brothers from Different Mothers, two hilarious prop comedians; Ashe, a West African music and dance troupe, and the illustrious Archduchy of Alhambra, Adrian Empire, who will mystify and educate with a special tarot reading.
River Park Square, the Convention Center, City Hall, Auntie’s Books, River Front Park, the STA, several downtown banks, the Spokane Public Library, the Bing Crosby Theater, and many other locations will be hosting events that range from arts and crafts for kids (Avista Kids Night Out at the Spokane Convention Center), to a gospel choir (STA, 2nd floor), bonfires (Spokane Falls Blvd.), free carousel rides (Looff Carousel, River Front Park), North by Northwest’s 48-Hour Film Festival (City Hall), and so much more!
Your First Night button will also get you free admission to the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture on January 1st from 10AM-6PM. You can enjoy the museum’s exhibits as well as special performances by a magician, a Bubblillusionist, and a dance company. Kids will have a blast!
Check out a full schedule and map at www.firstnightspokane.org. You can also enter to win many great prizes at the site, including a 32” HD flat screen TV.
U.S. Figure Skating Championships, January 14–24, 2010
Next month, figure skating fans will travel to Spokane from far and wide to catch the nation’s most prestigious figure skating event. There are still a few tickets left to experience the competitions live at the Spokane Arena, but they are going fast. The championships will also be nationally televised live on NBC and webcast on icenetwork.com. Over the course of nine days, the event will crown twelve national champions in ladies’, men’s, pairs, and ice dancing on the senior, junior, and novice levels. This is the final event before the selection of the U.S. team that will compete eighteen days later in Vancouver, so do not miss this opportunity to see potential Olympic gold winners!
If you are travelling to Spokane for this momentous ice skating event, book your room now at Stratford Suites for luxury accommodations and outstanding hospitality. Hotels are filling up fast; when Spokane hosted the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, a record crowd of 154,893 attended, and this year will likely be even more successful.
Get Up-Close and Personal with the Ice Stars at FanFest! In 2007, Star U.S.A., which locally manages the championships, had the great idea of a community gathering place where fans, both Spokane natives and visitors, could meet the athletes during the championships. FanFest was so hugely popular that this time around it will be held in River Park Square, the premier shopping, dining, and entertainment destination in downtown Spokane, to accommodate the crowds.
The family-friendly event is free and open to the public and will begin at 4 p.m. on Friday, January 15th and continue with an approximate schedule of 10 a.m.–7 p.m. every day until the final day, when festivities will continue until 11 p.m. or later. Check the activity boards for competition schedules, autograph sessions with the figure skating stars, and other fan events. Safeway, a sponsor, will host a food and beverage booth, and there will be entertainment and live broadcasts from KHQ and Dave, Ken, and Molly of 92.9 FM.
While you are hanging out at FanFest, you can see a movie at the AMC, enjoy fine dining at one of several great restaurants, get a new hairstyle for the holidays, view art in the Kress Gallery, and shop for just about anything! Check out Stratford Suites Shop and Stay Package, which includes a night or two at Spokane’s best extended stay hotel as well as a gift certificate to River Park Square.
Things to Do: Fun Holiday Traditions in Spokane
Sparkling holiday lights, joyful singing carolers, ice skating in the park, and opulent Christmas trees are just a few of the sights to be seen in the heart of Spokane this season. The city offers an abundance of holiday traditions for you to experience, from celebrations of history to celebrations of modern culture. Below are just a few annual Spokane events to enjoy. All are family friendly.
copyright Ballet Memphis 2009
The Nutcracker: A Magical Delight of Dance and Music Let yourself be transported to a fantasy land of colorful characters, dancing sweets and snowflakes, and toy soldiers through the beauty of dance and music. The Spokane Symphony presents Peter Tchaikovsky’s enchanting Nutcracker Ballet with nationally acclaimed Ballet Memphis and seventy local dancers for just four performances from December 18 to December 20 at the INB Performing Arts Center, so get your tickets soon! This year’s show includes new surprises added to this classic, timeless story. Tickets are available through TicketsWest (1-800-325-SEAT). If you are travelling to Spokane for the show, why drive home? Stratford Suites, the finest extended stay lodging in the Spokane area, offers beautiful, furnished apartment style rooms for you and your family, with the privacy of a second bedroom in every room.
Did you know? The first performance of The Nutcracker, in St. Petersburg, Russia, December 17, 1892, was disliked by critics and the audience. Subsequent productions went over a little better, but it wasn’t until George Balanchine, a master choreographer, created a new version in 1954 for the New York City Ballet that The Nutcracker really started capturing the hearts of audiences and became a holiday tradition.
Horse and Carriage Rides: Slow Trot Back in Time
Climb aboard an old-fashioned carriage drawn by handsome horses for a ride through downtown Spokane. Sponsored by the Downtown Spokane Business Improvement District and Spokane Teachers Credit Union, you can catch this free nostalgic ride at Main and Wall from November 27 through Christmas Eve, and the driver will even throw in free candy canes and coupons for local coffee shops. The carriage runs Fridays 3–8 pm, weekends 12–5 pm, and Christmas Eve noon–3 pm. Just show up; no reservations required! Go to the Downtown Spokane website for more information about this popular Spokane attraction.
Patsy Clark Mansion
Holiday Heritage Home Tour
Can’t get enough of Spokane’s rich architectural legacy? Then don’t miss the Spokane Preservation Advocates’ tour of three historic Browne’s Addition homes: the Patsy Clark Mansion, the Phelps House, and the Fotheringham House, on Sunday, December 6, 12–4 pm. Tickets are $15.00, and you don’t need to buy them in advance; just purchase during the tour at 2118 or 2208 W. 2nd Ave. Meet at noon in Coeur d’ Alene Park (on 2nd Avenue in Browne’s Addition). For more information, go to www.spokanepreservation.org or call 509-456-3828.
Historic Campbell House Holiday Tour
From November 27 through January 2, one of Spokane’s most famous mansions, The Campbell House, is decorated in authentic turn-of-the-twentieth-century Victorian Christmas style. The English Tudor Revival home is one of many gorgeous houses in Spokane designed by renowned Spokane architect Kirkland Cutter. The owner, Amasa Campbell, made his fortune in the Coeur d’Alene Mining District. He and his wife, Grace, settled in the wild west mining town of Wallace, Idaho, but moved with their young daughter, Helen, to the more secure Spokane after labor disputes twice caused the Coeur d’Alene Mining District to be placed under martial law. The guided, informative tour showcases the beautiful, ornate home, the typical life of a wealthy Spokane family over one hundred years ago, and the typical life of the servants of such a family. During the holiday season, you will also learn about holiday traditions of the time.
Helen Campbell donated the house to the Eastern Washington State Historical Society after her mother’s death in 1924, ensuring its preservation. It is located next to the MAC museum (tour tickets are available at the MAC registration desk) in the historic Browne’s Addition neighborhood; while you are there, take a little stroll of the surrounding blocks, which hold several other well preserved historic homes. Visit the MAC website for viewing hours, or call 509-456-3931.
Riverfront Park Ice Palace
Ice Skating and More in Riverfront Park
If you thought the scenic 100-acre park on the Spokane River was just for summer, think again! Riverfront Park’s Ice Palace is one of the best outdoor skating rinks in the nation. You can make a day’s adventure out of your visit with a go-around on the hand-carved wooden critters of the beautifully restored hundred-year-old Loof Carrousel, a game of indoor mini-golf, and a holiday film on the giant screen at the IMAX Theatre. Discount package tickets are available: go to the ticket counter under the big Pavilion at the park, visit www.spokaneriverfrontpark.com, or call 1-800-336-PARK for details.
Christmas Tree Elegance
The completely restored historic Davenport Hotel (10 S. Post Street) provides a luxurious, lovely backdrop for Christmas Tree Elegance, a seasonal celebration presented by Washington Trust Bank and produced by the Spokane Symphony Associates. From December 1–12, you can view uniquely decorated trees donated by local businesses in the mezzanine of the dazzling Davenport. Events include a tree lighting ceremony, Spokane Symphony Soiree concerts, Gala Dinner Dance, and a raffle drawing to win a tree. Proceeds benefit the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. For more information, go to www.spokanesymphonyassoc.org or call 509-458-8733.
Your Holiday Traditions: Stratford Suites Extended Stay Hotel is the Perfect Solution
Do your holiday traditions include visitors from outside the Spokane area? The friendly staff of Stratford Suites, conveniently located just five minutes from the Spokane airport and ten minutes from downtown Spokane at 11808 W. Center Ln., Airway Heights, will take excellent care of them! Guests will enjoy luxurious, home-like accommodations with a full kitchen, a second bedroom that allows for ease and privacy when travelling with children, and a 50-inch HDTV in every room. We understand that details make the difference between an OK Spokane hotel stay and an outstanding one. Think pillow top mattresses, down pillows, all leather furniture, executive style shuttle service, and free high-speed wireless internet. Call 509-321-1600 or 888-705-8877 to reserve your room!
Spokane’s vibrant theatre scene offers something for everyone’s tastes, from new family comedies to classic Shakespeare tragedies. Check out award-winning professional and community theatre as well as excellent productions by our area colleges.
Copyright Northern Exposures
Spokane Civic Theatre has received dozens of awards at the local and national level, including “Most Professional Theatre” and “Best in Nation” from the American Association of Community Theatres Festival, the Inlander Reader’s Poll Best 2008-2009 Local Play or Musical award, the Spokesman Review’s Critic’s Choice Awards Best Actor award, and the Inlander “Spokie” Outstanding Drama award. Spokane Civic has been serving up outstanding community theatre for over sixty years, performing everything from grand musical productions and classic works to intense new dramas. The 339-seat theatre is located right across from the Spokane Veteran’s Memorial Arena.
Spokane Civic Theatre
1020 N. Howard Street, Spokane, WA 99201
509-325-2507
Interplayers Professional Theatre
Founded in 1980, Interplayers is Spokane’s first resident professional theater. Now in its 29th season, it has received numerous awards in recent years, including the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene Living Magazine’s Silver Award for Best Theater, two Spokane Arts Commission Arts Awards, the City Voice Award for Spokane’s Finest Theatre/Stage, as well as many awards for the company’s individual actors/actresses. The 2009/2010 line-up features two plays from Pulitzer Prize winner John Patrick Shanley, a country western musical, a Tony Award winning play, and more! Interplayers is located in the heart of the historic Davenport district in downtown Spokane in an intimate 253-seat performance theater. While you’re there, browse the adjacent Gellhorn Gallery, which features local artists’ exhibits.
Spokane Interplayers
174 South Howard, Spokane, WA 99201
509-455-7529
Eastern Washington University’s Theatre Program stages classic to modern productions at the campus theatre in Cheney, WA, just twenty minutes from downtown Spokane. Go to the Theatre website for this year’s schedule.
EWU Theatre Program
210 Theatre, Cheney, WA 99004
509-359-2459
Copyright Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University Theatreis performed in the newly renovated Harry & Colleen Magnuson Theatre, northeast of downtown Spokane.This season’s line-up features an awe-inspiring performance of dance, music, and poetry (Weaving Our Sisters’ Voices) as well as classic plays and readers’ theatre.
Harry & Colleen Magnuson Theatre
502 E. Boone, Spokane, WA 99258
509-313-3606
Whitworth University Theatrefeatures two annual main-stage productions, the Festival of One-Acts, touring theatre performances, solo theatre, and a musical every other year.
Cowles Auditorium
Whitworth University, 300 W. Hawthorne Road
Spokane, WA 99251
509-777-3707
Spokane Falls Community College Drama Department performs three to seven major productions each year, always including at least one classic, in the 212-seat Spartan Theatre.
SFCC Spartan Theatre Building 5
3410 W. Fort George Wright Drive, Spokane, WA 99224
509-533-3592
Don’t miss the spectacular musical The Lion King when it comes to Spokane as part of the North American tour! A Disney on Broadway production, The Lion King has been enjoyed by 45 million people worldwide. Set in the heart of the African plains, this breathtaking adventure will delight your senses and capture your imagination. Go to the official tour website for a sneak preview video!
You can get your tickets at the Spokane Arena box office, select Rosauers outlets, at www.ticketswest.com, or by calling 1-800-325-SEAT. Stratford Suites is the perfect place to stay if you are traveling from outside Spokane.
On April 7–11, 2010, giant, life-size dinosaurs will once again roam the earth, taking over the Spokane Arena. Based on the award-winning BBC television show, this incredible spectacle features “a whole menagerie of creatures, many of which have never been seen outside the pages of scientific journals,” according to Tim Haines, creator and BBC series producer of Walking with Dinosaurs. If you enjoyed the blockbuster film Jurassic Park or have ever marveled at dinosaur fossils in a museum or illustrations of dinosaurs in a magazine, then you will be blown away by this realistic sensory experience of being transported 65 million years back in time. Seventeen dinosaurs, representing ten different species, move, roar, and look just like the originals in this live performance.
Come watch the Ornithocheirus, the largest creature to ever fly, the Allosaurus, known as the lion of the Jurassic, the T-Rex, king of prehistoric predators, and other amazing favorites come to life this April. Get ready for the show by designing your own virtual dinosaur, piecing together a dinosaur from skeleton pieces, and playing a game of digging for dinosaurs at the Walking with Dinosaurs website.![[del.icio.us]](http://www.travel-spokane.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
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