This Pacific Northwest Destination Is the Perfect Fall Getaway — Here’s Where to Eat, Stay, and Shop

In 1974 the World’s Fair had its smallest-ever host: Spokane, Washington. To prepare for the event, dubbed Expo ’74, the city transformed its crumbling downtown railyard, which sat along the banks of the Spokane River, into a 100-acre fairground. The site featured America’s first IMAX theater, a gondola strung over Spokane Falls, and a vintage 1909 Looff Carrousel, among other attractions.

From May to November, some 5.6 million people attended the fair and viewed exhibits from 10 countries, including Australia, which displayed a model of the newly completed Sydney Opera House, and Japan, which built a formal garden on site.

Nearby is the Fox Theatre, a 1931 Art Deco masterpiece that was once a 2,300-seat movie theater and is now home to the Spokane Symphony. After taking in a performance, pop in to Barrister Winery, a former auto warehouse that today pours Washington varietals, like Cabernet Sauvignon from the Walla Walla Valley.

Related: 11 Best Small Towns in Washington

For dinner, indulge in a six-course meal at Gander & Ryegrass, where chef Peter Froese’s Italian-influenced dishes might include kohlrabi risotto or pork with chanterelles. Or go to Indigenous Eat for bison tacos, fry bread, and “three sisters” soup, made with corn, squash, and beans. 

The city’s vintage scene is similarly diverse. Teleport Vintage & Co. sources horsehide-leather jackets, band and sports T-shirts, denim, camp blankets, and workwear from across the Pacific Northwest, as well as Colombia, England, and France. They also have a fridge stocked with beer, hard seltzer, and cider, so you can sip while you shop through the eras, in true Spokane style. 

A version of this story first appeared in the October 2024 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline “Sparkle City.”