Planning a Trip

Getting There

Spokane is on I-90, Washington's east-west interstate. U.S. 2 is an alternative route from western Washington. U.S. 395 is the main route from Canada south to Spokane. U.S. 195 connects to Lewiston, Idaho.

Spokane International Airport, 9000 W. Airport Dr. (tel. 509/455-6455; www.spokaneairports.net) is located 10 miles west of downtown and is served by Alaska Airlines, ExpressJet, Frontier Airlines, Horizon Air, Northwest Airlines, Skywest/Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United/United Express, and US Airways.

Amtrak passenger trains provide service to Spokane. The station is at 221 W. First Ave. (tel. 509/624-5144).

Visitor Information

Contact the Spokane Area Visitor Information Center, 201 W. Main Ave., Spokane, WA 99201 (tel. 888/SPOKANE or 509/747-3230; www.visitspokane.com).

Getting Around

Rental cars are available from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Thrifty. If you need a taxi, contact Spokane Cab (tel. 509/568-8000). Public bus service is provided by the Spokane Transit Authority (tel. 509/328-7433; www.spokanetransit.com); the fare is $1.

Festivals

Spokane's nickname is the Lilac City, and the city's biggest annual event is the Lilac Festival (tel. 509/535-4554; www.lilacfestival.org), which is held each year in mid-May. On the first Sunday in May, the city holds its annual Lilac Bloomsday Run (tel. 509/838-1579; www.bloomsdayrun.com), one of the largest timed foot races in the world (more than 50,000 runners participate).