Boutique Hotel in Historical Art District

In recent decades, new concert houses have been built while old art-deco theaters have been restored in downtown Spokane’s Davenport District, one of Spokane's main art districts. True to the area’s spirit, Montvale Hotel resides in a late 19th-century building, but its steel canopy gives the façade a modern twist. Inside the grand second-floor lobby, a wood fireplace and rustic chairs and couches paint the picture of a hotel constructed decades ago, and a state-of-the-art LCD TV sits next to antique furniture in the guest rooms, which feature both classic and contemporary paintings.

A medieval setting awaits underneath the hotel at the Catacombs Pub, where diners eat among iron chandeliers, stone walls, and food-slinging catapults. The restaurant was originally the hotel’s boiler room, incorporating the large chute originally used to transport coal into what's now a cave-like seating area. Dishes draw from European influences, with entrees such as Hungarian goulash made with homemade spaetzle noodles and wood-fired pizzas. Guests can also meander to the hotels new restaurant and pub, Scout Tavern, to check out some a collection of local items such as the original Montvale Hotel street sign and an oversized banker's table from Portland, Oregon.

Spokane, Washington: Bustling Art District and Riverfront Park

Located across Washington state and about 280 miles from Seattle’s thriving art scene, Spokane rivals the state’s largest city by drawing crowds on the first Friday of each month with its visual-art walk. Local musicians play during artist receptions, which often include finger fare and guided tours. Classical-music buffs can take in a performance by the Spokane Symphony at the recently restored Fox Theater, and improv comics and other acting troupes entertain at the Blue Doors Theater.

Montvale Hotel sits about a mile southwest of Riverfront Park, where nearly 100 acres sprawl around Spokane Falls. The park features a historical carousel built in 1909 and a clock tower that was once part of a turn-of-the-century railroad depot. Part of the World Expo ’74, the park’s pavilion offers outdoor ice skating in the winter and family-friendly rides such as the spiraling Dragon Coaster and bumper cars during the summer and spring.