Cruising, Cultural travel, International Travel

AmaWaterways’ Mekong Luxury Cruise through Vietnam and Cambodia: Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong

Leave a comment
We explore the watery Tra Su Cajuput Forest by boat and on foot. ©GeriBain

by Geri Bain for Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Silently, our rowboat glides through waters thick with lotus flowers, water lilies, and vegetation and along narrow passageways lined by towering evergreen cajuput (melaleuca) trees whose outstretched branches host hundreds of nesting birds. Later, we hike to an observatory tower for panoramic views of the 2100-acre Tra Su Cajuput Forest and Bird Sanctuary, which shelters over 70 bird species.

We are in Vietnam, and this is one of many amazing tours my 30-year-old-daughter and I enjoy on a week-long AmaWaterways Mekong River cruise. We are traveling on the five-star AmaDara. Our cruise begins in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and ends in Siem Reap, Cambodia.  Here, in the first of a three-part story, we share highlights from our journey through southern Vietnam.

The Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel’s welcoming elephant statue has its trunk up to convey positive energy and good fortune.  ©GeriBain

Our trip begins with two pre-cruise nights at the Sofitel Saigon Plaza Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. The hotel is within walking distance of almost everything we want to see, and its rooftop pool and Bremiere spa are great for unwinding after our 26-hour journey from New York City.

The Sofitel reflects the city’s blend of French Colonial and traditional and modern Vietnamese influences in its decor, service and dining. The lobby has a croissant/pastry cart as well as an area displaying and selling fine local lacquerware and other crafts. It has both French and Vietnamese restaurants, and an extensive breakfast buffet that features Pho (soup) made to order, a croissant and pastry station and extensive selections of foods from around the world.

ST25 by KOTO is a high-end restaurant with the lofty mission of educating and hiring disadvantaged youth.   ©GeriBain

Our favorite meal in Ho Chi Minh City is at ST25 by KOTO, our hotel’s tony Vietnamese restaurant. It is popular with locals and guests for its ambiance and its creative twist on traditional dishes like spiced Barramundi (fish) roasted in banana leaves with mắm tôm sauce (fermented shrimp paste). It takes its name from the acclaimed Vietnamese rice variety, ST25.

One of the wonderful things about this restaurant is that it trains, hires and supports at-risk and disadvantaged youth, and the training is in life-skills, not just hospitality. Everyone working there has come through the program, including our personable maitre d. The service is impeccable and every dish is an artfully presented unique treat, from the yellowtail kingfish in avocado puree and black sesame appetizer to the Barramundi, a delicious fish roasted in banana leaves with chili, turmeric, spring onion and a mắm tôm sauce (fermented shrimp paste).

A friend had advised us to pack lightly and bring an empty suitcase because Vietnam prices warranted buying a whole new wardrobe. The values are definitely there; two shopping experiences stand out.

Phuong Giang tailor shop has books of styles and bolts of fabric to choose from.  ©GeriBain

The first is Phuong Giang, a small shop that came highly recommended, where we page through style books, select a fabric and get measured; the dress is delivered to our hotel the next day for a follow-up fitting at the time we request. The cost is under $75.

Also memorable is Ben Thanh Market, a bustling, clean and orderly indoor market that sells everything from running track suits to suitcases at jaw-droppingly low prices. For example, Nike shirts and shorts are about $5. I buy a chic pleated maxi dress for $18 USD that is similar to ones I’d seen for more than $100 in the U.S.

The Museum of South Vietnamese Women has an extensive exhibit on the many varieties of traditional women’s clothing among the region’s many ethnic groups.  ©GeriBain

Happily, the museums in Ho Chi Minh City we visit have excellent English signage. We start out at Independence Palace, a.k.a. Reunification Palace, the opulent former seat of French Colonial and South Vietnamese governments, where we see the stately meeting rooms where diplomats and heads of state were greeted, held important meetings and were entertained, and the War Remnants Museum, where news clippings, photos, munitions and other artifacts reveal the ravages of the “American War.”

Since we’re especially interested in learning more about the cultural and historic roots of Vietnam, we visit two other excellent museums: the Museum of South Vietnamese Women, which focuses on women’s roles in farming, family and war during more than 1,000 years of foreign invasions, and the History Museum of Ho Chi Minh City, whose exhibits start with prehistoric times. We spend about two to three hours in each and they provide great context for the sights we will see during our cruise.

AmaWaterways’ Mekong River cruise takes us deep into the cultures of southern Vietnam and Cambodia (Photo courtesy of AmaWaterways)

On our third morning, we meet up with our AmaWaterways group in the hotel lobby and board buses for a lively, informative ride to our home for the next seven nights, the AmaDara. Built in Vietnam, the five-star, 62-cabin river cruise ship reflects the Mekong’s French Colonial and Asian aesthetic in its hardwood floors, wood furnishings, and colorful artwork depicting local life.

Exploring the ship, we find a small air-conditioned workout space, three spa treatment rooms, a plunge pool, large indoor and outdoor cocktail/coffee lounges and a large dining room. Before dinner, Huy, our energetic and knowledgeable cruise manager, provides the first of our daily talks about the destinations we’ll visit. We begin getting to know some of our crew members, who are almost all from the region.

We appreciate that the dining room always serves a choice of several regional foods like sweet and salty pork bowl and fish “amok”, cooked in a rich, spiced coconut milk sauce, as well as international dishes. And we love that menu items are plated and displayed with a list of ingredients as we enter the dining room—especially helpful for some less familiar dishes.

After a performance by local folk musicians, we are invited to try their exotic instruments. ©GeriBain

After dinner, a group of folk musicians comes aboard to perform. The music is unlike Western music and each musician demonstrates their instrument before performing.  Then, after the performance, we are invited to chat with the musicians and if we like, try out their instruments.

The next morning, I join a pre-breakfast stretch class on the sundeck with Hanna, the ship’s wellness coach. She offers a surprising number of daily yoga, qigong and other classes, and I can still hear her gentle reminders to breathe deeply and take in the healthy air of the Mekong.

Our next two days in Vietnam are packed with adventure and our days take on a rhythm of morning excursions, a refreshing midday break and lunch on board the ship in air-conditioned comfort, and then a second set of activities in the afternoon. We opt for the active excursions which have more walking or add a second site to the standard tour.

Cobras are bottled in wine, but our guide warns about possible adverse effects of their toxin. ©GeriBain

After breakfast, we head out in sampans (traditional small boats) to a candy and rice-paper workshop in Cai Be, where we watch and sample each step of the candy process, see rice paper being made by hand, and visit their small local crafts shop. We taste some local liquors, but on the advice of our guide, we skip the snake wine.

Active travelers continue on for a guided walk through Dong Hoa Hiep, an ancient village of fruit tree groves and ornate historic homes. The highlight is Mr. Kiet’s Ancient House, a faithfully restored upper-class 1838 home with intricately carved wooden archways and doors and a fine collection of antique furnishings, many with luminescent inlaid nacre. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site, the home is still occupied by the widow of Mr Kiet, who operates a small restaurant in the orchard garden.

Mr Kiet’s Ancient House Shrine©GeriBain

Phuc, our guide, points out the three impressive ancestor shrines in the entry room which include photos of deceased relatives, religious statues, candles, incense burners and offerings of fruit and other items. He tells us that most Vietnamese homes have ancestor shrines near their entrance or in a prominent location; the richer the family, the more elaborate the shrine. He explains that departed family members are thought to watch over their descendants and offerings at the altars allow the living to show their gratitude and remain connected. The three shrines here are quite grand.

The Divine Eye looking out from behind the altar at the Cao Dai Temple is a reminder to worshippers that God is all-seeing and omnipresent.  ©GeriBain

Our afternoon tour takes us to the wet market in Sa Dec, where we see live eels, snake fish, snails and duck embryos, still in the shell, which are a local delicacy. From there, we board sampans and boat over to the Cao Dai Temple, where brilliant paintings and sculptures illustrate the beliefs of this home-grown Vietnamese monotheistic religion. Combining elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Vietnamese folk religions and other practices, the Cao Dai religion is now the third largest religion in Vietnam.

On our last morning in Vietnam, we have two options: a trishaw tour of a village, stopping at silk and rattan workshops and a home visit, or an excursion to the Tra Su Cajuput Forest and Bird Sanctuary. Based on conversations with fellow passengers over dinner that evening, there was no wrong choice. We opt for nature, and are thrilled to have the chance to see this pristine eco-system.

This afternoon, we are required to remain on-board as the boat clears customs into Cambodia. AmaWaterways has collected our passports, arranges our visas and takes care of all the details. We take the opportunity to experience the region’s special deep-tissue massage spa treatments and join a cooking class. 

It’s only been three days since we set out on AmaWaterways’ AmaDara, but it feels like much longer because of all we’ve seen and done. Our guide, Phuc, who lives in Ho Chi Minh City, must leave us at the border. He has been more than our guide; he has shared stories about his family and taught so much about Vietnamese culture and everyday life in the Mekong. We are sad to bid him farewell as we prepare to sail across the border to Cambodia. At the same time, we are excited for tomorrow, when we will wake up in Cambodia’s exotic capital, Phnom Penh.

The basics:

In 2025, AmaWaterways offers one-week Mekong River trips, except during May, June, and July, traveling between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Siem Reap, Cambodia. Prices start at around $2,320 and include transfers between the ship and Ho Chi Minh City and Siem Reap and all sightseeing, wi-fi, meals, and on-board programs. Extra charges include airfare (discounted fares are available), visa fees, bar drinks (alcoholic beverages with meals are included), port charges (about $210 p.p.) and suggested tips ($80 per passenger for the crew and $20-$25 for the cruise manager). AmaWaterways also offers a choice of all-inclusive pre- and post-cruise options. The most comprehensive is eight nights, including stays in Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap/Angkor Wat,, and Ha Long Bay, and all transportation, priced at $2,779 per person.

Flights from the U.S. can take well over 20 hours. As with all cruises, it’s important to arrive at least a day early in case of flight delays. Considering the time change and potential for jet lag, I’d suggest a minimum two-night pre-cruise cushion—more if you have time. 

Bargaining in markets is expected. Generally, when we tell a merchant we will think about it and start to walk away, the price drops. Then, we may ask if that is the best they can do, and the price sometimes drops again. If it’s a big purchase, it’s smart to stop at a few booths to get a sense of pricing and quality.

Be sure to check with your doctor or a travel medicine specialist for recommendations on vaccinations and other health precautions, and the U.S. Department of State, CIA.gov and the CIA World Factbook for helpful country information.

Note when filling out visa applications, flight and hotel reservations that dates in Vietnam and Cambodia are written day/month/year. I almost booked my flight for the wrong date. (April 1, 2025 would be written 01/04/2025).

Get the required visa at Vietnam’s website (evisa.gov.vn), where the fee is $25 (if you use a visa service it costs something like $197), and at Cambodia’s website (evisa.gov.kh), where the fee is $30, but give yourself enough time to get the confirmation.

Useful contacts:

AmaWaterways.com

Sofitel Saigon Plaza

Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor Siem Reap

Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel

Next: AmaWaterways Cruises to Cambodia

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

Best in Travel, Budget Travel, Tips for Travel, Travel on a Budget, Travel Trends

New York Travel Show: Pauline Frommer’s Annual Tips for Travel Talk Pays Homage to Father

Leave a comment
Arthur Frommer and Pauline Frommer appear together giving their forecast and tips for travel at the New York Travel Show in 2015. Pauline has gone on to continue her father’s legacy; the travel icon who launched millions on journeys of discovery, passed away in November © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

This year’s travel talk by Pauline Frommer at the New York Travel Show was a homage to her father, the legendary Arthur Frommer who single-handedly inspired generations of travelers not born into family fortune to experience the world, with his guidebooks, then radio and TV shows, starting with the iconic “Europe on $5 a Day”. His philosophy, mission and love of travel that infuse the Frommer guides have remained. He passed away in November.

At her talk, titled “Travel Lessons I’ve Learned From My Father That Will Make Your Next Vacation Less Expensive and More Meaningful,” she said, “He believed money should be used smartly. He believed travel could be a life-changing activity.”

Quoting Arthur, she said, “We cannot permit ourselves to live stunted, stay- at-home lives. We need to travel if we are to enjoy the fullness of life… Contact with the new and the different is how we grow and develop. That may be possible in other ways than travel, but there is something about experiencing the world that cannot be duplicated… Nothing has the lasting impact of being there.”

Arthur Frommer, with his baby daughter Pauline, made encouraging and enabling people to travel the mission of his life.

Arthur Frommer devoted his life to guiding people how to travel inexpensively and how to have meaningful vacations, that shift who you are as a person in important 

In 1957, when Arthur set out on his mission to inspire Americans to travel abroad, Americans – even middle class ones – were rich compared to rest of world – Europe was in rubble while Americans had dollars.

Arthur Frommer discovered the joys and benefits of international travel as a GI in Europe, and decided to encourage other GIs to travel as well, with the Gi’s Guide to Travelling in Europe. Soon after, he revolutionized travel with his guides, like “Europe on $5 a Day” to affordable, meaningful travel experiences.

“Now we are in the same position – currently the Euro is almost equal to the $1: $1.02 to 1e (in 2016 it was $1.36 to 1e. The Japanese yen has never been this weak, 156 yen to $1; the dollar is worth 1.44 Canadian and the Mexican peso is at 20.78. It has never been so good.”

On the other hand many travel companies are using AI to raise prices surgically, depending upon your prior buying habits – what Joe Biden’s Federal Trade Commission called “surveillance pricing.” (Biden’s FTC also went after airlines, others for junk fees, requiring rapid cash refunds, cybertheft and greedflation, during his pro-consumer administration.)

“Middle men watch what consumers are doing, creating profiles of the consumer so they can tell different industries how much to charge, individually.

Delta Airlines’ CEO, on an earnings call, boasted how the airline was profiling, using AI to float the maximum airfare passengers would pay.

Have you had the experience of searching for an airfare, finding one, but going off to think about it for awhile, only to return and find the fare $50 higher? “That’s because you are being watched; the amount of surveillance is insane.”

Frommer’s antidote? “When searching for travel goods and services, be private – hide your identity. For example, subscribe to a VPN (virtual private network) to hide who you are; clear your cache and cookies. Use a different computer.

Travelers were excited to learn about destinations to visit at this year’s New York Travel Show at the Javits Center © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The best search engines for airfares, she recommends, are Momondo.com (owned and managed by Kayak.com) and Skyscanner.com.

But, she adds, “Then you don’t buy on them. There are so many issues in air travel, if you buy from a third party like an OTA [an online travel agent], you are last in line if something goes wrong. Search on the website, then buy from the airline.”

(Travel expert Peter Greenberg, at his talk at the travel show, adds that the OTAs always say there are only one or two seats available at that great price, but that is because the airline has only released that number of seats. He also advises searching online then booking directly with the airline.)

There are also days that are best to purchase air fares: Frommer recommends purchasing an airfare on Sunday can yield 6% savings on domestic fare, 17% savings on international.

Also, “buy 1-3 months out for domestic travel (for a 25% savings), 18-29 days out for international (for a 10% savings). Last year, it was 4 months out, but she acknowledges, “it takes courage to book so close.”

You get the best fares if you start your trip on a Thursday or Saturday (16% savings over flying on a Sunday), she says. “Sunday is the most expensive day to start a trip.”

Air passengers are reasonably concerned about what to expect flying this year Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Also, given the “chaos in the sky” with the doubling of cancellations in 2024, she recommends, “fly before 3 pm, or up the risk of being cancelled or delayed by 50%.” If you fly after 9 pm, your risk of being delayed or cancelled goes up by 57%. Fly after 9 pm and your risk of being delayed or cancelled goes up 57%

To get the best rate for a hotel, Frommer suggests booking three-plus months in advance for resorts, but just one week before in business-travel cities.

“Always get a reservation you can cancel.” (I have had great success finding hotels at hotels.com and booking.com, that provide great tools for location, amenities, nearby attractions, easy cancellation, and helpful reviews.)

Vacation home rentals, such as through airbnb.com may not be cheaper than hotels because of housekeeping fees and taxes (unless you are a family or couples traveling together), but typically afford more space, the convenience of kitchen and laundry, and are typically in neighborhoods so you get to connect with local people.

Looking for added value in accommodations? Consider hostels: “There are wonderful hostels all around the world, where you get private rooms, private bathrooms for much less than a hotel. There usually is a common area, a place where you can cook your own meal, do your laundry.”

Staying in a hostel like the Green Tortoise in San Francisco is an experience in itself © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“Typically there are also opportunities to meet and socialize with other travelers,” she said (as I found in Quito, Ecuador, where I was invited to a communal dinner). A good source for finding hostels is HostelWorld.com.

To find a tour, Frommer recommends: travelstride.com and tourradar.com, which are marketplace sites for tours. You put in dates and where you want to go and then can compare prices, highlights, what is offered. “Often the cheaper tours are by local tour operators that don’t have an international profile but go to same places, and often stay in the same hotels and restaurants.” 

Travel insurance is recommended when you are taking a long-distance, expensive tour and want protection against cancellation (but read the fine print); but what you may well want when traveling abroad is medical insurance, covering evacuation if necessary. (Medicare isn’t applicable abroad.)

You can search for the policy that works best for your purpose at:

Squaremouth.com

insuremytrip.com

travelinsurance.com

“Put in details and it generates a list. Inevitably the best is not the most expensive, usually it is in the middle cost range. No travel insurance company is always the best.” Also, she advises, “Never buy insurance through the travel provider.”

If you are undertaking a trip like a bike tour in Cambodia and Vietnam, it is highly recommended to purchase travel medical insurance that includes medical evacuation. (Medicare doesn’t cover treatment abroad.) © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

(Recently, in preparation for Discovery Bicycle Tours’ trip to Cambodia and Vietnam, I did the search at travelinsurance.com and found the policy that best fit my needs for medical coverage was through Generali Global Assistance.)

Every year, the Frommers offer their recommendations for where to go in the coming year. The hallmarks of the list have become finding the less crowded destinations worth a visit. (See the full article frommers.com/bestplaces2025)

Crete in Greece: it is one of the least crowded of the Greek islands because it is the largest- twice size of Rhode Island, while most travelers go to Mykonos or Santorini. “Santorini got 3 million visitors in 2024 – it was so hairy on the roads, the government asked the Santorini citizens to stay off the roads at certain hours because of the traffic jams with tour buses.” But Crete is the land of “Zorba the Greek”. “It is the most Greek of Greek islands, once part of the Venetian Empire, it looks like Venice and has incredible ancient ruins from when it was the center of the Minoan civilization – think Minator and Labyrinth.”

Looking to do an African safari? A safari in Zambia, famous for Victoria Falls , one of tallest in world, is as much as 25% less costly than Tanzania or Kenya. “They have all the animals – giraffes, elephants, hippos, lions – and also have a progressive system where the rangers who stop poaching are women. It is also one of the safest countries in Africa. Support them.”

Greenland is top of mind lately. “Bizarrely, Greenland just expanded its airport, so for the first time, can accommodate large jets. For the first time, you can go to this ice-covered nation direct from New York in the time it takes to go to Iceland. 80% of Greenland is covered by ice – you can do heli-skiing, snowshoeing, glacier cruises, see polar bears.: Frommer is anticipating Greenland will be the next Iceland. “Go before it’s too crowded. It’s a great adventure destination.”

The Caribbean country of Barbuda (part of Antigua and Barbuda) is an undeveloped, beautiful, pristine island (because it never had a big airport) that made the news 40 years ago when Princess Diana visited, thinking she could escape the paparazzi. “During WWII, allied generals were worried Germans would use the Caribbean islands as bases to invade the US – so built airports on Jamaica, Aruba, Puerto Rico and several other islands; after the war, they drew tourists. Barbuda is finally getting an international airport and Robert De Niro is building a resort on Barbuda, she said. “See it while it is in its more pristine state.”

At her talk at the New York Travel Show, titled “Travel Lessons I’ve Learned From My Father That Will Make Your Next Vacation Less Expensive and More Meaningful,” Pauline Frommer said, “He believed money should be used smartly. He believed travel could be a life-changing activity.” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Bath and Hampshire, England are “going crazy” this year over the 250th birthday of novelist Jane Austin (“Pride and Prejudice”, “Sense & Sensibility”) – there are Empire-style costumes you can rent, special exhibits. Bath also has one of England’s most important Roman ruins.

Tucson, Arizona is turning 250 years old this year, as well, and mounting celebrations all year long. Also, Tucson is the only city in the United States that is part of the Dark Sky program. On the edge of the city, Saguaro National Park, there is a free observatory you can go at night to look at stars with astronomers. Tucson is also the place for foodies, with a 4000-year old culinary tradition. “The United Nations named it the only culinary UNESCO World Heritage site in the US. There are all the different influences in the food. There are all kinds of food celebrations for the 250th.

“My father said, ‘Don’t just go to dead sites.’ If I had never traveled, I would never have understood that all people, no matter how exotic their appearance, have basically the same concerns, the same desires. Don’t just go to see things, but meet people.”

To meet people when you travel:

The International Greeter Association connects you to people who love their home communities and give free tours. You can go to Tokyo and find a greeter to take you around Tokyo for a day, teach you how to use subway, show you a neighborhood, free.”  In Chicago, Frommer took a tour of downtown to discover public art. She toured a Hispanic neighborhood in the Bronx, visiting stores and apartment buildings, to “learn about another side of New York City.”

Touring Athens with a Native: architect Constantine Panagiotis introduces me to his favorite chef. Connect with these local volunteers who are eager to show you their community through the The International Greeter Association © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Find other free tours led by locals through the International Greeter Association, a worldwide nonprofit organization offering private free walks with locals through some 400 cities in 60 countries. https://internationalgreeter.org). Also, GetYourGuide.com.

(Athens, Greece has a program through the tourist office, “This is My Athens,” that sets you up with a local to show you around for free, https://www.thisisathens.org/withalocal/. We have also found free walking tour programs in most cities by googling, such as in Quito, freewalkingtourecuador,com, where you just tip the guide after. )

A family discovered this Talaysay Tours indigenous walking tour of Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada, through Airbnb’s Experiences © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Airbnb.com Experiences provides links to little companies with people with experiences to share. Frommer related taking her 15-year old daughter on a tour of Paris consignment stores with a fashion expert. “We have been to Paris many times but saw things never had.”

TravelingSpoon.com and EatWith.com link travelers to culinary experiences with local people, the best local cooks in different communities, home cooks. Frommer described such an experience with an “Italian nona,” whose grandson translated as she prepared the meal in her kitchen. “We all gathered for a meal. It cost as much as a high end restaurant, but it was our most memorable meal in Italy that time.”

Another way to have an extraordinary experience is to do short-term work in a foreign destination– something that is particularly appealing for young people taking a gap year – which do not require work visas. Opportunities can be found at:

workaway.com

helpstay.com

WWOOF.org (Willing Workers on Organic Farms)

volunteers.grupo

The heyday for digital nomads may be passed, but to find what remains, you might consult:

flexjobs.com

remotey.com

jobspresso.com

remoteOK.IO

Travelers are increasingly concerned about sustainability and traveling responsibly, so the benefits of their visit (providing economic foundation to sustain people living in their community, maintaining culture and heritage and sites) do not outweigh the negatives of overtourism.

Tour operators, like Intrepid Travel (intrepidtravel.com) are taking this into account in designing itineraries so they are more hub-and-spoke and less travel by bus or airline; several, like G Adventures (gadventures.com) are conscious to purchase local products and hire locals, as well as contribute a portion of the tour price to benefit the community; Seacology (seacology.org), takes you to places threatened by ocean rise then donate money back to community.

Pauline Frommer is continuing the mission and legacy of her father, Arthur, to inspire and facilitate journeys of discovery.

“At its best, travel should challenge our preconceptions and most cherished views, cause us to rethink our assumptions, shake us a bit, make us broader minded and more understanding,” Frommer said.

Her father, Arthur Frommer, “changed this industry in powerful ways, democratized travel. He was one of the first to say average people should travel, not just the wealthy, elite. Travel afforded the opportunity to expand your life, expand your mind, and do it in a way that pushes the cause of world peace. He truly believed that when we get to know other countries, wonder at the beauty of them, we won’t attack or invade, and our hearts will break when things go wrong there.”

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Benefits of travel', International Travel, Travel Industry, Travel Trends

Travel Trends 2025: Industry Responds to Growing Demand for Purposeful, Mindful, Experiential Travel

Discovery Bicycle Tours’ biking in Vietnam trip taps into an array of travel trends: the desire for purposeful, mindful, experiential travel that immerses you in local people’s lives, culture and environment, that maximizes the benefit and minimizes the damage of tourism and that focuses on emerging destinations which also afford value for dollar © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

A clear indication that the U.S. economy is (and has been) strong is how robust the demand and spending for travel has been and is anticipated to be for 2025. Americans are traveling in surging, even record numbers, looking further afield, being more purposeful, mindful in their quest for life-changing, life-enhancing experiences, giving truth to the adage: it is the journey, not the destination.

In fact, special events – like the Taylor Swift Eras concert tour, the Paris Olympics, Formula 1, even the Total Eclipse of the Sun – are driving travel purchases, with people building trips around the events.

“People are traveling for their passions, for experiences – lifestyle, activity, food, entertainment, adventure,” observed Mandy Gill, Marriott International’s Vice President Global Marketing, US & Canada, at the Travel Media Summit. She was among the travel professionals who cited Taylor Swift’s Eras tour as a major boost to business in 2024; indeed, the tour -149 shows across 51 cities and 21 countries – sold 10,168,008 tickets, totaling $2.1 billion (boosting the GDP of countries), making it the highest-grossing tour in history. 

Major events like the 2024 Total Eclipse of the Sun, enjoyed at Long Lake, New York, are inspiring millions of people to travel © goingplacesfarandnear.com

Some 12 million people traveled into the path of totality that crossed 15 states to experience the once-in-a-lifetime April 8, 2024 solar eclipse – making it the largest mass travel event in the United States in 2024.  The next total solar eclipse, on August 12, 2026, will be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia, and part of Portugal, https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/) and travel companies are ready – AdventureSmith, specializing in small ship adventure cruising, is offering seven solar eclipse cruises.

“Travelers increasingly are looking for alternative and authentic destinations, new destinations and adventure travel,” said Erik Evjen, Executive Vice President, Tourism Economics, at the 2025 Travel Media Summit. “Whereas in the past, people would go to a hotel, now they go for ‘what is important to me.’”

“What is important to me” is increasingly determined by “influencers” and social media, with FOMO overriding any skepticism that might arise if travelers appreciated that influencers they trust may well be paid to promote destinations (what used to be termed “advertorials”).

Influencers are the new power brokers in travel, playing a critical role in shaping consumer decisions, noted Rashaad Jorden at the Skift Megatrends event in New York. “Platforms like Expedia have already integrated influencer marketing into their booking process, allowing curated recommendations to be directly bookable. Kayak plans to employ a mass-market approach, enabling users to share their favorite destinations on social media and earn rewards if bookings are made through their recommendations.

“Influencers are the new power brokers in travel,” and one of the key Skift 2025 Megatrends © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Influencers are also playing a huge role in stimulating travel by specific interest groups, including Black, women. solo travelers, and travelers with disabilities who now have access to information about places and programs that serve their interest. This in turn, is prodding companies to accommodate these travelers. Even Googlemaps is now taking disability into account in providing directions, thanks to Googler Sasha Blair Goldenson, who became wheelchair bound after an accident , so you can now activate a toggle on Googlemaps app to access 55 million accessible locations.

The AI enhancements that are being incorporated into travel planning apps and making travel experiences accessible. “AI is enabling travel companies to tap into social media as a performance marketing channel,” Jordan said.

Accessibility to information will not only inspire travel, but help travelers better organize their itinerary, packing in more to see and do – a boon to destinations, attractions and lodging, and a key tool to mitigate against the destructive impacts of overtourism and enable travelers to find the life-changing, life-enhancing experiences they crave, fulfilling the increasing demand for experiential travel, educational travel and multi-generational and “skip-gen” travel.

Travel companies are responding to the interest in “experiential travel” that affords opportunities to become immersed in culture, connected with local people and actively engaged in the environment. Companies like Earthwatch (earthwatch.org), Audley Travel (audleytravel.com), Exodus Adventure Tours (exodustravels.com), and Village Experience (experiencethevillage.com) build their programs around experiential travel, while others are incorporating immersive experiences –  biking (Discovery Bicycle Tours, VBT Biking, Backroads), hiking (Wildland Trekking, Backroads, REI, G Adventures), walking (Country Walkers, Classic Journeys), camping, adventure, ecotourism (Wild Frontiers), and indigenous tourism (Discover Aboriginal Experiences, discoveraboriginalexperiences.com) – fundamentally provide these experiences. 

“Detour destinations” like Colmar, which are within three hours from such overly popular places as Paris are being discovered © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Travelers are also increasingly looking for sustainable, responsible travel – in hotels, tours, and destinations, and to avoid feeling guilty about contributing to the destructive impacts of overtourism (but beware of  “green-washing”).  Dubbed “mindful tourism,” these travelers look  to avoid the guilt of destroying the most highly prized “bucket list” destinations by looking more to spreading visits to what used to be called “the off season” (there almost isn’t an off-season anymore); relatively “new,” “unexplored,” and “off-the-beaten” track (though even these are becoming well visited) places; and “detour” destinations (places within three hours of the popular destination like visiting Paris but hopping on the train to visit Strasbourg, or staying in Strasbourg and traveling less than one hour by train to Colmar). The added benefit is traveling when places are less crowded and cheaper (better value), especially as price is being used to mitigate over-crowding. Another benefit is the enjoyment of being in the vanguard with photos and social media posts.

“With overtourism putting pressure on major cities, travelers are increasingly turning to lesser-known, less traveled destinations for more authentic and mindful experiences,” said Maryanne Sparkes of European Waterways, in fact helped by the availability of technology that assists with translation, directions, money exchange and facilitates interactions while relieving the anxiety of  traveling where English is not common.

Biking in Albania. Travelers are increasingly seeking out new destinations, while easy access to information with tech advancements like AI ease the way to plan trips, and more comfortable to travel to emerging destinations © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“Places like Albania, Greenland, and Uzbekistan are really having a moment. People are drawn to their raw beauty, unique cultures, and opportunities for immersive, local-focused tourism—whether it’s farm-to-table dining, craft workshops, or guided tours by locals.” Sparkes highlighted the growing trend of seasonal flexibility as well. “Travelers are also exploring destinations in the off-season, which not only avoids the crowds but often comes with lower costs and a deeper connection to the place.”

Destinations like Galapagos that can be destroyed by overtourism are restricting travel by controlling the allocation of pemits © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Despite the desire to generate tourism revenue, governments, destinations and travel suppliers are also utilizing regulations and implementing policies promoting sustainable, responsible tourism out of realization that overtourism will literally kill their golden goose. Places like Machu Picchu, the Galapagos, many national parks, and experiences like swimming with whales in Australia, are limiting permits, requiring advance, capacity-controlled reservations, and increasing fees, while the limited spaces means higher rates for accommodation, which is itself a form of regulating access. (Here’s an idea: have an allotment of tickets at affordable prices that may be obtained by lottery so these places are not just for the elite.)

“Infinite growth is not possible,” Penny Rafferty, Executive Chair, Luxury Lodges of Australia, told the Travel Media Summit, “Our lives, our economies, our businesses need to be sustainable to survive.”

“We have to protect what we love… We have to think ahead in terms of sustainability, environmentally friendly way to operate ships, and future of cruising,” Lasse A. Vangstein, Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer, Havila Voyages said. “We borrow nature. If future generations want to experience, we need to make a conscious choice how to showcase and spread tourism.” 

“Sustainability is no longer just a buzzword—it’s become essential in travel. We’re seeing airlines investing in sustainable fuels and working to offset their carbon emissions, which is such an important step. Hotels are also stepping up, with more achieving certifications like LEED and Green Globe, and even entire ‘green resorts’ running on renewable energy while promoting eco-friendly practices,” Sparkes noted.

Concern for the health and wellness in a destination coincides with continued surging interest in health and wellness tourism, as well as indigenous tourism experiences which blend together wellness and sustainability, nature and culture.

“People have increased understanding that wellbeing is linked to wellbeing of planet- why we seek connection to nature and place,” Rafferty noted.

European Waterways’ hotel barge, Panache, moored for the night in the charming village of Waltenheim-sur-Zorn in the Alsace-Lorraine – an example of the growing popularity of “slow travel” (the barge only goes about three miles per hour © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Slow travel is another trend that meshes with the desire for mindful, experiential, responsible, and sustainable travel:  biking, hiking and walking vacations, river and canal cruises on barge hotels and train travel – that provide connections to local people and places and provide a kind of serenity and peace.

“Slow travel is really taking off, with more people choosing longer stays in fewer places to not only reduce their environmental impact but also to truly connect with the local culture. It’s about making travel more meaningful for everyone involved,” Sparkes observed.

The travel industry’s embrace of AI will significantly aid travelers in their quest to find lesser traveled destinations as well as the experiences they crave and the value they want. At the same time, AI gives travel entities like indigenous tourism companies, small, special interest and niche operators and those lesser-known destinations access to customers and markets as never before – a win-win for mitigating the negative impacts of tourism while maximizing the positive economic and social benefits that sustain communities, heritage and sites.

“Technology is breaking down cultural barriers,” Sparkes stated .  “Real-time AI translation tools are a huge leap forward. They make it so much easier to connect with locals, whether you’re ordering a meal, asking for directions, or just having a chat. It adds a whole new layer of richness to the travel experience.”

She added, “Technology is transforming every part of the travel experience, making it smoother, smarter, and  more connected . Biometric check-ins and digital wallets are taking the hassle out of airports, letting travelers focus on the journey rather than the logistics. Even luggage is getting an upgrade—GPS tracking, self-weighing features, and built-in charging ports are becoming the norm, which is a game-changer for peace of mind and convenience.”

The concern for getting the most bang for the buck is sparking interest in all-inclusives – resorts, cruises, farm and ranch vacations, ski holidays and wellness trips. “There is a huge surge in the use of the all-inclusive filter on the hotels.com app,” noted Melanie Fish, Vice President of Global PR, Expedia Group Brands.

Booking apps like Expedia are also helping travelers save money such as flight price tracker: Expedia just launched a “flight deals departing near you” feature.

Sailing passed the Konigstein Fortress on CroisiEurope’s Elbe Princess, cruising from Prague to Berlin. Cruising is considered the ultimate “all inclusive” vacation. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Cruising, considered the ultimate “all-inclusive”, is also seeing huge demand and at every level, from the floating resort cities with over 3,000 passengers that are so popular with multi-generational cruisers (NCL, Royal Caribbean, Disney), cruises focused on the destination (Holland America); small-ship and expeditionary cruises (Hurtigruten, Quark Expeditions, Lindblad, Sea Cloud Cruises, AdventureSmith Explorations), river cruising (AmaWaterways, Viking, CroisiEurope, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, Amadeus River Cruises, Delfin Amazon Cruises), barge hotels (EuropeanWaterways), historic windjammers (Maine Windjammer Association) and even self-skippered canal boats (LeBoat.com, EricCanalAdventures.com) and yachts (Dream Yacht).

The travel industry is responding to another key trend: the surge in solo travel. Cruise companies are even offering single cabins or other options for solo cruisers (Norwegian Cruiselines, Holland America, Virgin Voyages, Oceania Cruises, Riviera Travel, Tauck, Cunard Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, MSC Cruises and small-ship Scenic and Emerald Cruises). Tour operators, like G Adventures (gaadventures.com), Wild Frontiers Travel (www.wildfrontierstravel.com), Road Scholar (roadscholar.org), Intrepid Travel (intrepidtravel.com), EF Go Ahead Tours (goaheadtours.com), Exodus Adventure Travels (exodustravels.com) and Western River Expeditions (westernriver.com) are offering some “solo traveler” departures, waiving the single supplement or offering to match single travelers with a companion. Indeed, solo travelers have discovered the benefits of joining small-group tours so they can travel on their own, but not alone.

The rise in “solo travel” coincides with growing availability of women-only travel programs. A rise in female-focused experiences, trips, and hotel packages, empower women to explore the world, whether solo or in small groups. For example: a transformative Women-only Icelandic Adventure with Naya Traveler, while last year, Butterfield & Robinson launched a “Women-Only” collection of biking, hiking and adventure tours (butterfield.com).

Wild camping in Arch Rock Campground, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada in a Moterra luxury campervan © Eric Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The industry is also addressing the surge in popularity of outdoor expeditions – especially travelers who want to be out in the wild but not give up their creature comforts. Marriott International, for example, in December acquired Postcard Cabins, a brand of tiny cabins in the woods “to bring the passion of outdoor travel more seamlessly to the consumer.” There has also been a rise in companies offering fully outfitted camper vans, like Moterra Campervans (gomoterra.com) and Roadsurfer (roadsurfer.com), and glamping (luxury camping) with apps like Glamping Hub (glampinghub.com), Glamping.com and hipcamp.com, as well as campgrounds of America (koa.com) and even Airbnb – a trend that took off during the COVID pandemic and has continued.

Cool-cations also are in hot demand, as people seek out destinations to avoid the worst impacts of global warming – golfing in Scotland instead of Phoenix or Miami.

The travel industry was projecting record demand in 2025 (by February, Carnival Corporation said its eight brands, including Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and Holland America Line, were 75% booked for 2025), but that was before the Trump administration took a chainsaw to the economy, with mass firings and layoffs of federal workers, imposing tariffs that will cost millions of private-sector jobs and reignite inflation and damage regional economies, while injecting insecurity and anxiety into society that already caused consumer confidence to plummet to the lowest levels in years. 

Travelers are resilient and will respond to tightened household budgets by staying closer to home, like a camping trip to Watkins Glen State Park in New York State © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

When people are feeling financially insecure and are concerned about future economic prospects, they pull back on spending, and travel spending tracks most closely with consumer confidence. But travelers are resilient and because there are infinite options, opportunities and choices to accommodate any budget, when the economy falls, find ways to scale back spending but still travel. They may substitute long-haul trips by air for shorter roadtrips by car; trade resort stays for Airbnb, a camping holiday or even venture into home exchange (homeexchange.com); and look for value destinations where the dollar goes further.

“Value destinations are among the fastest growing,” said Erik Evjen, Executive Vice President, Tourism Economics, at the 2025 Travel Media Summit.

Kayaking at Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick, Canada, to experience the most dramatic tide changes on the planet. American travelers are likely to take advantage of the strong dollar to visit Canada while Canadians may well cut back on visits to the USA © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Indeed, the geopolitical climate, may well spur Americans to travel abroad even as international travelers shun the USA.  The strength of the dollar (and the US economy relative to other countries) helped propel 98.5 million Americans to travel abroad, spending $215 billion, a 34% increase in American travelers’ spending abroad in 2024. The window of opportunity will remain open in 2025 – especially to places like Japan, Canada, Vietnam, and Greece where the dollar goes far, and especially among older adults who have the most time and discretionary money to spend.

For much the same reason, it is likely the US travel industry will also have to respond to a drop in international arrivals, suppressed by the strong dollar, the likely economic strains due to Trump’s tariff war, growing anti-Americanism because of Trump’s foreign policy, as well as ongoing concern (and travel advisories) about America’s gun violence epidemic.

There may well be a significant reversal from 2024, when 77.7 million international tourists visited the US in 2024, a 16.8% increase from 2023, when 66.5 million foreign visitors came, contributing $155 billion to the economy, TravelPerk reported.

Indeed, travel and tourism is a vital industry for the United States, contributing $2.36 trillion to the nation’s economy in 2024, and supporting 18 million jobs across the country.

International tourism has been a boon to such places as Siem Reap, Cambodia, which has a new international airport, new hotels, and has the funds to restore and maintain centuries old sites like Phnom Bakheng © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Travel and tourism has also been a major stimulant to economic development, and yes, world peace around the globe, as travelers become ambassadors for their nations and bring back to their communities newfound familiarity of the people they visit – you can see it in Siem Reap in Cambodia, Hoi An in Vietnam, Cuzco, Peru. 1.4 billion tourists traveled globally in 2024 (140 million more than 2023), spending $1.4 trillion worldwide, according to the World Tourism Barometer from UN World Tourism Organization.

Growth in international tourism was expected to continue at a strong pace in 2025, but that was before Trump’s threats to undermine the global economy by igniting a trade war, threatening to take over Greenland, the Panama Canal and Canada, bullying allies like Ukraine and cozying up to the world’s tyrants and generally and raising the specter of World War III. International travel may still be robust, but travelers from major markets, like China, Canada, United Kingdom and Europe may detour from the USA.

There are already reports that Canadians – the biggest international market for the USA, who made 20.4 million visits to the United States last year and were responsible for $20.5 billion in spending, according to the US Travel Association – plan to pull back on travel to the United States.. Indeed, international travel is an export that contributes to the US trade balance and economy. Even a 10 percent drop in Canadian visitation would cost the US economy $2.1 billion.

“Economic and geopolitical headwinds continue to pose significant risks…. Against this backdrop, tourists are expected to continue to seek value for money,” the UN World Tourism Organization projected.

Indeed, the travel industry, adept at yield management, is also resilient and can be expected to respond to any drop in bookings with incentives, discounts and deals.

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Biking Tours, Historic Places, Outdoors Adventures, See America, US Destinations

Six Days on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Idaho Trails: Biking the Coeur d’Alenes

Biking the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, Idaho on the last day of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

On Day 4 of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip, after breakfast at our base at the Silver Mountain Resort, we are shuttled to Shoshone Park in the mining town of Mullan for an easy downstream ride through the “Silver Valley,” home to several historic mining communities.

We soon pick up the official start of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, enjoying views of the rocky, forested mountains, as we make our way to the utterly charming “wild west” town of Wallace.

Biking on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes to Wallace, Idaho © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We have been primed for Wallace’s character (and humor) when we had a talk by a local historian at the Roosevelt Inn in Coeur d’Alene so are prepared for the “history (and some hilarity!) that await us as citizens of Wallace have tenaciously preserved their town amidst an ever changing landscape of fortunes lost and gained.”

Now, we stroll around the town looking for some of the sights she pointed out, like the town’s last brothel, a mining museum, a silver shop, before we join the Sierra Silver Mine Tour that Discovery has arranged for us. It begins with a delightful narrated tour of Wallace in an open-air trolley that takes us up to the mine.

Who knew that Wallace was the “Silver Capital of the World” – some $138 billion worth taken out of these mines –$20 billion of metals just last year (did I hear that right?) – 1 million ounces of silver. In the 1960s, incredulously, Wallace was the “richest little city” in America with the highest number of millionaires per capita, as well as a thriving brothel industry. (The last running bordello was shut down in 1989 when the FBI raided tax dodgers – there is still resentment in the town – but you can visit the Bordello Museum.)

When mining began in 1886, Wallace’s population was 500; at its peak, in 1940, when some 200 mines were operating (quartz, gold, silver, copper, zinc), the population peaked at 4000, but, with the collapse of silver prices in March 1980, most of the mines closed, the miners left and the population fell to the present number of 800. Today, there are still four active silver mines, including the Lucky Friday and the Galina mines, and one gold mine.

In 1890, a chimney fire destroyed most of the town – the buildings we see today date from 1890-1920. Indeed, Wallace has the rare honor of the entire town being listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

Other tidbits: only one sitting president has visited Wallace: Theodore Roosevelt came in 1903 on a campaign whistle stop; the town spent $5000 just on flags to welcome him. There was a shootout on Valentine’s Day, 1951 – one of the tommy guns is on display in the museum. And Wallace’s most famous native is Lana Turner went one day to a grocery store where she was discovered.

You would be forgiven if you thought Wallace was a theme park creation (the 1997 movie “Dante’s Peak” was filmed here), but the history and the heritage are real, as is the miner, “Fast Freddie,” who is our guide into the silver mine.

“Fast Freddie” guides us on the Sierra Silver Mine Tour, Wallace, Idaho © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

“Fast Freddie” is a colorful character (he looks as if he came from Hollywood casting), with a marvelous sense of humor, amusing and engaging, but most important, he is authentic, speaking of his own experience working 21 years underground in these mines. “You need a good sense of humor in a mine,” Freddie tells us. “We used to play tricks.” 

This mine was only briefly used, he says, because the silver was very low grade and not worth the expense. It was turned into a mining school, where students learned the techniques of mining and could be hired right into a job.

After the collapse of the silver market and the closure of mines, Wallace looked to tourism to compensate. This mine was turned into an attraction, getting as many as 18,000 visitors a year.

A skeleton wearing a hard hat greets us as we enter the Sierra Silver Mine in Wallace, Idaho © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

As we enter the mine and pass a skeleton sitting on a chair, Freddie tells us that one of the worst mining disasters in history took place on May 2, 1972 when 91 miners lost lives and just 2 survived. ‘It took 2 weeks to recover all of them. They didn’t have a system to know who was down there.’ After that, the Mine Safety Administration mandated a tag system – larger mines have more sophisticated program.

The proverbial canary in a mine. “Fast Freddie” guides us on the Sierra Silver Mine Tour, Wallace, Idaho © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We actually see a canary cage – used to let the miners know when oxygen is low (the proverbial “canary in a coal mine.”)

In this mine, future miners were taught to run the jack, the drill, and to blast. The miners work alone at different levels, so each one has to do everything – digging, setting the dynamite charge, moving out the ore. “You have to get everything done so you can blast before the next shift arrives.”

“Fast Freddie” guides us on the Sierra Silver Mine Tour, Wallace, Idaho © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

How to protect against the noise? “A cigarette butt was ear protection” (not sure he was joking.)

“Fast Freddie” guides us on the Sierra Silver Mine Tour, Wallace, Idaho © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The veins of silver go down for miles – in 1964, they were mining at 250 feet. The Lucky Friday Mine, the largest in the area, is operating at 9600 feet below ground. The deeper they go, the hotter it gets – at 9,000 ft, as much as 170 degrees – so they designed a refrigerated ventilation system to cool to 100 degrees.

After being returned by the trolley, we have time to wander around Wallace before biking back on the trail on our own to the Silver Mine Resort.

The last brothel in Wallace, Idaho is now the Oasis Bordello Museum © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Wallace is really interesting – like a time warp and not really just “tourist quaint”, quirky and fun.  Just strolling around, you find the Wallace District Mining Museum, the Idaho Silver Shop, Northern Railroad Depot Museum, and everyone’s favorite, the Oasis Bordello Museum.

Wallace, Idaho, claims to be the “center of the universe.” Prove them otherwise. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
Wallace, Idaho, claims to be the “center of the universe.” Prove them otherwise. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

These folks in Wallace have a sense of humor – and an eye for a profit-making tourism-promoting gimmick: they designated a manhole at the crossroads in the middle of town as the “Center of the Universe” (that’s what is engraved on it). Based on what? “What’s the evidence that it isn’t?” comes the reply.

A mummified mermaid, one of the curiosities and collectibles on view in the Trading Post, Wallace, Idaho © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I find a shop that sells guns, antiques, curios, and collectibles. In a glass cabinet is a large mummified “mermaid” (calling to mind a similar fantastical creature displayed in a store in Banff, Canada, and P.T. Barnum’s museum of oddities).

Poster above rifle barrels in the Wallace, Idaho gun shop: Americanism © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

It’s a delightful bike ride from Wallace to the Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg, where later we have dinner together in the mountain village base.

DAY 5:  39 or 46 miles, Cataldo Mission and the Coeur d’Alenes

The plan on Day 5 is to set out from the Silver Mountain Resort biking on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, and after 11 miles or so, to visit the Cataldo Mission, Idaho’s oldest standing building, lunch at the Rodehouse before continuing biking, with a choice of 39 or 46 miles of cycling to Harrison, where we are to be shuttled back to the resort for a celebratory dinner in Kellogg for our last night together.  

But it is a drenching rain.

Our guide, Calista Phillips, says “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing” and says her job is to cheer lead for biking, but if we don’t want to, we can choose  to shuttle the first 11 miles instead of bike to the Cataldo Mission. After assuring us we won’t be missing much in the way of scenery and that the portion from Cataldo to Smelterville is the pretty part, we vote to take her up on her offer to drive us to the Mission. (I’m just so grateful it wasn’t raining like this when we did the Route of the Hiawatha, especially when I see another bike tour heading out there this morning.)

The visit at the Cataldo Mission starts with an excellent video that explains how the local tribe invited the Jesuits (“Black Robes”) to come here and build the mission. At the time, the introduction of the horse meant that tribes that had coexisted in their own land before, began to encroach on each other’s territory. The tribe believed that the “Black Robe” missionaries had a superior power, a Great Spirit, who would enable them to triumph over their enemies.

The Mission of the Sacred Art was built in 1850-1853, by Father Pierre Jean De Smet, chief of the “Black Robes” who answered the tribe’s invitation to come, along with Father Ravalli, an Italian-born religious leader who designed the building and supervised construction with simple tools and without nails.

Old Mission church, Cataldo, Idaho’s oldest standing building © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Old Mission church is simple and beautiful – the wood-beamed ceiling painted blue with huckleberries, to make the native people more comfortable since they were used to praying outside. We learn that the walls were decorated with fabric bought from the Hudson Bay Company and a hand-painted newspaper from Philadelphia that Fr. Ravalli had received in the mail. Tin cans were used to create the chandeliers. Both wooden statues were carved by Fr. Rivalli with a knife to look like marble.

What I find most fascinating, though, is the museum there that better represents the tribe’s point of view – how they were initially drawn to Christianity with its values of “comfort, community” the sense of miraculous to be found in nature, and a Great Spirit with power to grant protection, like their own spirits, which seemed (at first) to conform with their own values and beliefs.

The Coeur d’Alene people – the Schitsu’umsh, meaning “Those who were found here” or “The discovered people” – were initially drawn in because the early Jesuits were tolerant of native culture and traditions, even blending the cultures together.

The mission became a stop and supply station for traders, settlers, and miners traveling on the Mullan Road, and a port for boats heading up the Coeur d’Alene River.

Old Mission church, Cataldo, Idaho’s oldest standing building © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Over time, the Coeur d’Alene people regretted the decision to give the Black Robes a stronghold when  they realized the Jesuits’ mission was to create an Empire of Christianity. At the same time, white settlers looking to exploit the region’s resources, who brought guns and small pox, were taking territory and pushing out the indigenous tribes. In 1877, even the mission was forcibly relocated from the ‘House of the Great Spirit.”

The museum displays photos and artifacts that show the effort to Christianize and eradicate native heritage and culture – but done in an understated, polite way since this museum, is apparently a partnership between the tribe and the mission. (The Cataldo Mission became a state historic park in 1935, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.)

We have lunch at the Rodehouse, right across the road from the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. By this time, the rain has all but ended – it is grey and humid  – and we get back on the trail for the 16-mile ride back to the resort.  The cloud formations make for dramatic scenes.

Biking the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, Idaho through marshland © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We cycle along an enchanting stretch of wetlands – part of the trail is a berm with marsh on either side. We have been told “just after Metamonk Village (mile 20) to be on lookout for moose.

Biking the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, Idaho through marshland © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I spot an osprey with fish in its claws so heavy it couldn’t take flight so dropped it; a black furry creature (otter? muskrat?) carrying what looked like a mouse dashes across the path; a flock of blue heron, a family of deer, and finally, when we are almost at the end of the trail, we come upon a moose with her baby.

Finally! We come upon the promised moose and her baby on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

DAY 6: 16 miles to the end of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes

Day 6 is our final day of riding. We pack up our luggage, have breakfast, and shuttle to Harrison, the point on the trail where we ended yesterday’s ride. Today, we bike the last section, 16 miles, through a series of chained lakes to the end of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes. It is glorious.

Biking the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, Idaho on the last day of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

It’s a perfect day – sunshine, cool temp (60 degrees), a bit of a headwind. We ride along the Lake Coeur d’Alene, then cross over the Chatcolet Bridge, a really interesting bridge which was once a swinging trestle (the challenge is to ride over the hump), then into the forest where we climb for about seven miles, through the Coeur D’Alene reservation, to finish at the trail’s end, at a moving Indian Warriors and Veterans Memorial.

Biking the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, Idaho on the last day of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Here we have a picnic lunch, feeling extremely satisfied and happy, before we pack into the van again for an hour-drive back at Spokane Airport or downtown.

At the end of Biking the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, Idaho is this monument to the Warriors and Veterans © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Discovery Bicycle Tours Merges into Active Adventures

Our Idaho Trails group. Discovery Bicycle Tours specializes in small-groups and personalized service. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Discovery Bicycle Tours has just joined Austin Adventures, a Montana-based North America National Parks small group tour company, under the umbrella ownership of Active Adventures, a New Zealand-based small group adventure travel company. These companies primarily offer hiking and multi-sport options, and just like Discovery Bicycle Tours, focus on small groups (averaging 12 guests).

Austin Adventures is a Montana-based North American National Parks expert offering small group tours with personal touches, flexible options to do as much or as little as you want, and “wow” moments. Austin Adventures also specializes in family and multi-generational tours across North America and around the globe. 

Active Adventures, based in New Zealand, has expanded over the past 30 years to South and Central America, Europe, the Himalayas and Africa. They offer small group, inspiring bucket-list adventures worldwide, with a mix of activities ranging from hiking, biking, and kayaking to snorkeling and caving. Each trip is designed to be flexible, so if you’re a little short on time or you’d prefer to skip an activity, they can alter the itinerary to suit you.

The merger means that the teams behind Discovery Bicycle Tours, Active Adventures, and Austin Adventures are located around the world in five countries, 15 cities, and even a campervan.

“Across the three brands, we’ve been running tours in North America for 77 years, Europe for 50 years, New Zealand for 25 years, South and Central America for 20 years, the Himalayas for 14 years, and Africa for five years. That’s a world of knowledgeand deep local experience across our brands,” Scott Cone, Discovery’s owner, stated.

Discovery Bicycle Tours, 800-257-2226, www.discoverybicycletours.com

See also:

Six Days Cycling Idaho Trails with Discovery Bicycle Tours

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Biking Tours, Outdoors Adventures, See America, US Destinations

Six Days Cycling Idaho Trails with Discovery Bicycle Tours

Biking through the pitch black, 1.66-mile long St. Paul Pass Tunnel the first of nine tunnels, seven trestles on the 14-mile long Route of the Hiawatha, a highlight of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

It’s pitch black as we make our way 1.66 miles through the first tunnel of the Route of the Hiawatha, except for the light on our bike. Water drips down from the ceiling, the surface is muddy and slippery, adrenalin pumping. It is hugely thrilling.

This is just the first (and the most dramatic) of the 9 tunnels and 7 trestles we go through over the course of 14 miles down, then back through again for 14 miles up. It is also the longest – a full 1.66 miles in total darkness! – but each tunnel, each trestle is exciting. You can immediately appreciate why the Route of the Hiawatha is one of Rails to Trails Conservancy’s Hall of Fame rail trails.

Starting out on the 14-mile long Route of the Hiawatha, a highlight of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The experience is but one of many highlights of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip, during which we will do the 111-mile long Centennial Trail, starting in Spokane Washington to Coeur d’Alene; tackle the remarkable Route of the Hiawatha Trail; and the 73-mile long Trail of the Coeur D’Alenes where we immerse in tribal land, history and culture. Along the way, we will also have interesting experiences such as touring a silver mine in the company of a miner and a museum preserving the heritage of the Coeur d’Alene people.

Biking the Centennial Trail from Spokane, Washington, on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

What I love most about bike tours is that they are cerebral as much as physical. You feel the scenery; you are part of the space you occupy, engaged – not a spectator peering through a glass window, but a participant, able to smell the air, feel the sun, the breeze, the drizzle, hear the birds and the rushing water. The pace is perfect to really get places while the scenery rolls by as if a movie. And you can stop when you want to take in the scene or a photo, read a marker, or peer at a moose. You feel the satisfaction, the sense of accomplishment at the end of a day’s ride – a combination of euphoria and endorphin rush.

Bike tours bring you to towns and villages you likely would never otherwise see © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

What is more, you get to go through small towns, see regular folks you would not likely see traveling by car or bus, promoting connection and understanding. And you have the added satisfaction of maximizing the benefit of your visit – providing the economic foundation that secures this heritage, these natural places, these experiences – leaving a minimal carbon footprint. This is true if you are touring in the United States or some faraway exotic land.

As we gather together for our first orientation meeting with our guides, I take note that just about every one of our group of 13 riders has taken not just one, two but several trips with Discovery Bicycle Tours.

This is my fourth, and I consistently find Discovery’s whole approach to bike touring ideal – summed up in the phrases “Ride your ride” followed by “This is your vacation!”– and how they make that happen. There are two guides (they take turns driving the van that shuttles our stuff, sets up our snack-stops, and is there if anyone needs assistance; while the other cycles along, bringing up the rear), but most importantly, we bike at our own pace. This is because we have our own Ride with GPS App, customized by Scott Cone (the company’s owner, he calls himself Adventure Consultant) for each itinerary; they even provide a phone holder on our bike.

The accommodations, restaurant choices and food are the perfect mix of charming reflections of the places we tour, and luxury (as much comfort as you would ever want without going over the top), adding immeasurably to the tour. The bikes (five of us use their hybrid, eight others take advantage of the availability of e-bikes at no extra cost) and equipment provided are top notch, and it bears noting that I consistently find Discovery offers excellent value-for-money.

Our guides, Susie Iventosch and Calista Phillips, on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Our guides, Susie Iventosch and Calista Phillips, are fantastic – really knowledgeable, supportive, encouraging, accurate (I appreciate having a realistic view of what the day’s ride will be), and flexible when necessary (like when we all vote not to ride during a downpour but shuttle the first 11 miles of the day’s route).

The trips are designed for maximum enjoyment of the ride – we are shuttled when it makes sense to or from the ride, and given options of longer or shorter routes each day. And the routes they choose, as well as the added activities (a lecture one evening, the silver mine tour another day, a visit to a museum another) add dimension. I also appreciate the advance preparation – documents, itinerary – and care they provide before the trip.

Day 1: Setting Out on the Centennial Trail, 36 Miles

Biking the Centennial Trail from Spokane, Washington, on Day 1 of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Our first morning starts with an early meet-up at the Hilton Garden Inn close to Spokane Airport, for introductions and orientation, and we are shuttled to Sontag Park, the start of the Centennial Trail, where we are fitted to our bikes, get the Ride with GPS app going, and set out on a really beautiful ride. Suzie notes that this first day will be the most challenging of the tour.

Biking the Centennial Trail from Spokane, Washington, on Day 1 of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We start pedaling along the Washington portion of the Centennial Trail in the rocky canyons west of Spokane. The beginning of the trail is in the forest, and soon rises so that we have this gorgeous view of the Spokane River far below. And once you do the first hill, you feel you can do the second (which is the steepest of the day), then the third (the longest, but not as steep – a piece of cake).

Biking the Centennial Trail from Spokane, Washington, on Day 1 of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We pass through Spokane’s urban Riverfront Park that I have so enjoyed visiting for the past three days, and end, 36 miles further down, just five miles before the Washington-Idaho state line, where we are picked up by the van and are taken to the charming Roosevelt Inn where we stay for two nights, in Coeur D’Alene. (Our next day’s ride will bring us back to this same spot, so we can ride the five miles into Idaho.)

The charming Roosevelt Inn, our base for two nights in Coeur d’Alene © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I adore the Roosevelt Inn – it is so much a part of Coeur d’Alene. Named for President Theodore Roosevelt who came through the area in 1903 on a campaign whistle stop, the building dates from 1905 when it was Coeur D’Alene’s first school, then became offices, and is now a most charming 14-room bnb. Each room is named for someone with a picture and bio, and provides plush robes and towels. The inn offers a hot tub and sauna (open 24 hours), and absolutely gorgeous gardens (life-size chess). There is a lovely parlor with gorgeous painted mural along the three walls, where there is a refrigerator guests can use; a constant supply of coffee, tea and hot chocolate; fruit and usually, something freshly baked. Each morning, we are served breakfast to order,

The charming Roosevelt Inn, our base for two nights in Coeur d’Alene © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

This first evening we enjoy dinner together at a pub-style restaurant (a celebratory drink is included).

DAY 2: 14 or 27 miles, Centennial Trail

Biking the Centennial Trail along Lake Coeur d’Alene on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

After breakfast at The Roosevelt Inn on our second day, we shuttle to Lovely Falls Park, the headwaters of the Spokane River. The trail takes us along the majestic shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene.

The ride today is 14 miles out and back to the endpoint of the Centennial Trail at Higgins Point, the endpoint of the Centennial Trail, mostly hugging the gorgeous shoreline of Lake Coeur d’Alene, until we come to one major hill up, then down – which means (if we are biking back) we have an even steeper return.

Enjoying the scenery in Coeur d’Alene © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We have the option to ride back in the van, but all of us choose to bike back to The Roosevelt, cycling at our own pace. It is early afternoon when we return, so we have plenty of time to enjoy exploring the charming shops and galleries of Coeur d’Alene (a hugely popular destination), swim in the lake or relax. I find a lovely hiking trail along the cliffs.

Enjoying the scenery in Coeur d’Alene © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

We are treated to a talk by historian Shauna Hillman give a delightful talk about the town of Wallace, Idaho and the Silver Valley Mine which we will be visiting (‘Murder, mining, prostitution,  the mayor murdered his wife’s lover and got away with it, and was reelected twice!”) as we sit in the inn’s lovely garden – before heading out to have dinner on our own.

DAY 3: 15 or 28 miles, Route of the Hiawatha

Group photo before start biking the Trail of the Hiawatha on Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

After two delightful nights at the Roosevelt Inn in Coeur d’Alene, we pack up in preparation for moving our home base to a mountain resort in Kellogg for the remainder of trip. After breakfast, we shuttle 90 minutes east to the trailhead of the famous Route of the Hiawatha.

Biking the Route of The Hiawatha is an extraordinary experience in the annals of bike trails. Our guides, Suzie and Calista, prepare us extremely well for what we will do, that the first tunnel, the St. Paul Pass Tunnel, is the longest at 1.66 miles long, and is pitch black, damp and a constant 47 degrees. They have put lights on our bikes (you are not allowed to go on the trail without a helmet and bike light).

After we excitedly take group photos at the entrance, we set out at our own pace, with the caveat that we have to start biking back up at 2:30 pm (note there is an hour time change from the start).

Starting out on the 14-mile long Route of the Hiawatha, a highlight of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Biking through the St. Paul Pass Tunnel is a surreal experience – you can’t see what is above or on the side, only what is lit by the narrow beam where your light shines.

Biking through the pitch black, 1.66-mile long St. Paul Pass Tunnel the first of nine tunnels, seven trestles on the 14-mile long Route of the Hiawatha, a highlight of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

When you get out and ride the hard-packed gravel trail, it goes steadily down a 3% grade for 14 miles. The scenery is quite spectacular, especially when you look down at a thin pencil line and realize that is the trestle you will be riding across. It looks so small, so far away and far down. And then you are there, and it isn’t thin at all. The view from the trestle is spectacular, too.

Trestles look like thin pencils from above on the Trail of the Hiawatha © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The trestles are so high above where you imagine is the valley floor, you feel you are suspended.

It is 14 miles down on hard-packed gravel to where there is a picnic table where we have a box lunch we had ordered, before riding back up the same 14 miles. If you don’t want to ride back up, you can buy a ticket ($20) to take a shuttle bus. We all bike back. (Notably, there are several bathrooms along the way and water supplied.)

Biking one of seven trestles on the Route of the Hiawatha, a highlight of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I must admit I am a bit nervous to ride continuously uphill for 14 miles but it actually isn’t bad at all, and there are all these opportunities to stop for the view, or read the interpretive signs that line the trail that tell the history of the Milwaukee Road Railroad. The view and the fresh air are exhilarating.

Biking through one of nine tunnels on the Route of the Hiawatha, a highlight of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Hiawatha, considered one of the more successful rail-trail conversions in the United States, was named to the Rails to Trails Conservancy’s national Hall of Fame in 2010. It was developed from a railroad line, developed in the late 1800s, that went out of business in the 1980s. 

Biking one of seven trestles on the Route of the Hiawatha, a highlight of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

One of the historic markers along the way tells of the Great Fire of 1910. One of the most devastating forest fires in American history, it burned 3 million acres of forest in northern Idaho and western Montana. The fire was so huge that a massive cloud of smoke spread throughout southern Canada and the northern United States all the way to the St. Lawrence waterway. The darkness from the smoke was so bad that for 5 days, artificial lighting had to be used from Butte, Montana to Chicago to Watertown, New York. The fire completely devastated the St. Joe River valley and destroyed all of the towns except Avery and Marble Creek, many never rebuilt.

The marker tells of heroic actions by the railroad employees who drove engines and box cars filled with people through the flames to the safety of the longer tunnels, saving 600 lives.

Biking through one of nine tunnels on the Route of the Hiawatha, a highlight of Discovery Bicycle Tours’ six-day Idaho Trails trip © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

It feels soooo good when I come back through that last, longest (1.66 miles), darkest tunnel, being careful not to ride up on the person in front, or slipping in the muddy surface.

At the end, it is a work out that makes you feel so ecstatic, euphoric when you finish.

You need to have a reserved timed ticket to ride the Hiawatha, which is owned by the U.S. National Forest but operated by Lookout Pass Ski Area. (Discovery Bicycle Trails has taken care of our reservations and the ticket, $20 pp; the shuttle is $20 more.)

Feeling quite elated, we pile back into the van to shuttle to the Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg, where we stay in spacious and comfortable condo accommodations for three nights.

Discovery Bicycle Tours, 800-257-2226, www.discoverybicycletours.com

Next:  Biking the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes

_____________________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Arts & Entertainment, Attractions, Cultural travel, See America, US Destinations

A River Runs Through It: Discovering Spokane, Washington

A river runs through it: Spokane, Washington, is a marvelous synthesis of city and wilderness, historic and contemporary that makes it a delight to visit as well as live © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

My long-held desire to bike the award-winning Route of Hiawatha rail trail in Idaho provides the opportunity to discover the enormous appeal of Spokane, Washington, where the Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Idaho Trails bike tour begins. I cleverly arrange to come in three days early to give myself time to immerse, staying at the exquisitely grand and historic Hotel Davenport, so connected to Spokane’s story and walking distance to most everything I want, and even taking advantage of their bicycles to get a jump on the Centennial Trail which figures so prominently in the bike tour, too.

This is all new territory for me.                            

The first delightful surprise is how easy it is to navigate Spokane International Airport (if you’ve been through JFK and LaGuardia in New York, you will appreciate what I mean) – a few steps to the door, and a few steps more to a wonderfully convenient public bus that takes me steps from the Davenport’s door (the bus driver and fellow travelers are so helpful! – something I find throughout my stay in Spokane) – just $2 for the fare (which you can use to transfer or return within 2 hours; $4/day or $12 for three-days).

It doesn’t take long for me to realize why Spokane, with its natural and cultural appeal, isn’t just a great place to visit, but a great place to live.

Walk over the bridges that connect the several islands of Riverfront Park to get a dramatic view of the rapids © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Imagine strolling over America’s largest urban waterfalls, walking 15 minutes from downtown to a rafting trip on a river that cuts through evergreen forest, and getting on a bike in the downtown city park – the site of the 1974 World’s Fair, appropriately themed for environmental protection – and biking 58 miles on the trail to Coeur- d’Alene in Idaho. This is Spokane, Washington – and even though it is 95 degrees outside, it doesn’t feel hot.

Spokane is this vibrant city organized for its people. Of course, it wasn’t always that way, but the same reasons it developed into a hub of the West – railroads, commerce and mining – Spokane was an early adopter of sustainability and environmental protection while transitioning into the 21st century by holding on to what was best about the past.

For me, the mark of a place that takes pride in itself and has community spirit is one that has historic markers and plaques and its respect for historic and cultural places.

You feel it especially in the historic Davenport Hotel – a truly grand dame that is very happy to share its stories.

So I begin my exploration with a tour of The Historic Davenport Hotel  (see Historic Hotel Davenport Puts You into Spokane’s Story)

The grand dame historic Hotel Davenport has helped spark Spokane’s downtown renaissance. © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com 

From there, the concierge directs me to the public bus (the central depot is across the street), for a ride to visit the magnificent Manito Park. (1702 S Grand Blvd). This is a spectacular 90-acre oasis in the in the South Hill neighborhood that features five distinct gardens: the Duncan Garden (a formal garden where I notice the fountain is dedicated to Louis Davenport who built the Davenport Hotel), Rose Garden, Perennial Garden, Lilac Garden and (my favorite) the Japanese Garden. (If you come in the afternoon, save the enchanting Japanese Garden for last; if you come in the morning, see it with the morning light.)

The Japanese Garden in Manito Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Most wonderfully, the Manito Park, is really a neighborhood park – much like Central Park in New York City, and Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco – grand and yet neighborly. Besides the gardens, Manito Park has spacious manicured lawns, playgrounds, walking trails and biking paths, topiary shrubs, a greenhouse conservatory, a conservatory and a duck pond. It gets some 150,000 visitors a year. (Best viewing May-October, http://www.manitopark.org/)

An absolute highlight for me – almost a homebase during my stay in Spokane – is Riverfront Park. Just a few minutes walk from the Historic Davenport Hotel, I found myself wandering into the park two, even three times during the day.

It is actually one of the rare successes in urban renewal: once a blighted space, the city seized on the opportunity to host the 1974 World’s Fair (notably the first expo themed around environmental conservation) to make major, lasting improvements serving the community in myriad ways. There is so much here, and it is so pleasant being here that I find myself coming to the park at least twice each day (morning and evening) of my visit.

Numerica SkyRide gondola gives a birds-eye view of Spokane’s waterfalls © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Riverfront Park was opened by President Nixon (who made an eloquent speech about the importance of environmental protection and resigned by the time the Fair closed).  It is pure delight for residents and visitors alike: stroll over bridges for spectacular views of the falls; be carried over the falls on the Numerica SkyRide gondola, channel your inner child on the historic Looff Carrousel, fantastic playgrounds and rides (slide down The Red Wagon, a giant Flyer), and feed the Garbage Goat (a clever way to encourage composting).

Families enjoy the Red Wagon in Riverfront Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Enjoy a concert at the United States Pavilion which was saved and repurposed as an outdoor performance venue seating as many as 6000 (there was a concert there during my visit) – the roof replaced by steel ribbings that are lighted at night.

The United States Pavilion, built for the 1974 World’s Fair, is now a performance venue accommodating 6,000 people © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The park actually is composed of several islands connected by bridges. One of the islands pays tribute to Spokane’s indigenous heritage. There is a totem pole and story board stations.

The bridges pass over the rapids and falls, for dramatic views you would never expect in an urban landscape. The pathways weave throughout – you come upon a fantastic playground; sculptures, attractions.

The Garbage Goat is an iconic sculpture in Spokane’s Riverfront Park with a message of envirionmentalism © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I stop into the Riverfront Park Visitor Center (actually the Visit Spokane tourist center), where I learn about the Great Fire of 1889 that destroyed 90 percent of the downtown – the only surviving buildings were those made of brick by the railroad company. What was left became the historic district (but there are some modern skyscrapers that seem so out of place, that were built before the new rules were put into place).

Also going through the park is the Centennial Trail, a biking/pedestrian/recreational trail that extends for miles into Idaho, which I will take from beginning to end the end on my upcoming Idaho Trails bike tour.

It is an interesting experience to be walking distance of a rafting experience in a major city – the Spokane River that goes through the city gives the city its special beauty and quality of life (as well as its hydroelectric power). It can be said that the river energizes the city – and this confluence of nature, urbanity and livability is what makes Spokane such a hot place for people to put down roots.

Enjoying a pleasant float down the Spokane River © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com


Within minutes, we embark from the Peaceful Valley neighborhood on a two hour-long scenic Spokane River Float with Wiley Waters. (Wear water-shoes and a bathing suit; a dry bag is provided, as well as drinks). It’s the end of the season so is a very gentle glide – towards the end, we hop off the raft for a brisk dunk. The season runs May-September (Wiley E. Waters, riverrafting.net, 888-502-1900).

In the evening, I return to the Riverfront Park to once again stroll about as the sun set.

The view from the Centennial Trail © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The next morning, I take advantage of the Davenport’s bike rental (two hours are included in the resort fee), to bike on the The Centennial Trail in Riverfront Park. I ride west, toward Riverside State Park, where the Centennial Trail begins. The trail in this direction goes along the high ridge that follows the Spokane River well below – just beautiful – and passed these beautiful housing complexes that are wonderfully designed, sharing the trail with families out for a stroll, runners, walkers, and cyclists. (Again, pointing to the livability of Spokane).

The view from the Centennial Trail © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I bike up to the point where the trail has a sharp descent which I would have ride back up (with a three-speed city bike) so I leave that for the bike tour which will start at the very beginning of the trail and ride to where it ends, 58 miles away, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Instead, I cycle the trail in the other direction, going back through Riverfront Park, toward Gonzaga University campus in search of the famous singer/actor Bing Crosby’s childhood home, which is actually on the campus and now a museum.

Bing Crosby’s childhood home is now a museum on the Gonzaga University campus © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I knew that the museum would be closed when I arrive. I later learn that the museum has a Norman Rockwell painting of Bing Crosby, based on a promotional photograph from the 1949 movie musical “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.”

There is also a statue on the campus in front of the Bing Crosby Hall (Crosby made major donations to the university and though he quit school to pursue his career in music, the university gave him an honorary degree in 1937.)

(Crosby House, 508 E. Sharp Avenue, Spokane, WA 99258, 509-313-4064).

In the afternoon, I head to the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture.

To get there, I could easily hop on the purple City Line lightrail from just across the street from the Davenport and get off in Browne’s Addition, but I prefer to walk the mile.

Spokane is still a cultural hub with theaters like the Fox Theater, which dates from 1931© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
 

The walk takes me passed the Bing Crosby Theater, the Fox Theater (1931), gorgeous Art Deco buildings that exemplify Spokane’s importance as a cultural center for the Northwest, its legacy as an important commercial hub on the railroad line, and its wealth from nearby Idaho mines.

Strolling through the Browne’s Addition neighborhood enroute to the Northwest museum of Arts and Culture, you see some of the fabulous Victorian mansions reflecting Spokane’s wealth from commerce, mining and railroads © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I pass stunning Victorian mansions – most of them now inns or museums – but none more magnificent than the Campbell House, which is now part of the museum and a “must visit” (be aware of the opening hours).

Strolling through the Browne’s Addition neighborhood enroute to the Northwest museum of Arts and Culture, you see some of the fabulous Victorian mansions reflecting Spokane’s wealth from commerce, mining and railroads © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Founded in 1918, the Smithsonian-affiliated Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture presents an extensive, permanent collection of Plateau Tribal art and artifacts, Pacific Northwest art, regional historical objects and archives. It really offers a synthesis of the history and heritage here, with appropriate respect for the tribal people.

Having spent time in Riverfront Park, I am particularly fascinated to see the special exhibition, “It Happened Here: Expo ’74 Fifty Years After.”  

A 50th anniversary commemoration exhibit of Spokane’s 1974 World’s Fair shows how the fair proved one of the most successful urban renewal projects, leaving behind Riverfront Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

In 1974, Spokane was the smallest city ever to host a world’s fair. During its six-month run, the fair presented exhibits from ten countries, featured a star-studded events calendar, sponsored three environmental symposiums and attracted 5.6 million visitors. “Fifty years later, Expo ’74 remains one of the single most transformative events in Spokane’s history, radically reshaping its natural and built environment. Expo ’74 ushered in a new era for the city – one centered on urban renewal, commercial growth, and political progress,” the notes state. The fair also kindled a community spirit.

Liberace’s costume from Spokane’s 1974 World’s Fair © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

There are fantastic artifacts (Liberace’s bejeweled denim costume, Sister Paula Turnbull’s model for Spokane’s now iconic Garbage Goat, and an original Sky Ride gondola), but particularly interesting were the videos – Nixon’s speech on opening day extolling the virtues of environmentalism, which was the theme of the fair and how Spokane was a model and inspiration to emulate (Nixon had resigned by the time the fair closed 3 months later), and a video from the Soviet Union showing how the country is “enforcing” environmentalism. (The exhibit has since closed, but is indicative of what is presented.)

The Northwest Museum of Culture & Arts hosted a riveting exhibit, ;1924: Sovreignty, Leadership, and the Indian Citizenship Act” © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

I am fortunate to visit when the museum is presenting a riveting exhibit,”1924: Sovereignty, Leadership, and the Indian Citizenship Act.” 1924 was the year that American Indians were declared citizens and ostensibly entitled to vote (though the equivalent of Jim Crow laws prevented most from voting until the 1965 Voting Rights Act).

Shortly after Congress enacted the Indian Citizenship Act, granting citizenship to all American Indians born in the United States, on June 2, 1924, Spokane announced it would host the first American Indian Congresses in 1925, which was held at the Hotel Davenport © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Shortly after Congress enacted the Indian Citizenship Act, granting citizenship to all American Indians born in the United States, on June 2, 1924, Spokane announced it would host the first American Indian Congresses in 1925. These were some of the first events where tribal leaders, government officials, and community members from around the United States gathered to formally participate in talks on rights and advocacy. 1924 commemorates this 100-year anniversary, centering on early local tribal leadership as they and their people navigated the sometimes-conflicting nature of being both U.S. citizens and citizens of their own sovereign nations. One of the photos shows the Congress taking place in the Davenport Hotel’s ballroom.

The Campbell House at the Northwest Museum of Culture & Arts © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Be sure you leave enough time to visit The Campbell House and its carriage house (admission to the house closes an hour before the museum, so in retrospect, should have done it first.).

The Campbell House at the Northwest Museum of Culture & Arts © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Campbell House is an absolute jewel with exquisite architecture, interior decoration  (some of the furnishings are original to the house; others are appropriate period pieces). The mansion was designed in 1898 for the Campbell family by architect Kirtland K. Cutter (who also designed the historic Davenport Hotel). Cutter incorporated all the modern technologies available – indoor plumbing, hot and cold running water, electricity, central heat and even a telephone.

At the carriage house of the Campbell House, you get to know who this family was and what life was like in Spokane © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The carriage house holds the personal story of the Campbells and the Spokane community of the time – artifacts and photographs, a car that would have been very much like the one the Campbell’s had. It is so interesting to have such a personal look at this family.

Campbell made his fortune investing in the mines of north Idaho (that I will be visiting soon on the Discovery Bicycle Tours’ Idaho Trails trip). The Campbell family (his wife was a school teacher) lived here for 26 years and in 1924, after both parents had passed away, their daughter, Helen, donated the house to the Eastern Washington Historical Society which started the museum. Now it is under the auspices of the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture.

 (Open Tuesday-Sunday, 12-4 pm, admission included with museum ticket)

Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W First Avenue, Spokane 99201, northwestmuseum.org (give yourself at least 2 hours, more like 3)

In the evening I return again to the Riverfront Park (after dashing to REI before closing to buy bike gloves before my trip). The setting sun casts a pink glow in the sky and I am once again awed by the dramatic view over the falls – the largest urban falls in the country, apparently. And I finally get my chance to ride the Looff Carrousel.

Riding the Looff Carrousel in Riverfront Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com
 

The beloved, iconic attraction of the park was hand-carved by Charles Looff in 1909 as a gift for his daughter and her husband. Looff, an immigrant from Germany, arguably was America’s first great carousel carver having made wooden animals for Coney Island’s carousel. This carousel was set in an amusement park, Natatorium Park, for many years before the park closed in 1968.

When Natatorium Park closed, in 1968, the carousel was put up for auction. Spokane’s parks manager was determined to save the carousel for the city, enduring criticism from those who felt he wasted money because there was no place for it, so it was put into storage. But then the 1974 Expos came, and the carousel was taken out and placed in the park, where it has remained.

The Looff Carrousel in Riverfront Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

It is magical enough to ride the carousel, but I get to ride the carousel as night is falling, the colorful lights coming on – the kids grabbing for the brass ring and tossing it to try to win a free ride. The original organ – its 300 pipes equivalent to a 60-piece band – still operates but is used only for special occasions. As we ride, we hear the original music as it was recorded and digitized.

Equally exquisite is the view of the carousel reflected in the water from outside.

To plan your visit: Visitor Information Center, Riverfront Park, 6y20 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201, 888-SPOKANE, Visit Spokane,  www.visitspokane.com.

See also:

HISTORIC HOTEL DAVENPORT PUTS YOU INTO SPOKANE’S STORY

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Historic Hotels, Historic Places, Hotels & Resorts, See America, US Destinations

Historic Hotel Davenport Puts You into Spokane’s Story

“Meet me at the fireplace”: The historic Hotel Davenport has been a centerpiece of Spokane, Washington’s society since 1914 © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

Nothing puts you as instantly into the story of Spokane, Washington as a stay at the grand, historic Hotel Davenport. 

For the past 110 years – except for the 15 years it was boarded up with a wrecking ball looming  – the Davenport has been at the center of Spokane’s society. Staying here puts you into that story – most remarkably when you see the black-and-white photographs on the wall and see the rooms just as they were, easily imagining the people filling them just as then.

The historic Hotel Davenport has been restored to its gracious grandeur © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Since the Davenport opened in 1914, it has been known as Spokane’s “living room” and folks would make their date to “meet me at the fireplace.” Today, it is even more than that – it is like someone who has been listening and watching all these things unfold over the past 110 years and is so anxious to share.

Louis Davenport who built this grand hotel had been operating a hugely successful restaurant with a grand ballroom at a time when the number of business travelers and salesmen coming through the Spokane transit hub on the Great Northern Railway was burgeoning. Davenport was approached by local investors to build a hotel that would cater to the growing demand. 

Considering Davenport’s humble beginnings (he is a classic incarnation of the American Dream), he was surprisingly sophisticated in wanting his hotel to not only give visitors the feeling of making a Grand Tour through Europe, but with state-of-the- art construction and the most modern amenities.

Louis Davenport’s original restaurant has been repurposed but the 14-story hotel, once the tallest building in Spokane, has been meticulously restored © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Davenport was the first hotel in the country with air conditioning, a central vacuum system, ice cold drinking water piped to each guest room, housekeeping carts and accordion ballroom doors, Marshall Taylor, the Davenport’s Guest Experience Manager, tells me on a grand tour of the hotel. Davenport used steel-reinforced concrete for his building material and imported artisans to make the pillars look like veined-marble and the cast plaster beams to look like wood with gilded reliefs. Indeed, this is how the structure, even after being closed for more than 15 years, could be restored, albeit at the cost of millions, to its former grandeur. (Guest rooms were in fact gutted and rebuilt and redesigned to appeal to modern guests/meet modern standards).

Davenport hired architect Kirtland Cutter who had become Spokane’s most prominent architect after the Great Fire of 1889 destroyed most of the downtown, responsible for so many of the city’s iconic mansion homes (I later see the magnificent Campbell House), buildings and bridges (including the majestic Monroe Street bridge) to design the Davenport Hotel to bring the world to Spokane. The lobby is in the Spanish Renaissance style, with utterly stunning beams and a skylight that in fact is lighted by sunlight (they had to put black tar on it during WWII because of the proximity to Fairchild Air Force Base; it was cleaned up during the restoration.)

The Isabella Ballroom, named for Queen Isabella, was originally the hotel’s dining room is in the the Spanish Renaissance style of northern Spain.

Louis Davenport wanted to give his guests a “grand tour of Europe” – the Isabella Ballroom was designed in Spanish Renaissance style © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Marie Antoinette Ballroom is in French Neo-Classical design (Mrs. Davenport’s favorite room in the hotel) – the crystal chandeliers are original, each costing $10,000 (more than the cost of a family home at the time). You can still feel what it was like to dance on the original floating dance floor, suspended on cables so dancers could been light on their feet. There is a photo of the ballroom on opening night in 1914. Women used to gather on the balcony and if they spotted a fellow they liked, might drop a glove that the fellow would return and ask for a dance. Originally there was a door that led to salesmen’s rooms, where they would conduct mini-trade shows to show off their wares. 

The Elizabethan Room is in English Tudor-style, possibly the first hotel ballroom in the world to employ folding panel doors to divide one large room into several smaller rooms (the original panel doors are still used). The chandeliers are original, each made with 75 pounds of sterling silver. A few of the hotel’s original 405 telephones are along the base of the window wall.

The Grand Pennington Ballroom evokes Imperial Russia. This room was created during the renovation and named for the Pennington Hotel that once occupied the site. New chandeliers are from Spain, carpeting from England.

The Hall of Doges, designed by Cutter after the Doge Palace in Venice, boasts being the only “flying ballroom” in the world © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Hall of Doges, designed by Cutter, is almost mythical in its beauty – it literally takes your breath away – you feel you have been transported to Venice. Spokane’s oldest ballroom, the Davenport boasts it is the only “flying ballroom” in the world. Indeed, the room was originally above Davenport’s restaurant in 1904, the year Cutter converted the red brick façade of the restaurant into a Spanish mission design, and a decade before the hotel opened. At the time, it was the largest and grandest ballroom in the West (you can well believe the hyperbole), built at a cost of $30,000. Cutter took as his inspiration the Palaces of the Doges in Venice. But in the 2000 renovation, the entire Hall of the Doges was removed intact by a crane and placed inside the newly constructed east wing of the hotel (the original restaurant was completely removed and now serves as the carport). There is actually a photo of the ballroom “flying” in the air.

The Hall of Doges, designed by Cutter after the Doge Palace in Venice, is breathtaking © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Peacock Lounge with its magnificent stained glass ceiling of some 5,000 pieces, has a décor and ambiance that exudes the flamboyance of the Jazz Age. With the Davenport in the center of Spokane’s downtown entertainment district, the Peacock Lounge the place for pre-and post-show libations (check out the award-winning double martinis and custom cocktails). (Open seating, first-come, first-served).

The Davenport’s Peacock Lounge is the place to be pre- and post-theater © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The fireplace in the lobby restaurant, which Davenport insisted upon as a symbol of hospitality, was first lit by architect Cutter in September 1914 and, as Davenport decreed, remains lit each and every day, even in summer. “Meet me by the fireplace” was a popular expression among the locals.

The exquisite stained glass ceiling from the Davenport’s Peacock Lounge. All the Davenport hotels in Spokane have stained glass to match the hotel’s theme © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The fountain in the middle of the lobby, Taylor tells me, is made of stone from the same quarry as the Lincoln Memorial.

The fountain in the Hotel Davenport’s lobby is made of stone from the same quarry as the Lincoln Memorial © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

For the restoration, they were able to preserve the exquisite woodwork and detail, copying what needed to be replaced. Taylor points me to a bit of wood molding where if you look closely, you can see where the words are scrawled, Will…..You….Marry….Me…stretched out on the wood trim.

It is legend about how it got there (encouraged by the hotel, no doubt), but most believable is that during the 2000-2 restoration, the restorer fell in love with a woman who worked in the banquet department and he embedded the words to propose. “It has become the popular place for proposals,” Taylor relates.

I love exploring this place – there is so much to see, discover and marvel at, especially with the wonderful ways the hotel showcases its history and heritage just about everywhere you look.

Since architect Kirtland Cutter first lit the Hotel Davenport’s fireplace, it has remained lit every day, as decreed by Louis Davenport © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

To say the Davenport is grand would be an understatement – the hotel has hosted almost every US president of the 20th century as well as a few royals.

Spokane has always been a hub for culture and entertainment, as much as for business and commerce as well as for the entertainers and audience-goers – Mary Pickford, Tyrone Power, Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, Bob Hope, Will Rogers, John Philip Sousa and Elvis Presley. and that tradition continues today with more recent celebs – Cher, Neil Diamond, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jerry Seinfeld and Sting because Spokane is still a cultural hub, which you see when you cross the street..

A display dedicated to Spokane-native singer/actor Bing Crosby who got his start in a band that played at the Hotel Davenport © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Most notably, though is Bing Crosby – the illustrious singer and movie star. He was born in Spokane (you can visit his childhood home on the campus of Gonzaga University. But before Crosby was so established as a singer, the young Harry “Bing” Crosby was the drummer for a local band called the Musicaladars that played on the KHQ radio station. KHQ, one of the first commercial radio stations in the Pacific, first went on the air in Seattle in 1922 and moved to Spokane to broadcast from the Davenport Hotel’s roof tower in 1925. The station featured local bands like Brill’s Orchestra and The Musicaladers. Crosby was featured on a radio interview, which led to him getting his national contract, Taylor relates, and the rest, as they say, is history. There is a marvelous display about Bing Crosby in a china cabinet on the mezzanine floor. (A theater named for him is right outside.)

Bing Crosby’s story is wonderful, but I am most fascinated with Louis Davenport, who epitomizes America’s self-made man.

Louis Davenport himself sits in the historic Hotel Davenport’s lobby © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Taylor tells me that Louis Davenport came to Spokane in 1889 when he was about 20 years old, to help his uncle, Elijah Davenport, with his restaurant. His uncle’s restaurant burned down in 1889 with the Great Fire that destroyed most of the downtown.

“Louie went into the rubble and found a waffle iron. He built a temporary shop with a wood frame and canvas cover and used that waffle iron to sell waffles to the workmen clearing the debris. He opened his own restaurant in one year.”

With the rail line, Spokane had become a hub and a crossroads for commerce. Davenport’s restaurant was so successful, that Spokane’s founding fathers approached him to build a hotel to accommodate the business meetings of salespeople coming from Montana, Idaho, north and west, selling silver and gems from the Idaho mines, fish, seafood, lumber. They needed a hotel with a large meeting space – the closest other business hotel would have been the eight-story-high  Empress Hotel in Victoria, Canada, built in 1908 with only one ballroom.

The Davenport, at 14 stories, was the tallest building in Spokane until The Paulson was built in the 1920s.

Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover receiving the gift of a jacket from Alice Gary, Great Granddaughter of Chief Spokane Garry at the Hotel Davenport © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

You can see from the photos on the wall that the Davenport was a locus for history. The most profound photo is of the first American Indian Congress, in 1925, a gathering of the indigenous tribes in the Davenport ballroom that followed the 1924 passage of the Indian Citizenship Act. (I see the photo in an exhibit, 1924: Sovereignty, Leadership, and the Indian Citizenship Act, at the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture).

The first American Indian Congress, in 1925, a gathering of the indigenous tribes in the Davenport ballroom that followed the 1924 passage of the Indian Citizenship Act © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The Davenport operated through the Great Depression and World War II. Louis Davenport sold the hotel in 1945 and died in 1951. The hotel changed hands several times, and when it finally closed in 1985, was in disrepair. At one point, the city wanted to demolish it and put up a proverbial parking lot. But the cost of asbestos abatement would have been ruinous.

Local entrepreneurs Walt and Karen Worthy came to the rescue. They spent two years and millions of dollars to restore the Davenport to its grandeur (the guest floors and service areas are new). The Davenport reopened in the summer of 2002 with stunning amenities including a gorgeous pool and a luxurious spa.

The stunning detail in the Hotel Davenport © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The restoration was really a labor of love – and we get to appreciate the extraordinary artisanry of Melvin Holmes, the main restorer. His wife, Janice Holmes, was passionate about the restoration, especially the Marie Antoinette ballroom, where she scraped off layers of whitewash to find the original colors underneath – salmon, teal – and insisted it be restored to the original. Today it is absolutely magnificent (not gaudy) – with the soft salmon and delicate mint green, and gilding that does not overwhelm. She passed away before the project was completed so her husband, Melvin, painted a portrait of her in 1930s mid-century modern dress, which is on the balcony.

Janice Holmes, wife of the chief restorer Melvin Holmes, was passionate about restoring the Hotel Davenport to its original grandeur. He immortalized her in a portrait that is in the Isabella Ballroom © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Now owned by KSL Capital Partners (which owns the Alterra Mountain Company and Ikon Pass), there are five hotels in the Davenport Hotel Collection here in Spokane – each with a different theme, spirit, ambiance and vibe: Besides the Historic Davenport (Old World elegance), there is the Grand, which opened 2015 with a modern, Vegas style; the Tower, built in 2007 which has a safari theme; and the Centennial, which is a convention hotel.

The fifth property, the Lusso (a boutique hotel across the street from the Davenport, where Louis Davenport, himself, used to live, which was acquired in 2009 and has an Italian theme), has since been entirely renovated and renamed, and reopening in March as

The Louie at Davenport Hotel, a 48-key boutique property offering personalized luxury including Butler Service (the first and only offering of this kind in Spokane).

 I love that The Davenport is walking (or biking) distance to most of what I want to see (especially just a few blocks from Riverfront Park, where I find myself at least twice a day, and where you will find America’s largest urban waterfall), making for an ideal base for exploring the city’s hot culinary scene, nature and cultural offerings, like the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, and the riverfront Centennial Trail. What isn’t in walking distance is easily accessed by a superb public transit system not more than a block away,  which provides frequent service to take you everywhere else (including the airport, just about 20 minutes away) for a $2 fare (the return is free within two hours).

And so I immediately go off to explore. My first stop is by bus: the magnificent Manito Park, where I discover a fountain in its formal garden was donated by Louis Davenport.

The formal garden at Manito Park has a fountain that was donated by Louis Davenport © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com 

The 284-room Historic Davenport Hotel, offers electric car charging, convenience store, hair salon, indoor swimming pool, wedding services, concierge service, three restaurants, two bars/lounges, 18 meeting rooms, conference space, self- and valet parking, full-service spa, 24-hour fitness facilities, steam room, hot tub, disability accommodations, sustainability programs and is a member of the Marriott Autograph Collection (and Marriott Bonvoy loyalty)

The Historic Davenport Hotel, 10 S Post Street, Spokane, WA 99201, DavenportHotelCollection.com, 509-455-8888, 866-238-1697.

Next: Exploring Spokane

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Attractions, Heritage Travel, Jewish Heritage Travel, Museums and Exhibits, New York City travel

Landmark Anne Frank The Exhibition in NYC Personalizes Holocaust As Never Before

Standing in Anne Frank’s tiny room in The Annex where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years, personalizes the Holocaust. This immersion into a full-scale re-creation of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam is part of a landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

It is surreal, extraordinarily intimate, overwhelmingly emotional to find yourself standing in Anne Frank’s tiny room exactly as she had lived in it, in secret hiding for two years, just before she was taken away by Nazis to the concentration camp where she died just a few months before she would have been saved. 

There are the photos she clipped from newspapers to put on her wall, to preserve some connection to a normal life, her life before the Nazis took over Germany, then invaded the Netherlands, where her family had sought refuge. You see the plaid-cloth covered diary she began to write the day she received it, on her 13th birthday, who she sometimes wrote to as “Dear Kitty” and treated as her closest friend and confidant, revealing things her father later admitted he never knew about his daughter despite being close and living in such constant proximity.

As you stand in this space, the tiny bedroom where she sat at this desk to write, you hear her words, “When I write, I can shake off my cares, my sorrow… my spirits soar…. But will I ever be able to write something great? Will I ever be able to be a journalist or writer? Oh, I hope so.” And then, “Writing allows me to record everything – thoughts, ideals, fantasies.”

The landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, lets you know her story in a new, more personal way © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

This is the remarkable Anne Frank The Exhibition, opening at the Center for Jewish History in New York City on January 27, coinciding with International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp where one million Jews were exterminated.

For the first time, visitors outside of Amsterdam will be able to experience the Anne Frank House, one of the most visited historical sites in Europe, but in a very different way: whereas in Amsterdam, the rooms are empty as they were after the Nazis left it, here, visitors are immersed in a full-scale re-creation of the complete Annex, furnished as it would have been when Anne and her family and four other Jews spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture.

Standing in Anne Frank’s tiny room in The Annex where she and her family hid from the Nazis for two years, personalizes the Holocaust. This immersion into a full-scale re-creation of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam is part of a landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

You see the pictures clipped from newspapers she put on her wall – a semblance of normalcy of a teenager. You hear her words from her diary as you walk through those rooms.

But there is another important difference: before and after you roam through this meticulously re-created Annex, you are immersed in her life and the lives of millions of others as you see the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, how the Holocaust was set into motion and what it was like to live with such terror– giving a broader context and meaning to Anne Frank’s story, resonating with chilling effect today.

The landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, puts her story into context of the rise of Hitler, Nazism and the Holocaust© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Created in partnership between the Anne Frank House and the Center for Jewish History, this astonishing, Anne Frank: The Exhibition kicks off the Center‘s 25th anniversary season.

“We are absolutely thrilled to partner with the Anne Frank House on this landmark exhibition,” said Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, President of the Center for Jewish History. “As we approach the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in January, Anne Frank’s story becomes more urgent than ever. In a time of rising antisemitism, her diary serves as both a warning and a call to action, reminding us of the devastating impact of hatred. This exhibition challenges us to confront these dangers head-on and honor the memory of those lost in the Holocaust.” 

The exhibition, he said, “dovetails with CJH’s mission. We don’t just preserve Jewish history, we mobilize to address today’s challenges. Public programs foster understanding in a world that needs it more than ever.”

Anne Frank in 1935 in her kindergarten class. Of the 32 students, 15 were Jewish Holocaust © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

“When students learn to identify hate, learn to confront with empathy, critical thinking, they will champion justice and equality,” Ronald Leopold, the director of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, said at the press preview. “An exhibition like this serves as powerful reminder of the importance of confronting hate through education and understanding.

“The exhibition is a beacon of remembrance, of education, of awareness. It arrives at a very critical moment. We are living in a time when antisemitism and other forms of group hatred are on the rise, not only in this country, but my country, the Netherlands, and around the globe.” He referred to terrible incidents as recently as the day before, in Sydney, Australia.

“Anne Frank’s story is known to many but what you will experience at this exhibition goes beyond her tragic fate. The exhibition hopefully will also offer a deeper, multifaceted view of who Anne Frank was- not just a victim of the Holocaust, but just a girl, a teenager, a writer, and an enduring symbol of resilience and strength.”

The Anne Frank House, was established in 1957 in cooperation with Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father, as an independent nonprofit organization entrusted with the preservation of the Annex and bringing Anne’s life story to world audiences in order to serve as a place for teaching and learning about the Holocaust. Each year, the Anne Frank House, welcomes 1.2 million visitors, but many are turned away (you have to reserve tickets weeks, even months in advance), and requires visitors to come to Amsterdam.

“This exhibition is not just about the past,” Leopold said at a press preview. “It is important to learn about the past, but more important to learn from the past. That is the educational mission Anne’s father, the only one of the 8 Jews in hiding at the Annex who survived, gave us when Anne Frank House opened to the public in 1960.”

Ronald Leopold, the director of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, holds up a photo of Anne Frank, whose story is known because of her diary, with a boy was born on the same day as Anne, who lived a block away, but except for his name, David Spanyeur, birthday and the day he was murdered, February 12, 1943 in Auschwitz, nothing is known. They are among the 1.2 million Jewish children killed in the Holocaust  © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

Leopold held up two photos, side by side. One is easily recognizable: Anne Frank. Next to her on the page is a photo a boy no one has heard of. He was born June 12, 1929, the same day as Anne, lived one block from where she lived, a 3 minutes walk. Their paths might have crossed – we don’t know. We know everything about this little girl, Anne Frank, we think, but there is no one in the world today who knows anything about this young boy except for his name, David Spanyeur, his date of birth, address and when and where he was murdered, on February 12, 1943 in Auschwitz.”

“If we bring Anne Frank to New York, and we go to remember her on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we also bring, David Spanyeur to New York, and remember him, as we will remember 1.5 million Jewish children’s lives cut short by human beings for the single reason they were Jewish. This is the message we try to bring, that goes beyond Anne Frank.

“We will remember David Sponyeur, we will remember Anne Frank, may their memories be a blessing. As we stand in presence of Anne’s legacy, we are reminded of our shared responsibility to carry this message forward.”

Philanthropic support has made it possible for the Anne Frank House to subsidize visits for students from New York City public schools and all Title 1 public schools throughout the United States.  A special curriculum has been created for distribution to 500,000 children, and there is a 28-minute film at the center that is geared to school children.

So far, tens of thousands of already purchased tickets in advance of the opening; 150 schools have already scheduled visits from as far as California.

A Normal Teenager

Anne Frank was one of 1.5 million children murdered in the Holocaust – who, like Anne, had  dreams,  talents, hopes that were snuffed out. Anne is the one who is most and best known because of the sheer miracle of her keeping the diary and her journals being saved, Miep Gies, one of the people who protected the Franks in the Annex, finding it after the Nazis had ransacked their rooms, and keeping Anne’s writings safe because she knew how much writing meant to her, then reconnecting with Otto Frank, who was determined to fulfill his daughter’s dream of becoming a published writer, then a publisher recognizing how important the diary was because too many did not see the commercial value, or perhaps, the political correctness.

There is so much that is astonishing about this exhibit – certainly being able to stand in this exact, full-scale re-creation of Anne Frank’s secret hiding place furnished as if they had just left, before the Nazis stripped everything out. Indeed, that is how you experience The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, totally empty. (The people from Anne Frank House in Amsterdam remarked how strange it was to see the rooms they know so well as empty, now furnished. “But we have the original diary, you have a facsimile!”) Also, it is what the exhibit is wrapped around with – the context surrounding Anne Frank’s experience and the experience of the 6 million Jews, including 1.5 million children exterminated in the Holocaust.

The landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, includes 100 artifacts rarely if ever shown in public that put Anne’s life into context © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

The exhibit features some 100 artifacts – some rarely if ever viewed in public – including an extraordinary exhibit of the family’s personal effects from their comfortable life in Frankfurt where Otto was a banker, before the Nazis and the Holocaust – even their china, a wooden desk from 1796, and Anne’s first photo album (1929-1942). You see family photos and photos of a normal life, a playful child with a fetching smile. There is even a video of a wedding couple leaving their apartment building that happened to capture Anne peering out from a second-story window.

The landmark “Anne Frank The Exhibition,” now on view at the Center for Jewish History in New York City, includes 100 artifacts and family photos rarely if ever shown in public that put Anne’s life into context © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

This exhibit wraps Anne Frank’s personal story with context: the rise of Hitler, democratically elected Chancellor, and the Nazi domination of Germany, the invasion of the Netherlands, France and Belgium, and the implementation of the Final Solution – systemic genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust.

Walk through the bookcase into the Annex, the secret place where Anne Frank hid with her mother, father, sister, and four others for two years hoping to escape the Nazis © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

We walk through the bookcase, and are in the hiding place in the Annex. Throughout the exhibit, you have an audio guide that you can activate, but here, in the hiding place, is where what you hear is most affecting – not just the description of the place and what their lives were like for the two years they hid away, but Anne’s own words from her diary.

“When I write, I can shake off my cares, my sorrow… my spirits soar…. But will I ever be able to write something great? Will I ever be able to be a journalist or writer? Oh, I hope so.” And then, “Writing allows me to record everything – thoughts, ideals, fantasies.”

Striving for some normalcy, Anne Frank decorated her tiny room with pictures of Hollywood celebrities and royalty; on her desk is the plaid-covered diary which immortalized her experience hiding away in The Annex for two years © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

Anne decorated her tiny cramped room with pictures – Hollywood and Royalty, like any 13-year old. But by the time she was 15, her interests shifted and deepened -she favored art and history and more serious things.

We visit all their rooms – you feel you are intruding, actually – even the bathroom, where you hear that at the stroke of 8:30, there could be no running water, flushing toilet, walking around, no noise whatsoever.

The kitchen, where the Pels slept, served as the communal kitchen and living room, and is where they played games at night and celebrated holidays like Yom Kippur and Chanukah.

Anne describes how one moment they are laughing at the comical side of their hiding, the next, feeling frightened. “Fear, tension and despair can be read on our face.”

Then, on a fateful day, the audio guide relates, a man came up the stairs with a revolver and told them to “pack their bags, you have to leave.” They were taken to prison and on to the camps.

In the next rooms, you see how the Holocaust unfolded – photos of Jews pulled from their homes, crowded into the streets and loaded onto cattle cars, deported to labor, concentration and death camps. You see soldiers shooting masses of Jews in pits dug by the victims themselves.

Photos depict the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust as you stand over a map of Europe demarking the places of Jewish genocide © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

This room has a glass floor over a map of Europe with red flags denoting where the death camps and places of genocide were and hear names recited. As you come to the end, most affecting of all, is a projection of the 1935 photo of Anne Frank in her kindergarten class of 32 students, of whom 15 were Jews, which you saw in the first gallery. As you hear their names ticked off, one by one these adorable, innocent faces are disappeared from the photo and you hear their age when their lives were snuffed out: 12, 13, 14, 15. Only 5 of the 15 survived – by going into hiding or escaping. Anne was 15.

The photo of Anne Frank in her kindergarten class, as one by one, she and her Jewish classmates are eradicated © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com.

The next part follows Otto’s improbable journey from the camp when it was liberated in January 1945. Otto was the only one to survive of the eight who hid in the Annex, though he had yet to learn the fate of his family. All of his worldly possession fit into a tiny canvas bag the size of a book.

For Otto, it was just 10 months after being arrested that he returned – all of those who helped them in the Annex survived, though two men were arrested and sent to concentration camps but survived.

Miep Gies in a video explains how she found and protected Anne Frank’s diary and notebooks, and presented them to Otto Frank upon his return to Amsterdam, the only one of the eight Jews she protected in The Annex to survive © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

You actually see a video of Miep Gies, one of the Dutch citizens who hid and protected the Franks in the Annex (she lived to 100 years old), relating how she went into it after the Nazis ransacked it and found Anne’s diary and notebooks, keeping them safe because she knew how important her writing was to her. She re-creates how she reached into her desk and presented Otto with Anne’s volumes.

In an interview, Otto related that at first it was difficult for him to read the diary because of his grief, but when he started reading, he couldn’t stop. To honor her wishes of becoming a published writer, he set out to find a publisher – you see his letters and the replies from editors.

“Anne Frank’s diary, ‘Untergetaucht,’ [The Annex] impressed me deeply,” one editor writes back, “a monument to the sufferings of all people in Holland during the war…. If conditions were more nearly normal, I would recommend that we undertake an English translation…”

The first U.S. edition of “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.” Otto Frank was determined to realize his daughter’s dream of becoming a published writer © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

But ultimately Anne’s diary was published in English, “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” – you see the first edition which includes a forward by Eleanor Roosevelt – and translated into 70 languages, selling 35 million copies – and made into a play and movie (winning Shelly Winter’s an Oscar for her performance as Auguste van Pels).

The exhibition closes quoting Anne Frank, “I’ll make my voice heard, I’ll go out into the world and work for mankind!”

“Anne Frank: The Exhibition: at the Center for Jewish History features copies of her book translated into 70 different languages © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Otto Frank is quoted saying in 1973, “Anne’s Diary made you think about the cruel persecution of the Jews during the Nazi regime, but I want to stress that even now there is in our world a lot of prejudice leading to discrimination and everyone of us should fight against it in his own circle.”

Michael S. Glickman, CEO of jMUSE, a former director of the center, said, “This institution, one of the great Jewish archives and libraries in the world, will house singularly the most important Jewish exhibition presented in this country. It is such a privilege, honor to be involved in this exhibition that carries the memory, legacy, and future of the Jewish people in such a powerful and poignant way…. As we open, we do so in memory of 6 million Jews and the 1.5 million Jewish children murdered.”

The exhibition is designed for children (ages 10 and older) and adults. All general admission tickets include the exhibition audio guide. Plan to spend two hours.

Individual tickets: Timed entry tickets, Monday through Friday: $21 (17 and under, $16); Sunday and holidays: $27 (17 and under, $22); Flex tickets, Monday through Friday: $34; Sunday and holidays: $48

Family tickets (2 adults + 2 children under 17 years): Timed entry tickets, Monday through Friday: $68 (additional 17 and under ticket, $16); Sunday and holidays: $90 (additional 17 and under ticket, $22) Flex tickets, Monday through Friday: $95 (additional 17 and under ticket, $18); Sunday and holidays: $135 (additional 17 and under ticket, $25).

Hours: Sunday through Thursday: 9:30 am-7:30 pm, Friday: 9:30 am-3:30 pm; closed Saturday.

Educational visits to the exhibition, as well as Individual and Family ticket purchases, can be scheduled by visiting AnneFrankExhibit.org.

Anne Frank The Exhibition is a limited engagement, scheduled to close on April 30, 2025. For a list of upcoming programs, visit https://www.cjh.org/.

Genealogy, Holocaust Records at the Center

The Center for Jewish History also has Geneology Research Center, with genealogists on hand who can help you trace your family’s history, has formed a new-multiyear partnership with Ancestry® to open the Ancestry Research & Reflection Room, a new space and initiative to collect, preserve and share family histories of Jewish communities worldwide.

Ancestry®, which is committed to preserving the memories of Holocaust victims and survivors and ensuring that these records are freely accessible to future generations, together with the Arolsen Archives, one of the world’s leading institutions for Holocaust documentation, expanded its Holocaust-related resources by adding 7.5 million more documents to its resources, including  Germany, Incarceration Records, 1933–1945.

Ancestry enables free searches of Holocaust documents. These records can be searched for free at a newly opened Ancestry Research & Reflection Room at the Center for Jewish History – a new space and initiative to collect, preserve and share the family histories of Jewish communities worldwide. (Photo provided by Ancestry)

These records can be searched for free at a newly opened Ancestry Research & Reflection Room at the center – a new space and initiative to collect, preserve and share the family histories of Jewish communities worldwide. It is opening to the public on January 27, coinciding with the opening of the Anne Frank exhibition, International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Center for Jewish History 15 West 16th Street, New York, 212.294.8301, cjh.org, info@cjh.org.

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Family Travel, Hotels & Resorts, Skiing/Riding/Snow Destinations

Skiing with Baby? Palisades Tahoe in California’s Sierra Nevada Proves Ideal for Multigenerational Ski Holiday

Skiing Palisades Tahoe © Eric Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

By Karen Rubin, Eric Leiberman & Sarah Falter, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

As our three-generational family with baby in tow pulls into Palisades Tahoe, a premier mountain resort in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, after a three-hour drive from Sonoma we are greeted with the Olympic flame – a reminder of having hosted the 1960 Olympics when this cherished ski destination was called Squaw Valley. Palisades Tahoe is celebrating its 75th anniversary this season (it opened on Thanksgiving, 1949), and all season long, is honoring its origins, heritage and place in developing skiing. But what really impresses us is how the resort has incorporated technology and understanding of what skiers and riders need and want into its state-of-the-art facilities.

Watching the skiers come down to the base at Palisades Tahoe © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

From the Village base, you can’t appreciate just how vast Palisades Tahoe resort. Unlike most ski mountains (especially in the Northeast), where you can see the trails meander from the summit like fingers stretching down, you can’t see the slopes. Instead, the trails seem to fold into onto themselves into the undulating hills and peaks (six on Palisades Tahoe and two more on Alpine) – making it really interesting and exciting to explore and discover. Indeed, the lifts take you over peaks so as you ride, the mountain reveals itself in dramatic fashion.

For such a vast ski area – 270 trails over 6000 skiable acres – Palisades Tahoe is remarkably easy to navigate, thanks to the tools the resort provides © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Imagine: 270 trails spread over 6,000 skiable acres across eight peaks. Such a massive network can be intimidating, but Palisades Tahoe does a stellar job to ease the way for newcomers, beginners, low intermediates and infrequent skiers, and people (like me) coming from the Northeast where ski areas are one-tenth the size. But thanks to the incredible support – including a ‘first-timer” website, resort app, ambassadors, and great signage, very soon you do get the hang of it. And once you do, skiing/snowboarding at this magnificent mountain destination, which affords some of the most spectacular vistas in the world, is thrilling.

Indeed, Palisades Tahoe is an “upside down” mountain, its trails designed with the most plentiful and interesting greens and blues at the top, so even beginners and low intermediates get the full experience and awe of the spectacular vistas that make Palisades Tahoe such a special place.

Taking in the awesome view as you travel the tram to High Camp at Palisades Tahoe © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Palisades Tahoe, which changed its famous name of Squaw Valley in 2021 out of respect to the indigenous Washoe people who occupied this land before – is now part of Alterra Mountain Company’s vast portfolio of mountain destinations and one of 58 global resorts included in Alterra’s Ikon Pass program. This is (and always was) a high-end, luxurious resort with the finest, state of the art lifts and services. Its phenomenal lift network (a mindboggling 43 lifts), multitude of peaks, and especially its European-style tram, make you feel you are skiing the Alps rather than California’s Sierra Nevada. (Its tram is iconic, and one of the older ones is repurposed as a bar at the base.)

Also, the Funitel which operates from the base, is the only one of its kind in North America, operating on two cables for enhanced stability. (It is recommended for beginners and low intermediates to ride down, rather than ski down Mountain Run, a 3.2 mile-long blue trail, not so much for its difficulty, but because it is narrow and can be crowded with fast skiers.)

The European-style tram at Palisades Tahoe makes you think you are skiing the Alps instead of California’s Sierra Nevada © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Riding the tram up to High Camp, at 8,200 ft. elevation, where you are greeted with the Olympic rings and where the heritage of having hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics (it was known as Squaw Valley then) lives on, proves one of our favorite experiences.

The tram pulls into High Camp where the Terrace Café provides the most spectacular place to enjoy wine and the view © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Here you find the Terrace Restaurant and Bar and Granite Bistro-Pizza where you can sit at walls of windows with the most magnificent views all the way to Lake Tahoe, as well as the High Camp Marketplace and a porch area that is the most magnificent viewing platform.

The Terrace Café at High Camp at Palisades Tahoe provides the most spectacular place to enjoy wine and the view © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

You also find the Olympic Museum with interesting artifacts, photos, prints of news headlines and lists of medal winners, and a video (free admission). The 1960 Olympics was most notable for USA’s Carol Heiss winning gold in figure skating and taking the Olympic oath on behalf of all the athletes, the first time a woman had this honor; Penny Pitou winning silver in Women’s Downhill and Giant Slalom, and USA winning gold in hockey over Canada and USSR (free admission).

The Olympic Rings outside the Olympic Museum at Palisades Tahoe, which hosted the 1960 Olympics when the resort was known as Squaw Valley © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

There is also a small exhibit that honors the legacy of the indigenous Washoe people.

What is more, there is an actual skating rink, which was closed during COVID and awaiting restoration.

High Camp can be enjoyed by green and blue skiers (as well as the most advanced skiers who go through narrow, ridiculously steep openings between boulders) have access to a range of trails.

Take the tram up to High Camp for a first time on snow! © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Nonskiers can also purchase a ticket for the tram to enjoy this area. (It’s also where Eric and Sarah take the baby for his first experience playing on snow!)

Considering how Palisades Tahoe is a world-class, world-famous destination drawing from far and wide (especially with the benefits of being part of Alterra Mountain Company’s Ikon Pass which incentivizes people to explore new destinations), what strikes me is the unpretentious, easy-going California-friendly feel – very possibly because it is about 4 hours drive from San Francisco, about 3 from Sonoma, so has its regulars who come season after season.

Palisades Tahoe is an “upside down” mountain – green and blue skiers get the benefit of the view to Lake Tahoe © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Of all the ski destinations we have visited, none make it easier for a newcomer, first-timer, beginner or infrequent skier to orient to the mountain, which makes the logistics as convenient as possible, especially for a ski area as humongous as Palisades Tahoe.

The trails at Palisades Tahoe seem to fold into the mountains © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Inside Tip: The paper map (yes, REALLY helpful), has a progression plan that lists the lifts and the trails in an order. Also, there are helpful ambassadors at the base. People you wind up riding the gondola or chairlift with also provide the benefit of their experience. We strongly urge visitors to read the “first timers guide” on the website (https://www.palisadestahoe.com/explore/first-timers-guide)

You will get the most out of the mountain by downloading its Palisades Tahoe App.that gives up up-to-date information on lifts and trail status, parking availability (notably, the parking lot is right at the village, a short walk to the lifts) and road conditions, and maps in your hand. You can also use the app to track your progress on the slopes. A new navigation tool within the app allows you to easily identify terrain that aligns with your ability level and guides you how to reach those areas at the resort. (https://www.palisadestahoe.com/palisades-tahoe-app)

Just how vast? Palisades Tahoe offers 3,600 skiable acres; of its 170 trails, five terrain parks and 16 bowls.

Skiing Palisades Tahoe © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Of the 170 trails on Palisades Tahoe, 25% are beginner, 45% intermediate and 30% advanced (the biggest surprise for me was the quantity and quality of green and blue trails, especially from the top). One of the hardest trails, K-2 – that the most advanced skiers have to hike to once they get off the lift – is world famous, while the longest trail, Mountain Run, at 3.2 miles, is graded intermediate (beginners and low intermediates are advised to take the Funitel down to the base not because the trail is difficult but that it is narrow and highly trafficked that can be intimidating).

Palisades Tahoe has a vertical rise of 2,850 feet, rising from a base elevation: 6,200’ to a peak elevation of 9,050’. Its six mountain peak are Snow King (7,552’); Broken Arrow (8,030’); KT-22 (8,070’); Emigrant (8,774’); Washeshu Peak (8,885’, its name changing soon); and Granite Chief (9,006’). It gets annual average annual snowfall of 400 inches (yet 300 sunny days a year!), but still has snowmaking at 11 out of 29 lifts.

Once I get my ski legs back on the greens from the Big Blue Express, I venture over to the Gold Coast Express and enjoys Gold Coast Face (the easiest blue), Mystery and Emigrant Gully. I appreciate the excellent signage that points to the easiest way down, how to get back to a lift, and even signs that warn against beginners or low intermediates from venturing down a particular trail, or taking a particular lift. And even on a busy Saturday morning, the lift line never takes long.

Watching a skier come down the black diamond trail into the base from our balcony at The Village at Palisades Tahoe © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Alpine is an experience in itself- just getting there with the new Base-to-Base gondola, which opened for the 2022-23 season, offers quite a ride with gorgeous views as it traverses the mountain peaks (it makes two stops along the way). But this involves a little bit of strategic planning, since the gondola often has holds for the wind, in which case, there is a shuttle bus available to go back to the other base.

Skiing Alpine © Eric Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Alpine, which for many years was its own ski area, has a vertical rise of 1,802 ft, from a base elevation at 6,835’ to a peak at 8,637’. It has two mountain peaks, Ward Peak (8,637’) and Scott (8,289’). It offers 100 trails (25% Beginner, 40% Intermediate and 35% Advanced) and seven bowls on 2,400 skiable acres accessed by 11 lifts, with an uphill capacity of 19,400 people per hour (snowmaking on 9 of them).

Skiing Alpine © Eric Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

At Alpine, Eric especially enjoys the Lake View lift to the summit with a spectacular view of Lake Tahoe, where you can get to two great blues, Outer Limits and Twilight Zone.

Skiing Palisades Tahoe © Eric Leiberman/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Village at Palisades

Considering how vast and expansive Palisades Tahoe is, we so appreciate the logistics, especially for our multigenerational family traveling with a baby.

What a view from our balcony at The Village at Palisades Tahoe. The proximity to the lifts adds immeasurably to our ski experience © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

When we arrive at the Village at Palisades,after pulling into its own secure underground garage with elevator access to the floor, and enter our two-bedroom condo (full kitchen, dining table, living room, two bathrooms), we walk out to the balcony and are awed by the view: we are literally the closest we can possibly be to the Funitel, Base-to-Base Gondola and aerial tram, with gorgeous views of the mountain faces. The logistics prove ideal since we will be taking turns skiing and taking care of Eric and Sarah’s baby. (Palisades Tahoe does not have on-site childcare but there are daycare options nearby you can find at its website.)

The luxurious condo offers marvelous amenities – the resort charge includes garage parking, high speed internet, towels in the spa, local and toll free phone calls, 24-hour front desk, guest computer with printing, board and Xbox games to borrow at the front desk, in-room coffee and tea, multiple WiFi hot spots throughout the resort. Other guest amenities include access to eight hot tubs, four sauna, three fitness rooms, media room, and HD TVs, pool table and children’s room and guest laundry among the five, tastefully designed buildings that make up the Village resort.

Dusk at Palisades Tahoe © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Staying in The Village isn’t just massively convenient (especially with the baby) and delightfully pleasant, but we get to look out as the first golden rays of sun touch the mountain peak just outside our balcony, and watch how the sun creates a pinkish aura as it sets.

I enjoy my time strolling my grandbaby around and poking into the cute shops and galleries while Eric and Sarah ski – the village is most pleasant. I especially love the fun place to hang out under the tram and Funitel and watch the skiers come down, as a DJ spins music. We also discover a yoga studio and Sarah takes a morning class before skiing.

The Village at Palisades Tahoe © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

There are about a dozen restaurants, cafes, eateries in the Village (one has karaoke on a Friday night), a market, shops and a fantastic photo gallery.

Also the resort is also just a short hop into Tahoe City – a charming mountain village alongside Lake Tahoe, where we enjoy two fun pubs, Bridgetender Tavern and Shadyside Lounge – which got crowded, real fast.

Programs, Events, Clinics & Happy Hour

Among the many marvelous programs and clinics offered at Palisades Tahoe one that got my attention was an opportunity to join a free, interactive on-the-mountain  Guided Tour with a UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) Scientist to learn the environmental history of Alpine Meadows and the role of the US Forest Service and public lands at Palisades Tahoe.  The one-hour tours are offered at 1pm on Fridays, mid-February through March, from the Alpine Lodge (https://tahoe.ucdavis.edu/events/ski-scientist)

Sunset Happy Hour at High Camp; enjoy a champagne toast and breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe and the snowcapped peaks as the sun sets behind the Sierras (select winter dates, December-February; 4-6 pm, $24; pick up tickets, vouchers at tram base https://www.palisadestahoe.com/events-and-activities/activity-finder/sunset-happy-hour)

Guided Snowshoe Tour & Chalet Dinner at Alpine: This dining adventure starts at the Last Chair Bar in the Alpine base lodge with a hot glass of mulled wine and a 15-minute walk up a moderately pitched ski trail to the Chalet at Alpine for a four-course Bavarian inspired meal. (snowshoes provided). ($140, must be 21+, https://www.palisadestahoe.com/events-and-activities/activity-finder/snowshoe-tour-chalet-dinner).

Among other activities and special events (check the listing): snow tubing (and disco tubing); Ikon Pass Thursdays Clinic; 3-Day All-Mountain Experience; 3-Day Women of Winter Camp; Telemark Clinic.

A four-day Lift Pack saves up to 40% on lift tickets (ski any four days throughout the season); a Demo 4-Pack lets you try different gear; a perfect Progression Program helps first-time skiers and riders (13+) after three beginner lessons at Alpine, you get complimentary unrestricted pass for Palisades Tahoe.

Calling itself the Spring Skiing Capital®, Palisades Tahoe keeps its slopes open through Memorial Day. The Skiers and riders can explore Palisades Tahoe and beyond with the Ikon Pass, which provides access to 58 top ski destinations. (Ikon Passholders have access to a travel desk to help arrange the trip.) But Lake Tahoe is very much a four-season outdoor adventureland – you can even bike 80 miles around Lake Tahoe.

Located off Highway 89, between Truckee and Tahoe City, on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, Palisades is 42 miles from Reno, 96 miles from Sacramento, and 196 miles from San Francisco via Interstate 80.

Visit Palisades Tahoe, www.palisadestahoe.com, 800-403-0206.

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social  X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

Attractions, Culinary travel, Cultural travel, Food & Wine

Wine-Tasting Exemplifies Art, Nature & Neighborhood in Sonoma, California

Enjoying a wine-tasting at Dry Creek Vineyard, a staple experience of a visit to Sonoma, California, one of the great wine-producing regions of the world © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Karen Rubin with Eric Leiberman and Sarah Falter, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com

A staple of a visit to Sonoma, California, where nature and art come together in a perfect blend, is a tasting at one of the picturesque wineries and vineyards.  It is always so fascinating to learn about the art and science of winemaking, and to immerse in joy of discovering, sharing and savoring the fruit of that creative enterprise, the wine.

This trip, we return to the charming town of Healdsburg, where we have thoroughly enjoyed visiting its galleries and restaurants and the lovely town square (like Sonoma), to visit Dry Creek Vineyard. Family owned and run by second generation owner and president Kim Stare Wallace, it is also one of the last truly private, family-owned, iconic wineries of Sonoma County that consistently produces coveted 90+ point wines.

Dry Creek Vineyard is one of the last truly private, family-owned, iconic wineries of Sonoma County that consistently produces coveted 90+ point wines © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Dry Creek Vineyard, we learn, is responsible for many of the “firsts” in this rich wine-producing valley. Established in 1972, it was the first winery to open in Dry Creek Valley after Prohibition. Founder David S. Stare paved the way for a viticultural rebirth in the valley. Inspired by his trips to France, he modeled his winery after a Loire Valley chateau – making for a delightful setting in which to enjoy the wines.

Dry Creek Vineyard makes the claim of being the first winery to plant Sauvignon Blanc in the Dry Creek Valley and the first to label a wine with  the “Dry Creek Vineyard appellation. A pioneer of Bordeaux-style blending, the winery was also the first to use the term “Meritage”  (with its 1985 vintage) and the first to coin the term “Old Vine” to describe pre-Prohibition-era Zinfandel vineyards.

They make a claim of being the first to introduce the concept of Sustainable Agriculture in California, in 1998, providing a model for and an inspiration to others.

Indeed, it was during the years leading up to Dave’s retirement in 2006, that second generation owners Kim Stare Wallace and her husband, Don Wallace, began to lay the foundation for their vision for the winery’s future based on sustainability. “Their ‘no compromises’ philosophy required a complete re-invention from the inside out, including new winemaking techniques, vineyard management methods and winery upgrades on their 185 acres of sustainably farmed vineyards.”

This shift in philosophy led to dramatically reducing production while increasing quality and sharpening the focus on crafting appellation-driven terroir-focused, varietal-defining wines that have come to rival the best in California and the world. In 2015, Wine & Spirits Magazine selected Dry Creek Vineyard as one of its “top 100 Wineries.”

Its sustainable methods have worked: this year Dry Creek’s Sauvignon Blanc was crowned Best in California, and the Cabernet Sauvignon earned a stellar 95-point rating.

Dry Creek Vineyard is known for its Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage blends, as well as a portfolio of limited, single-vineyard selections. Prices are moderate, ranging from $18 to $125.

We sit at lovely wooden picnic tables on the lawn outside the stone chateau, as Darrin Abel, the concierge and Wine Educator, introduces the wines for us to taste.

We start with a 2022 Dry Chenin Blanc, a staple of Dry Creek since its founding in 1972. This is a classic Loire Valley-style wine that is versatile and food friendly, especially when paired with fresh oysters and seafood. Fermented in 100% stainless steel barrels, this wine is wonderfully bright and consistent vintage after vintage. The first swirl brings aromatics of honeydew, white peach and jasmine with floral notes of citrus blossom, watermelon rind and pineapple. On the palate, the wine has refreshing flavors of peach, grapefruit and jasmine with hints of mandarin, cucumber and lemon curd. It feels soft in your mouth, with a twang of acidity. These grapes, grown in Clarksburg, “like heat” which makes it dry.  

Darrin Abel, the concierge and Wine Educator at Dry Creek Vineyard © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Abel, who has been at Dry Creek for 12 years, explains the difference between a wine that is meant to be consumed early, and one that is meant to age and mature in the bottle. “White wine is meant to be drunk immediately (the screw cap). A cork is for aging – the oxygen penetrates cork and slowly ages the wine. A screw cap has no permeability, is not meant to be aged. Our philosophy : to make wine that can be enjoyed now but can age.”

Our second wine is 2022 Taylor’s Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, produced from a vineyard on the western bench of Dry Creek Valley and named after Kim and Don Wallace’s daughter, Taylor. According to the winemaker’s notes, the Sauvignon Musqué grape is a unique clonal selection of the Sauvignon Blanc variety and a delicious interpretation of the classic varietal. Fermented in stainless steel tanks you taste plump flavors of peach, lemonade and orange blossom with subtle notes of grapefruit and Mandarin orange. Full of complexity and depth, the crafted Musqué clone produces a creamy feeling in the mouth. It has a nice, even flavor, good structure and body.

Darrin Abel, the concierge and Wine Educator, introduces the wines for us to taste.© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The 2020 Farmhouse Vineyard Zinfandel is the sixth vintage of Zinfandel produced from its Russian River Valley vineyard, where the cooler temperatures allow for complex aromas and flavors to develop. This was the second Zinfandel property of Dry Creek’s estate vineyards to be planted with its Heritage Clone. The winemaker’s notes explain that the vines were planted using the Heritage budwood concept to preserve the heritage of iconic old vine Zinfandel vineyards. Cuttings from a pre-Prohibition era vineyard were grafted onto phylloxera-resistant rootstock to create a “young vine” wine with “old vine” Zinfandel characteristics. Initially, the aromas show fruit-forward tones of black and red cherries, cranberry and blackberry. Subtle notes of mocha, rose and earthy nuances come forward after several minutes of airing. On the palate, flavors of plum and strawberry mix with soft undertones of coriander, toffee, toasty cedar and roasted almonds. The wine is supple with tremendous complexity and silky tannins. The finish has a slight spiciness and refined elegance.      

We next taste the 2020 Somers Ranch Zinfandel from grapes grown on two small parcels planted on adjacent hilltops overlooking the valley. The eastern-facing hillside vineyards provide optimum sun exposure for balanced and juicy grapes. This distinctive property was one of the first vineyards in Dry Creek Valley to be planted utilizing the Heritage Clone over 20 years ago, Abel explains.This bold Zinfandel is luxurious and fresh, with ripe fruit flavors of blackberry, cherry and cranberry, with aromatic undertones of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg and firm tannins and structure.

Dry Creek Vineyard’s 2019 Meritage “Alluvial Gap,” which has been rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast, highlights a microregion in the Dry Creek Valley known as Lytton Springs district© Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The last wine we taste is our favorite: 2019 Meritage “Alluvial Gap,” which has been rated 93 points by Wine Enthusiast and highlights a microregion in the Dry Creek Valley known as Lytton Springs district. The Meritage blend is led by Cabernet Sauvignon with three additional Bordeaux varietals to add complexity and depth. It was inspired by decades of working with Bordeaux varietals planted in the different districts and vineyards of Dry Creek Valley, including its Endeavour Vineyard, where the soils are gravelly, clay loam. “Five decades of experience have provided the knowledge of which properties can provide the best fruit our region can offer.” We learn that the wine spends 11-17 days in fermenters at 82-88 degrees F, then 19 months in French and Hungarian oak barrels (43 percent new oak) – such detail that I find fascinating, along with the precise “recipe” of the different grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon (60 percent) with three additional Bordeaux varietals  (Merlot 20%, Petit Verdot, 16%, Cabernet Franc, 4%). “The grapes are crushed and fermented separately, then blended,” Abel tells us. “It really shows off the artistry of the wine maker.”

At first swirl, the wine displays powerful aromas of black currant, plum and blueberry. Several more minutes reveal hints of black and white pepper, fennel and rose petal. The palate is full and rich with flavors of black cherry and blackberry, with notes of coriander, thyme and fine leather. The tannins are fine yet firm, with a round, plush texture and a rich, lingering finish – what I would describe as ”full bodied.” Not surprisingly, this is also the most expensive bottle of the day, $70.

After our winetasting, we go to explore.

Dry Creek Vineyard has an Insectary Garden which you can walk through and learn how it is the basis of sustainable agriculture, designed to attract beneficial insects like ladybeetles, bees, ground beetles, hoverflies, minute pirate bugs, lacewings and wasps.  The plants provide an environment attractive to natural enemies of crop pests, a natural means of controlling harmful pests like include leafhoppers, spider mites, leafrollers and mealybugs. This natural means of controlling harmful pests also assists beneficial insects in pollination and creates a balanced growing environment, the notes explain. Other animals that are considered beneficial include lizards, spiders, toads and hummingbirds. Beneficial insects are as much as ten times more abundant in insectary gardens.

“In addition to the garden being a beautiful focal point for the winery, our goal is to have this insectary further enhance our sustainable farming practices. Its contribution to a balanced ecosystem in the vineyard will be a key for years to come,” the panel explains.

The list of plants here include black eyed Susan, butterfly weed, California fuchsia, Chinese Fringe Flower, coneflower, Sunflower, Echinacea “Ruby Star”

Other sustainability techniques are described: solar panels help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 tons a year, the equivalent of planting 3,400 trees a year; bluebird houses, bat houses, owl boxes and raptor perches provide specialized housing and shady platform perches to encourage birds of prey to adopt the Dry Creek vineyards as their feeding ground – a natural control for pests such as insects, voles and gophers, without the need for chemical deterrents; a habitat enhancement project provides habitat for endangered Coho and Chinook salmon and Steelhead trout; deficit irrigation uses state of the art equipment to  measure specific moisture needs of each individual block of vines, monitor soil conditions and adjust levels of irrigation to conserve water – virtual dry farming; growing cover crops like alfalfa and bell beans between vines to help rebuild depleted soil by increasing the available nitrogen and organic material, while minimizing the need to utilize fertilizer and using special seed blends that flower at different times to attract beneficial insects to help control pest populations.

Dry Creek Vineyard is one of the pioneers and leaders in sustainable viniculture © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Second generation winery partner Don Wallace, the driving force behind sustainable farming practices at Dry Creek Vineyard, has established Dry Creek Vineyard as a leader in the sustainable agriculture movement in Dry Creek Valley and the industry. The winery and its 185 acres of estate vineyards are 100% certified California Sustainable.

Also among its other notable firsts, Wallace also founded one of the first wine clubs in the U.S. “with a vision of creating a family of wine lovers united in their passion” for handcrafted wines. Events like its recent Holiday Winemaker dinner, where longtime members gather together, help to realize that vision.

Dry Creek has an excellent website that makes it easy to explore the different wine offers, arrange shipping, give as a gift, enroll in their club, or gift a club membership.

Visit 10 am-4 pm. Reservations Recommended.

Dry Creek Vineyard, 3770 Lambert Bridge Road, Healdsburg, CA 95448, cheers@drycreekvineyard.com, drycreekvineyard.com.

Art & Nature & Neighborhood

Wine tastings are the perfect metaphor for Sonoma County, where art and nature intertwine just about everywhere you go in the most marvelously energizing, invigorating, vitalizing and inspiring ways.

The towns of Healdsburg and Sonoma are like that – exquisite architecture, history, culture, intrinsically blended together with vineyards, farms and fields, wilderness.

Porchfest at Sebastopol © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Sonoma is a place of community and festivals. We visit Sebastopol for its fall Porchfest – really a giant multi-blocks party where people’s porches turn into stages for folk and rock music (you feel you have been dropped into the 1960s), the streets are full of art and food stalls and there is just a lot of good will and neighborliness, where people bump into friends and meet new ones.

Artist Patrick Amiot recycles junk into whimsical sculptures that populate Franklin Avenue in Sebastopol © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

A particular street in Sebastopol, Florence Avenue, is famous for the whimsical sculptures out of recycled junk by artist Patrick Amiot, painted in bright colors by his wife, that decorate just about every home. The Sebastopol Center for the Arts hosts Sonoma County Art Trails – Juried Open Studios – Sebastopol Center for Arts, 282 S. High St., Sebastopol, CA 707-829-4797, SebArts.org

A family festival at the Bavarian-heritage Tourist Club of San Francisco © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Sonoma is just 30 miles north of San Francisco, and we have a marvelous time at an annual family festival, one of the public events at the otherwise private hiking club that dates from 1912, Tourist Club of San Francisco (we hike to get to it), delightfully Bavarian themed (even beer, pretzels and oompah band and dancing, people in Bavarian dress, and wonderful games (touristclubsf.org).

A scene that evokes “Sound of Music”: hiking to the Tourist Club of San Francisco for its family festival © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

From there, we hike down a trail into Muir Woods National Park, go through the park and connect with the utterly magnificent Canopy View Trail back up to where we parked.

Hiking the Canopy Trail from Muir Woods National Park © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Sonoma has some phenomenal state and county parks. One of our favorites is the extraordinary Jack London State Historic Park (also known as Beauty Ranch) in the town of Glen Ellen (which also hosts marvelous street festivals). Beauty Ranch was the famous novelist’s home and ranch where he pioneered and experimented with sustainable farming and ranching techniques. There is an outstanding museum in the stone House of Happy Walls that his wife, Charmian, built in 1919 to serve as a museum after Jack London died (she lived there from 1935 until 1945). We visit the ruins of Wolf House, London’s 26-room dream house (mansion) which was in its final stages of completion when it burned down. We walk the trail to see where Jack London’s ashes are buried in a tiny, totally unpretentious gravesite. On previous visits we have walked trails through the ranch and farm area, through a redwood forest to a small lake.

At Jack London State Historic Park, visit the ruins of Wolf House, London’s 26-room dream house which was in its final stages of completion when it burned down © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

The historic park, a national historic landmark, introduces visitors to the historical and natural features of Jack London’s lifestyle, his contribution to American literature (I am inspired to re- read “Call of the Wild” with new perspective and “White Fang”), his efforts to develop and demonstrate sustainable agricultural techniques and his love for the natural environment. There are gorgeous hikes through redwood forest. (2400 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen, CA 95442, 707-938-5216, www.jacklondonpark.com)

Enjoying the view with a whimsical animal friend at Sonoma Botanical Garden © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Also in Glen Ellen, we discover the Sonoma Botanical Garden, which provides lovely trails through the different ecosystems – California Oaks, Asian Woodlands, Rose Garden, Stewartia Grove, a Nepalese Prayer Flags section (at the summit), terraced lawn, picturesque ponds with Japanese statuary and seating areas. It offers the opportunity to see rare and endangered plants and conservation in action. The paths are lined with whimsical sculptures of animals. (12841 Hwy 12, Glen Ellen, CA 95442, 707-996-3166, info@sonomabg.org, sonomabg.org)

For pampering, there is Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary (a member of the Green spa network), in the historic village of Freestone, on the scenic Bohemian Highway. A gorgeous Japanese-style building and stunning gardens, the spa features the Cedar Enzyme Bath, a therapeutic body treatment from Japan “found nowhere else on this continent.”  This is a fermentation bathing ritual where you immerse in a mixture of soft and fragrant ground cedar and rice bran pulsating with enzyme activity to stimulate your metabolism. This warm and stress reducing treatment offers health benefits, from improving circulation to relieving joint and muscle pain, cleansing skin (707-823-8231, osmosis. com).

The spa is just up the road from  the incredibly popular Wild Flour Bread and the Freestone Artisan Cheese shops, an amazing artisanal jewelry shop and a farm stand, before making our way up a winding road to an old growth forest where the redwoods rival Muir Woods.

We also visit one of our favorite restaurants, Salt & Stone (9900 Sonoma Hwy, Kenwood, CA 95452, 707 623 4125, SaltStoneKenwood.com)

Sonoma County Tourism, 800-576-6662, info@sonomacounty.com, www.sonomacounty.com.

See also

WINE & ART: THE PERFECT PAIRING IN SONOMA, CALIFORNIA

__________________

© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures 

Because travel is a life-enhancing, relationship building, world-changing experience