WEEKEND GET-AWAY TO SANDPOINT, IDAHO

Did you take a vacation outside the Flathead Valley this summer? It seems like most of us who live in the Valley usually don't. As the old saying goes, when you live in Northwest Montana, "there are nine months of winter and three months of company." But when you live in the most beautiful part of the state, it seems that everyone wants to come and stay with you in the summer.

With unseasonably chilly October temperatures and snow in the mountains making its way to the Valley floor, Mother Nature is blatantly dropping the hint that summer is definitely over and winter is well on its way! But what if you really did want to "get-away" from the Flathead Valley, and never found the time during the summer months? No worries! Fall is actually one of the most beautiful and best times to take a vacation. In fact, you will get a lot more "bang for your buck" not paying "peak season" tourist prices. Smart Travel Resources report, "Hotel rooms are 20% less on average." Plus, with tourists hard to find, many hotels and resorts now offer special weekend packages.

Case in point, my husband and I recently took a trip to Sandpoint, ID. Would you believe that on a Friday and Saturday night we found a room for two adults and two dogs, under $50.00? Yes, it's true. Fall specials are definitely out there and now is the time to take advantage of them!

Sandpoint's slogan is, "What a beautiful pace." Not only is it a beautiful place, it's also a wonderful town for kicking back and enjoy yourselves. If you have never been to Sandpoint, I must tell you it's the perfect weekend get-away! Only four hours west of Kalispell and about 90 minutes East of Spokane, the town has many similarities to Whitefish, Montana. Schweitzer Ski Resort and Lake Pend Oreille provide numerous outdoor activities. After a day of skiing or playing on the lake, Sandpoint offers an endless list of things to do; shopping, fine dining, theater, the choice is yours. Some of our favorite places to visit are: The Pine Street Bakery, Coldwater Creek Clothing Company, Cabin Creek Interiors, Northwest Handmade Furniture, and of course, the Pend d'Orielle Winery and the Laughing Dog Brewery, (yes, dogs are welcome at the brewery).

You may want to consider planning your trip to Sandpoint around a few upcoming events listed below:

OCTOBER:

SCHWEITZER LAKEDANCE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: October 18-25
4th annual film festival, featuring independent films, workshops and discussions.
For more information: 208-597-0961

WARREN MILLER SKI FESTIVAL: October 24th, Pamida Theater
For more information: 208-263-5157

NOVEMBER:

THANKSGIVING FISHING DERBY: November 27-29 IPOIC.ORG

HOLIDAYS IN SANDPOINT: November 27-January 1st Special events store wit the tree lighting ceremony and caroling on November 27th.

For more information: 208-255-1876

DECEMBER:

SANTA'S TRADITIONAL SCHWEITZER VISIT: Santa hits the slopes and then stops off at the Selkirk Lodge int the days leading up to Christmas.
For more information: 208-263-9855

For more information about Sandpoint, visit the city's website:

http://www.sandpointonline.com/

Skiing is over......now what?

"DESTINATIONS IN A DAY GETAWAYS"

Michelle's Travel Blog, by Michelle Weltz

EEKS! The ski season is over, yet it is still snowing in the Flathead Valley! What do we do on our weekends now?????

As the advertisement came on for Lookout Pass Ski Resort's last day being a FREE ski day for everyone, I seriously considered packing up all my ski gear and heading to their resort for on last "fling" in the snow. But alas, common sense got the best of me and I decided not to head to Lookout Pass that day. However, it got me thinking, where could we go in a day's drive for a nice overnight stay that was out of the snow completely??? Someplace fun, interesting, and inexpensive.....someplace within a three to four drive, but not crowded with people? My husband had the answer.....Post Falls, ID. Post Falls, isn't that the city we always drive by leaving Coeur D'Alene on I-90 heading towards Spokane? "Yep, that's the one. The one with the new Cabela's sporting goods store," my husband replied. Ahh, yes the truth comes out....he has a reason himself to go to Post Falls.

If you're not familiar with Post Falls, let me give you some insight. Straight from the city's brochure, "Post Falls is known as Idaho's River City. It sets on the shores of the Spokane River and is just minutes away from both Coeur D'Alene and Spokane, with unlimited things to do." The brochure continued with, "Post Falls is the perfect place for anyone seeking fun and excitement, cultural and historical enrichment, or just plain fun." Okay, I admit that I'm into the "just plain fun" aspect of that statement!

And we did have a lot of fun during our weekend at Post Falls. We found a great hotel, the Sleep Inn, located just of I-90. The staff was very friendly and our room was clean! We loved that the hotel was pet friendly and had a great pet area. Plus, the Centennial trail (for walking and biking only) runs directly in front of the hotel. We took the dogs for a nice long walk to Falls Park. This park has a playground, picnic tables and for scenic purposes, a waterfall and view of the Post Falls Dam......ahhhhhh, a Kodak moment.

Once we were done hiking, it was time to do what every woman loves to do....SHOP! Yes, we did start with Cabela's and then moved onto the Spokane Valley Mall and neighboring areas. As we drove around we saw there are tons of things to do in a weekend......shopping, dining, concerts, riverboat cruises, auto racing, golfing, seaplane tours, Silverwood theme park......wow, so much to do in a weekend, I think we'll just have to come back to the Post Falls Area!!!

Watch for WhitefishRadio.com's newest webpage, "Destinations in a Day" with great travel ideas for the family!