Coeur d'Alene, ID

If you are looking for a good camping spot that is not too far from Coeur d’Alene, try Bumblebee Campground near Kingston. The campground is located right off I-90, thirty miles from Coeur d’Alene and is close to the river and several good fishing and hiking spots.

Every year on Memorial Day weekend my family goes camping up the Coeur d’Alene River at Graham Creek. We found this spot several years ago and fell in love with the scenery, the hiking trails, and the close proximity to the river.

I am always looking for a place to get something hot to drink and just be able to sit and relax with a book, or bring my computer and get some work done. Well, I have finally found the perfect place for all of that and more. At the urging of my husband we stopped in at Calypso Coffee Company at 116 E. Lakeside Ave. on a Saturday night. The place was packed and the music, by Josh Hedlund was wonderful. When we got home I even looked him up on the Internet to find out where else he might be playing. Calypsos is a family friendly coffee house that also features a roaster on site. Coffee is roasted several times a week and is offered for sale by the pound as well as the cup.

Riverstone, located on Old Mill Loop off of Northwest Blvd., is decorated and ready for the holidays. With a tree whose lights dance to music and an old-fashioned trolley traveling through the development, it is definitely the beginning of Christmas in the Village.

North Idaho College sits up against Coeur d’Alene Lake just blocks away from downtown. This two-year college, while small, offers some of the best events and dining around. NIC was built on the site of an old U.S. Army Fort, whose land was once used by the Coeur d’Alene Indian tribes. Some of the history of the land has been preserved around campus with the Ft. Sherman museum, and the Fort Sherman Officer’s Quarters, which now houses a faculty lounge and conference room.

With rows of decorated pumpkins guarding the entrance to the gym at Lakes Middle School, festival goers got a small taste of what was to come. Located on the 900 block of 15th St., the school’s fifth annual fall festival, which is always offered on the Saturday before Halloween, began with the opportunity to buy dinner. At the low price of $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children, families came and enjoyed pizza and drinks before setting off to take part in all the games and fun. Tickets for the games and attractions were sold at the door for 50 cents apiece, or $10.00 for 25, and most games took between one and two tickets to play. There were games set up in the gym, the cafeteria, and even in the halls.

So my wife and I had a problem. My wife needed to be able to access internet to do class work for her student teaching classes and ours was down. We had heard that Java at 324 ESherman allowed you free wireless access if you bought something and since we both enjoy a good cup of Joe, my wife and I went down town.

Opened in May of 2005, the Bella Rose café is a guilty pleasure. Owners Marylin Boyd and her daughter Thea Drake bake goodies daily that fill up their display case and entice customers. With a window that faces Sherman Ave., patrons can sit at the bar in the window and watch the world pass by. Tables outside the café are filled to capacity in the warm months- offering a nice spot for knitting groups, book clubs, families, and friends.

What better way to spend a day than in the quiet solitude of the newly constructed public library. The Coeur d’Alene Public Library located at 702 E. Front Ave. downtown is a bookworm’s paradise. Families can come to the library to spend a day in both the children’s section, located downstairs, in the top floor stacks, or even buying used books in the library’s very own bookstore.