Sp o ka ne
Off-Campus/Spokane Gonzaga University is located in Spokane, WA, a city of 200,000 situated in beautiful eastern Washington State. Less than three hundred miles east of Seattle, and 150 miles south of the Canadian border, the city features the Spokane River which runs right by campus, a vibrant downtown only a 15-minute walk from campus, and hundreds of ways for you to spend your time out of class.
The Great Outdoors If you like spending time outside, you’re in luck. The Centennial Trail, 39 miles of paved pathway closed to motorized vehicles, stretching from Nine Mile Falls to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, winds right through Gonzaga and often along the Spokane River. Run, walk, bike, or skate it. Speaking of skating, Spokane has several skate parks. Get your fill of pipes, ledges, ramps, variously sized bowls, and oververts. If your skates have blades though, head over to Eagle’s Ice-A-Rena (indoors) or the Riverfront Park Pavilion (outdoors, October through March) and show off your scratch spins, slap shots and figure-eights. If hiking appeals to you, visit the Dishman Hills Natural Area, Liberty Lake, the 9,587acre Riverside State Park or Mt. Spokane State Park (14,000 acres climbing to a 5,889foot summit) for quiet woodsy get-aways. Around the end of November, Mt. Spokane turns white and welcoming for cross-country and downhill skiing, snowshoeing, tubing, and snowmobiling. Within an hour and a half drive, there are three other fabulous ski areas, and within about four hours, you’re into Montana or Canada with enough winter sports action to keep you occupied until the snow melts. Minnehaha Park, about 5 miles from Gonzaga on the Centennial Trail, is great for mountain biking and rock climbing. Keep following the river and you’ll also encounter a disc golf course and a couple of Spokane County’s public golf courses. More into water sports? The Spokane River runs through the heart of downtown with a
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stunning view of the falls. Rafting, kayaking and canoeing are popular activities further down the river, and fishing opportunities abound in the 76 lakes throughout the region. Spokane also has dozens of public parks, the crown jewel of which is Manito Park. Within Manito is a Japanese garden, a formal English garden, a rose garden, a duck pond, a perennial garden, and a conservatory.
The Great Indoors There’s also plenty to do indoors. Try the climbing wall or yoga studios – some of which offer Pilates and belly dancing. After you’re done being active, check local newspapers – free weeklies like The Inlander or Out There, or Spokane’s daily, The SpokesmanReview – or fliers around campus for who’s playing around town. THE KNITTING FACTORY CONCERT HOUSE, SPOKANE ARENA and the INB PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, all host big-name acts such as Avril Lavigne, Beyonce, Blue Man Group, Carrie Underwood, Def Leppard, The Fray, Incubus, James Taylor, Michael Buble, Modest Mouse, Rascal Flats, and Tool. Fat Tuesday’s and Real Soda welcome all ages and offer a more local music scene. Spokane’s symphony orchestra performs more than 60 concerts a year, including classical, chamber and pops performances at the recently restored historic art decoencrusted, Martin-Woldson Theater at the Fox. Take the short walk downtown and you’ll find River Park Square, home of the AMC 20 Movie Theatres. There’s a good chance one of 20 screens will be showing something you want to see. Banana Republic, the Gap, Abercrombie and Fitch, Bath and Body Works,