Huzzah, It's Bloomsday!

Last weekend (May 4th) was Lilac Bloomsday in Spokane, WA - the 49th Bloomsday to be exact. Starting back in 1977, Bloomsday is a 12k race held annually as part of the Lilac Festival in Spokane, WA. Almost 33,000 people participated in Bloomsday this year, according to the Spokesman Review - Spokane's newspaper - on a beautiful spring morning. The course begins and ends in downtown Spokane, and winds through some of the city's prettier neighborhoods. With lilacs in the air and a buzzing crowd of high energy, this is a not-to-miss event in Eastern Washington!

This year was my first Bloomsday since the 90s when I used to walk with family and friends every year as a kid. I remember those early Sunday mornings when we would pile into the mini-van and drive 90 minutes south to Spokane to join the huge crowd. We would go for lunch at the Onion on our way back home after the race. Sometimes my parents and I even had matching fanny packs! (90s <3)

Now we brought our own kiddo (minus a matching fanny pack, unfortunately) and met up with family to recapture our youth. We arrived the night before and enjoyed the roaring waters of the Spokane River, an incredible dinner at Clinkerdagger, rides on the Numerica SkyRide and the Looff Carousel, shopping at the Flour Mill, and a beautiful walk through Riverfront Park. It was incredible to visit these special places - I've been visiting them my entire life, and as much as things do change they also stay very much the same in the best possible way.

If you find yourself in Eastern Washington, downtown Spokane offers an array of interesting things to do on any budget, all on foot. Further afield, Spokane offers the best of the best in hiking and outdoor activities, and an great food scene featuring the bounty of the Northwest at reasonable prices.

For more information about Spokane check out these websites to start planning your own Spokane adventure or book a consultation to talk about your trip!

Visit Spokane: https://www.visitspokane.com

The Inlander: https://www.inlander.com/

City of Spokane Parks: https://my.spokanecity.org/parksrec/

Bloomsday Sign, Spokane, WA