Kids in Coeur D'Alene

Hello Locals,

We%26#39;re thinking of visiting Coeur D%26#39;Alene in July 2007 with our 6 and 4 year old kids.

We would love to stay near the lake and downtown, but am not sure how family oriented the Flamingo or Resort City are. If we stay further out, how easy is it to park downtown or near the beaches? Your recommendations would help.

We like to spend some time on the beach, stroll around town and do some nature walks, etc. Generally just soak up the atmosphere. Not particularly interested in amusement parks.

Any suggestions for spending 4 or 5 days in Coeur D%26#39;Alene with kids? We would certainly appreciate your help.

Kids in Coeur D'Alene

Hi there,

The downtown is a great area to stay. Both of the motels you mentioned are within walking distance (not a short walk, but not too bad) to the beach and public park. The Flamingo is a pretty small motel in a great location. Resort City is a little larger and if I had to choose, I%26#39;d say Resort City is more ';family friendly';.

Parking isn%26#39;t too bad, though July is the busiest month. If you stay outside the main area, the best bet for kids would be the Holiday Inn because of the water park, but it will be a lot more expensive and you mentioned you weren%26#39;t interested in amusement parks.

The most convenient nature walk for you, which you probably already have researched, would be Tubbs Hill, which is right downtown next to the resort.

There are also quite a few affordable lake cruises in July which are a lot of fun. You also might want to take a trip to the Silver Valley where they have mine tours which the kids might like (and you too).

Maybe nidahodave will have some more suggestions...

I know you%26#39;ll have a great time.

Kids in Coeur D'Alene

Thanks Kirk and Mimi,

You have confirmed my thoughts. CDA sounds like a lovely place. Ever since we were kids we heard about it on Public Broadcasting. It%26#39;s really not too far for us as we are from Alberta.

If you have any thoughts on places to stop and visit en route to and from Alberta, we would appreciate it.

KirkandMimi did a great job on info, here is a couple more suggestions on the nature walks. The Centennial Trail runs along the north shore of the lake in parallel to Coeur d%26#39; Alene Lake Drive, its a nice walking area just east of downtown. Web sites with info: idahoparks.org/parks/coeurdaleneparkway.aspx www.northidahocentennialtrail.org Also there is a nice trail with great views at Mineral Ridge near Beauty Bay, east of town accessible from Highway 97. Web site info id.blm.gov/recreation/mineral/overlook.htm Places you may want to stop along the way could include Creston, BC just north of the border, great little town, home of Kokanee Beer. Also Sandpoint 45 miles north of Coeur d%26#39; Alene is also a nice place to stop, great downtown area, beach/park on Lake Pend Oreille. Also in downtown Coeur d%26#39; Alene adjacent to the city park is the North Idaho Museum, not a big museum but does give insight to area and history.

Here are some more sites you might find useful:

Tubbs Hill - downtown Coeur d%26#39;Alene nature walk and park

http://thewhistler.com/tubbshill/index.htm

Silver Valley -- Wallace, Idaho, about 40 minutes from Coeur d%26#39;Alene, east on Hwy 90. Lots of links to mine tours, gondola rides, nature walks, etc.

http://wallace-id.com/

Some side trips to Bayview, drives around the lake, and more info on the Silver Valley

www.coeurdalene.org/index_content2.asp…

The Cataldo Mission which is on the way to the Silver Valley and is the oldest building in Idaho

www.idahoparks.org/parks/oldmission.aspx

If I think of anything else, I%26#39;ll post it, but all these suggestions combined with a lake cruise, time at the beach, shopping in downtown and the other activities Dave suggested should keep you busy for 4 or 5 days. July is a great time and there are also annual activities such as the Resort Fireworks show, parades, Hot Rod Run, etc. Here%26#39;s a link to monthly events:

fyinorthidaho.com/Calendars-Events/Calendar-…

If you want to explore on foot, I would say go with the Resort City Inn.

While you%26#39;re here make sure you take a walk around the Fort Sherman park by the beach and the floating boardwalk at the CDA resort. Your kids will love the Fort Sherman playground by the beach.

Also be sure to hike the nature trail around Tubbs Hill (right by the resort and the boardwalk). It takes about an hour (two at the very most) to walk around. Very pretty, the best views of the lake, lots of little secluded beaches for swimming or a picnic. You%26#39;ll probably see lots of locals jumping off the cliffs and rocks into the water.

Tomato Street restaurant on Appleway has great Italian food and pasta, their smashed sandwiches are delicious and the atmosphere is really fantastic. Kids love this place too, they put butcher paper on the tables for the kids to color on while they wait for their food. This is probably my favorite local restaurant (they have a location in Spokane too) Good wine list and big portion sizes.

For fantastic desserts go to the Dockside restaurant in the CDA Resort...their huge ';Gooey'; sundaes are the best and sure to make your kids eyes as big as saucers (the sundaes are about $8 each, but big enough to feed 2 or 3 people, you can get a smaller ';personal sized'; sundae too, but that is not as fun) The food at Dockside is good too, but we usually just go for dessert, (then take a walk around the boardwalk).

excel