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First, Lake Pend Oreille is the second largest freshwater lake and the deepest
in the West with 111 miles of shoreline. Watersports, sailing, and racing are
common and several boat cruises are offered. Next is Schweitzer Mountain Ski
Resort, a top winter destination rated in the Top 25 in Skiing Magazine and Top
10 in Sunset Magazine, with the finest skiing and snowboarding with unbelievable
panoramic views overlooking Lake Pend Oreille. With over 2,900 acres, 2,400 feet
of vertical, 67 named runs and seven chairlifts, Schweitzer Mountain is a dream
for downhill enthusiasts. There's also 32k of cross country trails, beautiful
snowshoe trails, and a brand-new tubing center plus shopping galore. Winter
Sports feature snowmobiling and ice skating, and during the summer we host the
NORBA Nationals and biking of every sort. We are home to
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Coldwater Creek with their HQ
and biggest store. There are three golf courses, among them award-winning Hidden
Lakes, now the Jack Nicklaus Idaho Club. Just a few miles away is Silverwood
Theme Park, the Northwest’s largest theme park.
Sandpoint is
a great, historic railroading town, with fantastic scenery on short or long
trips within the Pacific Northwest. The Burlington Northern,
Montana Rail Link, and Spokane International rail systems all
converge to create "The Funnel," an amazingly active rail crossroads with
more than 40 trains a day traveling through. Rail buffs come from around the
world to see the many trains traveling through. We are home to the award-winning Pend d’Oreille Winery, and North Idaho and Eastern Washington have many
wineries, and Coeur d'Alene and Sandpoint have no fewer than twelve wine bars. The area is filled with world-famous artists,
galleries, antique stores, and shopping. We have great restaurants, including
Sushi, Tapas, and eclectic as well as traditional fare that satisfies every
taste. As the saying goes, "Where do you find the best restaurants in
Spokane? Sandpoint!" There are several wildlife refuges,
national parks, nature preserves, and state parks within short driving distance.
We also have some of the finest hunting and fishing in the nation. There are
dams, horseback riding, sleigh rides, camping and hiking. We have the
International Selkirk Loop, a 280-mile driving loop through two countries
(U.S. and Canada) and two states (Idaho and Washington) considered to be one of
the best drives in the country. Finally there are so many events that they are
too many to mention. The historic Panida Theater has many of them, but
others are city or county-wide such as our Madcap Mardi Gras during our Winter Carnival celebration
and two Oktoberfests. To see a full
Calendar of Events, click the link on the
left. In short, North Idaho is a jewel, with Sandpoint and Coeur
d'Alene sparkling bright. Come visit us and see why so many that do never
leave.
Here is a
little more about what the Sandpoint Area Offers
One of America's truly
unique places, sheltered
by the Selkirk and Cabinet
Mountains, the climate is further tempered by prodigious Lake Pend Oreille,
offering amenities normally found only in much larger and so-called more
sophisticated towns.
The sheltering didn't end
there. First the artists and hippies came, such as Ed Kienholz, and the few knew
the beauty and outstanding lifestyle, they kept the secret close to the vest.
However, Sandpoint's charms have recently been discovered by the outside world.
Outside Magazine recently named Sandpoint one of America's Top Dream Towns,
calling us “The
cool northwest's hot property”,
while Sunset Magazine calls it “The Best Small Town in the West”. Read on and
learn grasshoppers. Oh, did I mention we have awful big grasshoppers?
Skiing and Winter Sports
 While many
resort towns have great summers, or fantastic ski seasons, we have a true
four-season climate, and
Schweitzer Mountain
Ski Resort is minutes from downtown. So it is small wonder Sandpoint
is a fantastic place for the winter sports enthusiast. But the spring and fall
brings mountain biking, hiking, hunting, and festivals. The summer has boaters,
fishing, sailing, waterskiing, jet boating, etc., etc., etc.
Food and Drink
Where can you find a town of this size with two wine bars, two Starbucks, and a
Sushi Restaurant? We have several health food stores and cafes, and many, many
good restaurants. In fact, according to the article in Outside Magazine, a
standing joke in Spokane — a city of almost 200,000 about 75 miles to the
southwest — goes something like this: “Where’s the best place to eat in Spokane?
In Sandpoint”. While this might have started as a marketing ad we put out some
twenty years ago, it may well be true. As the host of the radio show - Gourmet
to Go, and a former local restaurant owner, I have a little insight on the
subject. I worked with Emeril Legasse at Commander's Palace in New Orleans for
three years, and I guarantee that we have some good fixin's here.
The Festival at Sandpoint
 Harking
back to a more relaxed era, the
Festival at
Sandpoint
has been providing an unequaled out door concert experience since 1983. The
individual acts are quite varied, so there’s something for any taste, and the
atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. Seating is “on-the-grass” and concert goers
are welcome to bring their own picnic baskets, blankets, and chairs. For
out-of-town visitors for whom preparing a gourmet picnic might be difficult,
local restaurants provide a fantastic array of food, beer, and wine.
The Arts
This is one area where we
truly excel. We now have almost five hundred artists in our midst. Over the
years, the Sandpoint area’s tranquil beauty has attracted these hundreds of
artists. Beginning with the now-iconic regional photographer
Ross Hall in the 1930's, the tradition
continues with the
Pend Oreille Arts Council
and the
Artist’s Studio Tours,
as well as a healthy number of Art Galleries.
Golf
 The
Sandpoint area has no fewer than six golf courses. The Elks Club Golf Course is
right on the outskirts of town, while the famous
Hidden Lakes
course, which was one of the best courses in the Pacific Northwest,
is just a few scenic miles
to the east. It has now been bought by Jack Nicklaus and renamed
The Idaho Club, and while their company has dozens of courses,
Jack himself has designed only a handful. This is one of 'em. Of course, rumors
continue that the Ruen property will be bought by Arnold Palmer, but don't hold
your breath. The new Stoneridge Golf Course is in nearby Spirit Lake, and
Settlement Golf Community is being developed overlooking the Pend Oreille River
twenty minutes from Sandpoint in Priest River. Still, golfin' is good in the neighborhood.
Fishing & Hunting
While most of the country and
much of Idaho call our region “the Panhandle,” we typically think of ourselves
as simply North Idaho. As you can tell from our Lakes Guide and Rivers Guide, we
have almost 140 lakes, plus over 2,000 miles of rivers and streams. The largest
lake, Lake Pend Oreille, has 111 miles of coastline and over 86,000 acres, and
many other lakes – Hayden, Coeur d’Alene, Twin Lakes, Priest Lake, and Lake
Cocolalla – are very large. We also have dozens of much smaller lakes – 1-2
acres – and everything in between. Many people associate Minnesota as the land
of lakes for the U. S., but our Idaho Panhandle has the greatest concentration
of lakes in all the western states, giving us the water sports and fishing haven
we all enjoy.
 Lake Pend Oreille is the
nation’s fifth deepest lake (1,158 feet at its deepest), and boasts over 100
miles of scenic shoreline. Its also a world class fishery, with the world record
for a rainbow trout, a 37 pound giant caught by Wes Hamlet in 1947. For a real
treat, try a
fishing charter on the
lake where 25# rainbow trout are a regular occurrence. Of course, on a lake this
fantastic, there has to be more than one good charter service!
While the state of Idaho has
more wilderness acreage than any other state, the Idaho Panhandle has more game,
and better hunting than any other region of Idaho. With so many acres in the
wild, no other state in the lower 48 has as much big game hunting variety and
quality as Idaho. Idaho is sparsely populated with huge areas of forests,
canyons, and mountain wildernesses. Idaho seasons generally run from 20-65 days.
Hunter congestion remains rare. An amazing amount of land remains in the hands
of the federal and state governments: 21,621,000 acres of the state’s total
acreage remains forested. The Federal Government holds 65.2% of all land, with
estimates of 78 percent of all of Idaho belonging either to state or federal
forests, etc. Hunting is perhaps the best in the lower 48.
The Literary Scene
Sandpoint has been the
home of a diverse collection of writers over the years — ranging from Marilynne
Robinson, who recently won the Pulitzer Prize for her book Gilead, and
Sandy Compton, who writes local color stories, to Peter Fenton, who writes about
subjects such as Tibetan Medicine. A recent addition to the scene is the “Open
Mic” at one of Sandpoint’s newer restaurants, The Downtown Crossing. If
literature is your thing, you’ll definitely be interested in
this article
from Sandpoint Magazine.
Click here to learn more
about the Skinny on Sandpoint
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Museums
Bonner & Boundary Counties
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Bonner County
Historical Society Museum - 611 S Ella
Ave, Sandpoint 263-2344
www.bonnercountyhistory.org
Open year-round, Tues-Sat
10am-4pm
Research Library Tues, Thurs, Fri 10-3pm
$2/adult, $1/child, $5/family, BCHS-Free.
The Historical Society was established in 1972 to preserve the heritage of
Bonner County. Valuable artifacts exhibited throughout the museum depict the
history of the county's people and events that shaped its development.
Research center contains a collection of early photographs and an extensive
newspaper file.
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Bird Museum
of Aviation
and Invention in Sagle, ID. Dr. Bird was recently featured on 60 Minutes.
Directions on website
http://www.birdaviationmuseum.com/
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Keyser House Museum
- Priest River Museum & Timber Educational Center 301 Montgomery St, Priest
River 448-2721
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Vintage Wheel Museum -
218 Cedar St in Sandpoint exhibits
antique cars, horse drawn vehicles, steam engines and logging equipment.
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Priest Lake Museum
- 38 W Lakeshore Dr, Priest River 443-3191
www.priestlake.org
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Boundary County Museum
- 7229 Main St, Bonners Ferry 267-7720 (seasonal)
Open in the summer from 10am-4pm
Boundary County Historic Museum opened in 1975 in the library building. It
features a collection of pioneer artifacts, early photographs, a collection
ofturn-of-the-century possessions and medical tools of early-Bonners Ferry
doctor, Dr. Fry.
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Vinther-Nelson
Cabin & Museum
Priest Lake, Eight Mile Island
Kootenai County
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Cataldo Mission
- Off I-90 near Cataldo, ID Exit 39 208-682-3814
Open year-round. 9-5pm, except the months of June, July & August when it
is open 8-6pm. Small per-vehicle fee of $3.00.
Built in 1853 by Jesuit missionaries and local Indians, the mission is the
oldest standing building in Idaho. It is now a state park called Old Mission
State Park. Both the mission and the parish house have been restored. An
interpretive center explains the history of the missionaries and area Indians.
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Farragut State Park
Museum - 4 miles east of Athol, ID 208-683-2425
Located near the entrance to Farragut
State Park. Open May 30 to Sept. 5 daily 8am - 6pm. Call for year-round open
hours. Motor vehicle entrance fee of $4.00.
The museum, located in the Visitor's Center building, displays some ofthe
history of the naval base . Farragut was a naval training base during World
War II. Also on display are exhibits depicting lifestyles of early residents,
nature displays and early park use including the 1965 Boy Scout World
Jamboree.
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Fort Sherman Museum
- exhibits depict life at the fort and smokejumper cabin. North Idaho College,
Coeur d'Alene 664-3448
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Museum of North Idaho
- features steamboats, lumber and Native Americans. 115 Northwest Blvd, Coeur
d'Alene 664-3448
www.museumni.org
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Post Falls Historical
Society Museum - 109 E 4th Ave, Post
Falls 773-4681
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Brig Museum at Farragut
State Park - 13550 E Hwy 54, Athol
683-2425
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Crane Historical
Society Museum - 201 Coeur d'Alene
Ave, Harrison 689-3111
Silver Valley
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Crystal Gold Mine
- 51931 Silver Valley Rd, Kellogg 783-4653
www.goldmine-idaho.com
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Mullan Museum
- 229 Earl Street, Mullan 744-1100
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Old Mission State Park
- One mile E of Cataldo off I-90 682-3814 Cataldo Mission of The Sacred Heart
at Old Mission Park is the oldest standing building in Idaho.
www.idahoparks.org/parks/oldmission.html
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Northern Pacific
Railroad Depot Museum - 219 6th
Street, Wallace 752-0111
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Oasis Bordello Museum
- was originally a hotel & saloon - became a brothel in 1985. 605 Cedar
Street, Wallace 753-0801
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The Portal Museum
- McKinley Ave, Kellogg 659-2722
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Staff House
Museum -
820 Mckinley
786-4141 in Kellogg displays the history of Bunker Hill Mine.
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Sierra Silver Mine Tour
- 420 5th Street, Wallace 752-5151
www.silverminetour.org
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Silver Capital Arts
Mining & Mineral Museum - 610 Bank St,
Wallace 556-7081
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Spragpole Museum
- 6353 Prichard Creek Rd, Murray 682-3901
www.silver-valley.com/sprag_pole
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Shoshone County Mining
& Smelting Museum
- 820 McKinley Ave, Kellogg
www.staffhousemuseum.com
786-4141
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Wallace Corner Gifts &
Museum - 525 Cedar Street, Wallace
753-6141
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Wallace District Mining
Museum - has memorabilia from early
hard rock mining. 509 Bank Street, Wallace 556-1592
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Wardner Memorabilia
Museum - 525 Main, Wardner 786-2641
Benewah County
Other Areas
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Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum
219 6th St. Wallace 752-0111
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The Oasis
Bordello Museum
605 Cedar, Wallace
(was originally a hotel & saloon - became a brothel in 1985.)
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Staff House
Museum
820 McKinley (208) 786-4141 in Kellogg displays the history of Bunker Hill
Mine.
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Wallace District
Mining Museum
509 Bank (208) 556-1592 in Wallace has memorabilia from early hard rock
mining.
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Sandpoint in early spring
Festival at Sandpoint has
gained international acclaim
The Cedar Street Bridge has become
an icon of downtown Sandpoint Shopping
Schweitzer Mountain has become one of
the West's Premier Ski Resorts
Schweitzer
Village
Historic
Panida Theatre
Windbag Marina at City Beach
Bonner Healing Garden
Comeback Bay
Railroad Bridge
Sandpoint in late
winter
Liberty at Sandpoint at City Beach
View of
Sandpoint
from Schweitzer
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