Blake Walsh

15 Best Things to Do in Spokane Valley, WA

  • Published 2022/03/30

Spokane Valley is a city in Spokane County, Washington, and the largest suburb of Spokane, the county’s biggest city.

It is located east of Spokane, west of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and embraces the city of Millwood on three sides.

The city gets its name after the valley of the Spokane River where it is located, colloquially referred to as “the Valley” by residents of the area.

Spokane Valley is where one can find the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum and watch the Spokane Indians minor league baseball team.

It is also home to the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center and is where citizens celebrate many exciting community events, such as Valleyfest and the Spokane County Interstate Fair.

Additional highlights are the Spokane Boat Show, Northwest Winterfest, and the Crave! Food and Drink Festival.

Spokane Valley makes a great hub for exploration, enjoyable happenings, strenuous recreations, and learning experiences.

This list contains the best things you can do while visiting Spokane Valley, Washington.

Discover the Past at Spokane Valley Heritage Museum

Front exterior view of Spokane Valley Heritage Museum

Spokanevalleymuseum, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Connect to Spokane Valley’s past and discover the Spokane Region’s unusual history at Spokane Valley Heritage Museum.

Founders formed the museum to preserve, collect, and exhibit the culture and history of Spokane Valley for the community’s education and inspiration.

Its collection includes thousands of archived photos, archives, information, and cultural artifacts about the places and people in the Spokane Region.

View engaging, interactive exhibits covering the pioneers of the space age, the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane tribes, and homemakers with ancient technology.

Additional exhibits revolve around old-time transportation technology, farming as Spokane valley’s main economic driver, and legendary airplane flights.

Its seasonal outdoor exhibits create an interactive involvement for every age featuring a windmill, restored wagons, tractors, and other farming equipment.

It holds presentations and off-site tours with Spokane Valley experts who educate on topics relating to the valley’s history and culture.

Shop ‘Til You Drop at Spokane Valley Mall

Spokane Valley holds one of the largest malls with several specialty and name-brand stores.

Spokane Valley Mall is a retail mainstay in Spokane Valley’s metro area, patronized by many holiday, back-to-school, and casual shoppers.

It is the only regional shopping center in the market holding access to the freeway.

It is about 9.5 miles away from Spokane’s North Town Mall, the largest mall in Eastern Washington.

The mall opened in 1997 and initially featured Sears, The Bon Marche, and JC Penney as its anchor stores.

Today its anchors are JC Penney and Macy’s, and it holds a 12-screen Regal Cinemas, a food court, and many seasonal pop-up stalls.

Shop for sporty products, seasonal styles, hangout outfits, brand-name apparel, legendary fashions, pretty garments, popular trends, and unique accessories.

Unwind at Arbor Crest Wine Cellars

Arbor Crest Wine Cellars is a historic crown jewel of Inland Washington with immersive views, pristine grounds, sparkling events, and award-winning wines.

In the early 1980s, Harold and Marcia Mielke began their business, moving their winery to Spokane Valley at the idyllic Riblet Estate, which was a national historic landmark.

Today their daughter, Kristina Mielke Van Loben Sels, is the head winemaker, and her husband, Jim, is the viticulturist.

For over 20 years, they have crafted their award-winning and elegant varietals, producing incredible wines with the finest fruit in Washington sourced from the state’s respected vines.

Arbor Crest is now the premier destination in the Inland Northwest for outstanding wine experiences, intimate gatherings, art festivals, business ventures, seasonal music, outdoor concerts, and others.

At their tasting and tour experiences, stroll through the estate with a glass in hand and learn the place’s rich history.

Then have a guided wine tasting with charcuterie and formaggio plates.

Have Outdoor Fun at Mirabeau Point Park

At Mirabeau Point Park, find Mirabeau springs and waterfall, Mirabeau Meadows, Discovery Playground, CenterPlace Regional Event Center, and the natural area thronged with walking trails and spring wildflowers.

CenterPlace Regional Event Center is a 54000-square foot building that offers both outdoor and indoor space for banquets, community activities, business meetings, conferences, weddings, and more.

Discovery Playground is a multisensory place where anyone can use sight, scent, sound, and touch.

The playground’s elements are for recreations that support social, educational, and physical development.

If you’re ready for more outdoor fun, head next to the park to the large forested rocky area to explore trails and get educated on local geology.

Mirabeau Meadows hosts big public events like music concerts, vendor fairs, and movies in the park, and is a brilliant spot to enjoy a picnic or play lawn games.

Shop For Fresh Goods at Spokane Valley Farmers Market

The Spokane Valley Farmers Market is a gathering of local ranchers, food producers, farmers, arts and crafts vendors, food trucks, and musicians.

Here, shop for regional and local produce, bond with friends, reunite with your neighbors, and enjoy meals, artisans, entertainment, and your lively surroundings.

Buy facial unguents at Awaken Joy, fragrant bath bombs at Bath by Bex, artsy stickers at Kandis Created, and dot art at Sun Meets Sea.

Spot organic vegetables at Sunset Orchard, fresh growing things at Spring Water Farm, the juicy fare at Lylo’s Garden, and nutrient-rich crops at Makana Farms.

Get stunning gems at Melissameli Jewelry Design, crystal jewelry at the Evergreen State of Conscious, metalsmith jewelry at Fashionably Adorned, and custom creations at Sew Life’s a Stitch.

They also host free kids’ activities with KERNEL (Kids Eating Right—Nutrition and Exercise for Life!) and give benefits to seniors with SFMNP (Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program).

Unleash Your Energy at Flying Squirrel Trampoline Park

Flying Squirrel Trampoline Park is a modern spring-loaded playground where you can defy the rules of gravity and have fun for the entire gang!

Whether you’re simply thrill-chasing, looking for a unique date, going out with a friend group, or taking out your family, you are sure to enjoy yourself.

Celebrate your child’s birthday party or bring a group of 20-300 for an action-filled night that they won’t forget, tailoring your event with food, drink, and arcade options.

Here, slam dunk like a star, duke it out at extreme dodgeball, practice your aerial escapades, and so much more.

Challenge your friends to battlebeams, clamber up the climbing walls, dive into the foampits, or make your way across ninja courses.

Bounce off the walls at the parkour course, shoot it out at mini-golf, run around the laser maze, or do a flip at the airtracks.

Color Your World at Painting With a Twist

Painting With A Twist was the brainchild of Cathy Deano and Renee Maloney.

These ladies sought to uplift the community in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Years later, with 300 studios in 39 states open or under development, the franchise has pioneered the paint and sip business.

Here, anyone can let the creative juices flow with the perfect combination of wine and art.

Have a Girls’ Night Out and let your best selves shine, or a Date Night where you can paint a masterpiece with your romantic partner.

Hold a Trivia Night, pick themes ranging from popular franchises to magical books, and go head to head with your painting buddies.

Send in a photo of your furbaby, and they will create a sketch, then help Paint Your Pet on canvas.

Make Team Building fun by creating a mural, painting an image, and letting your imagination flow with your crew.

Have Family Night at Roller Valley Skate and Event Center

If you’re looking for entertainment and active pursuits, Roller Valley Skate and Event Center is there for your needs.

Rain or shine, the center is here to give you the greatest roller skating times in the valley.

Roller skating is an extremely healthy recreation: skating an hour per week burns 200 calories.

Roller Valley was first launched in 1975 and bought by the current owners last fall of 2017.

The owners strive to create a friendly and engaging environment, whether you’re taking your friends, children, or a special someone for a skating session.

Roller Valley also has party packages: you can have a hot dog, pizza, or ice cream party.

You can also bring your crew for a private party or school skate night.

It takes part in a STEM field trip program where a seasoned educator teaches the relationship of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to roller skating.

Challenge Your Whole Crew at Escape!

An escape room is a challenging puzzle adventure wherein a locked-up group escapes a themed room.

Within an hour, they must use the room’s unfamiliar elements to uncover clues, answer puzzles, and get out.

It is excellent for family fun or team-building outings, and Escape entertainment has two locations in Spokane.

In The Godfather’s Secret, your rival gang’s godfather puts a hit out on you and goes missing, so you must sneak into his domain.

In Search and Rescue, you and some fellow trainees are left in the mountains to fend for yourselves and use your smarts and limited supplies.

In Guardians of Time, become a keeper of time and space, dealing with a continuum ripple, patching up history before all is lost.

And in High Noon Heist, your bandit group was caught red-handed and must escape the Sheriff’s clutches.

Sip a Drink at Latah Creek Wine Cellars

Mike and Ellena Conway established Latah Creek Wine Cellars in 1982, creating one of the innovators in Washington State’s emerging wine scene.

The winery continues to carve fresh paths in winemaking, churning out new varieties every season along with their established wines.

Visit one of the area’s most picturesque small wineries, going across tile walkways to an arched entrance and a large courtyard perfect for picnics and relaxation.

You will find a gift shop carrying gourmet food and unforgettable gifts, with a vast tasting bar.

Their red wines range from fruity varieties that taste amazing by themselves to tannic reserve reds that complement a meal.

Their white wines are some of the state’s finest such as their Chardonnay, with aromas of lemon, butter, and golden apple.

Another white wine of theirs is Rose of Malbec, with flavors of melon, minerals, and raspberry.

Ellena has also released a cookbook with recipes traditionally complementing their wine.

Chase an Adrenaline Rush at Altitude Trampoline Park

Altitude Trampoline Park is another fresh and hip family entertainment center in Spokane Valley with over 30000 square feet of great attractions and indoor trampolines.

It is an outstanding choice for families, friend groups, dates, birthday parties, or company gatherings.

Altitude was constructed with maximum safety in mind, sporting soft trampoline walls, safety netting, padding, and soft foam.

It also has a comprehensively trained staff committed to every guest’s safety.

Bring your best game at Trampoline Basketball, bound and rebound with Extreme Dodgeball, challenge your buddies to the Monkey Bar, and test your stamina at the Rock Wall.

Do high-flying at the Trapeze Wall, dodge the lasers at the Lazer Maze, beat scores at the High 9 Reaction Wall, and practice cheerleading at the Gymnastics Tumble Track.

Test your skills at the Foam Pit, try crossing the Log Roll, and fight like gladiators on the Battle Beam.

Have a Treat at The Nut Factory

The Nut Factory in Spokane Valley originated in 1952.

They used a distinctive copper pot roasting process to roast peanuts for wholesale product companies such as Safeway in the Ide Street Produce Market.

The wholesalers doled out the peanuts to grocery stores’ produce departments.

In the next few years, they roasted other nuts and seeds, coming up with newer products.

This line would continually strengthen over the next 66 years.

In May 2000, they added chocolate panning processes and sugar cooking to their production.

They also own two European chocolate tempering and molding wheels.

They coat nuts and fruits in pure chocolate through the enrobing processes.

The Nut Factory is now a large snack manufacturer, shipping over 450 products all over the country.

Snack on nuts like almonds, Brazil, cashews, macadamias, peanuts, pistachios, pecans, and walnuts.

Savor treats like chocolate nuts, chocolate fruits, trail mixes, toffee, candy, brittle, and mixed nuts.

Let Your Mind Take Flight at Historic Flight Foundation

The Historic Flight Foundation, or HFF, is an aviation museum that restores, collects, and flies historic aircraft produced between 1927 and 1957.

This marks the period between Charles Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic in 1927 and the Boeing 707’s first commercial flight in 1957.

In these 30 years, airplanes revolved from simple fabric and wood biplane structures to commercial jets.

The museum dedicates itself to giving the experience of feeling the engines roar, watching the restoration of vintage aircraft to flying condition, and seeing aeronautical displays from every angle.

The museum’s aircraft are in flying condition and regularly fly at Paine Field’s Aviation day, the September Vintage Aircraft Weekend, and monthly Fly Days of summer.

Visitors can watch at the hangar as they restore historic aircraft to a flying condition – this work has won awards at the National Aviation Heritage Invitational.

HFF hosts different educational programs, including a STEM program, flight training for historic aircraft, and airplane school grounds.

Celebrate at Valleyfest

Valleyfest is a Spokane Valley festival scheduled on the last weekend of September.

Its mission is to provide safe, community-driven, family-oriented, and visually theatrical festivals.

It showcases the talent of the Spokane Valley region, uplifting the visual and performing arts, recreation, science, and education for the entire community.

One of its events is Miss Spokane Valley, wherein high school junior and sophomore girls learn about public speaking, career training, interview skills, self-care, and confidence-building techniques.

Another is the Car Show at CenterPlace Regional Event Center, featuring child-parent guardian valve cover races, all-ages tricycle races, a flag girl competition, and a kids’ coloring contest.

Its Lions Club Bed Races involves individuals who build a bed on wheels, decorate it, don creative costumes, and race to the finish line.

Its STEAM Showcase invites families to take part in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) events.

Other Things to Do Nearby

Soar through the Trees with Mica Moon Zip Tours

Located 12 minutes from Spokane Valley, Mica Moon Zip Tours is Spokane’s only true zip-line canopy tour adventure.

Spokane is a hotspot for outdoor enthusiasts, and there is no better bird’s-eye view than soaring above it all from their state-of-the-art zip line and aerial trek park.

The Mica Moon mission offers residents a professional and unforgettable opportunity to see its forest treasures from a different perspective.

They aim to have their guests celebrate wonder and freedom by exploring their comfort zones and personal perspectives in a backyard wilderness.

Mica Moon got its name from the premium moonshine crafted in hidden mountain camps that were visible from Spokane Valley once upon a time.

The idea is, today’s “Mica Moon” product is a natural high pursuable while sober.

Embark on their Aerial Park Treetop Adventure that will bring you from station to station, getting more intense with elevation, with obstacles from rickety bridges to ninja-style challenges.

Take their Classic Zipline Tour that threads through cool forest glens, across their private valley, above a lovely mountain stream, and near iconic moonshine camps.

Or try a bit of both, starting at the Classic Zipline and ending at the Aerial Park.

Make unforgettable memories and have an adventuresome time at Mica Moon Zip Tours.

Final Thoughts

Explore and discover all the recreations and excitements on this side of the state in Spokane Valley.

Spokane Valley is an enterprising city focused on building prosperous roads to the future.

If you want to be part of the city’s growth and fruition, consult this list and find the best things to do while visiting.

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