Boutique Hotel in Historical Arts District

In recent decades, new concert houses have been built and old art-deco theaters have been restored in downtown Spokane’s Davenport District, one of the city’s main arts districts. True to the area’s spirit, Montvale Hotel is housed 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 stands amid comfortable chairs and couches. 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 at the hotel’s underground Catacombs Pub, where diners eat among iron chandeliers, stone walls, and food-slinging catapults. Located in the hotel’s original boiler room, the restaurant has found new uses for old features, such as a large chute originally used to transport coal—it’s now a cavelike seating area. Dishes are drawn from European influences, with entrees such as Hungarian goulash made with homemade spaetzle noodles and wood-fired pizzas. Meander to the hotel’s Scout Tavern to check out a collection of local items, such as the original Montvale Hotel street sign and an oversize banker's table from Portland, Oregon.

Spokane, Washington: Bustling Arts District and Riverfront Park

In recent years, Spokane has begun to garner attention for its thriving arts scene. On the first Friday of each month, the city hosts a visual-art walk featuring local musicians and gallery receptions that often include finger foods and guided tours. Classical-music buffs can take in a performance by the Spokane Symphony at the recently restored Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, and improv comics and other acting troupes entertain at The Blue Door Theatre.

Montvale Hotel sits about a mile southwest of Riverfront Park, where nearly 100 acres surround 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 1974 world’s fair, 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.

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