WW: Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies

Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies aka the Wild Horses Monument in Central Washington

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Visit Washington: Zip's Drive-in

Halfway through the drive from Post Falls, Idaho to Seattle, Washington, we stopped at Zip's Drive-in in Ritzville, Washington to grab some lunch.

Kids Corn Dog

Crispy Chicken Sandwich

I had the Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which was good and just what I needed to fill me up for the rest of the drive back to Seattle.

Little Zipper Fun Meals come with a choice of Cheeseburger, Hamburger, Popcorn Chicken, or Corn Dog, along with Fries, Drink, and a Prize (Lollipop).

I figured the Corn Dog would be easiest for my kids to eat on the road in the car, and they all loved the huge star-shaped Lollipop.

Zip's Drive-In was a convenient stop offering quick, casual eats for our road trip!



Zip's Drive-in
1503 S Smitty's Blvd
Ritzville, WA
509-659-1710

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Visit Spokane: MacKenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub

My husband loves pizza, so when looking for a place to dine one night while in Spokane, he chose MacKenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub, where we dined during Happy Hour.

Although the food was great, our overall experience was very poor (which I will discuss briefly below). After a detailed email to the Corporate office describing our experience - simply to advise of what happened, and not requesting or expecting anything in return (nor mentioning that I blog about my dining experiences) they immediately responded with an apology, solutions going forward, and an offer of a gift card.

I was really impressed - instead of a "cookie cutter" response, all of the issues I pointed out were addressed, including possible reasons why the issues occurred, as well as how they can do better next time (note: I did accept their offer of a gift card).

Cheese Curds

Spicy Buffalo Wings

Kids Fresh Fruit Cup Side

Kids Cheese Pizza

Kids Chicken Fingers with Waffle Fries

Flathead Pizza

Kids Pepperoni Pizza

I thought the food was really good. We ordered the two items off of the Happy Hour Menu - Cheese Curds and Wings. The Battered Wisconsin Cheese Curds were perfectly crisp on the outside, and cheese and gooey on the inside.

The Flathead Pizza, topped with Alfredo Sauce, Fajita Chicken, Bacon, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Spinach, and Mozzarella Cheese, was delicious.

Kids meals come with a side and a drink, and are just $5.50. Pizza portions for the kiddos were huge!

Although we enjoyed the food, as mentioned previously, we had a very poor experience.

I went into lengthy detail in my email to the corporate office, but to summarize, although our server was friendly, he was very unfamiliar with the menu (when asked about certain drinks or items, he'd respond "I'm not sure" instead of "Let me see if I can get the answer for you"); he hardly ever came to our table to check on us (we actually had to grab extra napkins and other items on our own, our drinks were not refilled until he eventually came by towards the end of the meal, etc.), and due to the credit card system being down (which they were aware of but did not advise us of), we were given a slip with all of our sensitive credit card information (including the security identification code) hand-written down, and no, we wouldn't be getting a receipt  (luckily we had cash and took back the hand-written receipt with all of our credit card info.).

Whenever we dine out we usually great service.  Sometimes we don't, but you know my experience had to be really poor for me to take the time to write, so I sincerely appreciate how MacKenzie River Pizza addressed my email so quickly.

I always give restaurants second chances, and I look forward to giving them another try.

MacKenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub
818 W Riverside Ave,

Spokane, WA 99201
(509) 315-4447

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Visit Spokane: Brain Freeze Creamery

While in Spokane, we stopped for ice cream at Brain Freeze Creamery.

Salted Caramel

Circus

Freshly Minted

Brain Freeze offered a nice variety of flavors, but I had to go with one of my faves - Salted Caramel. It was creamy and delicious!

My kids loved the ice cream too, especially the Circus, which consisted of Cotton Candy Ice Cream, Crushed Circus Animal Cookies, and Sprinkles!

The ice cream shop also serves breakfast and lunch!

If you're in Spokane and looking for super yummy, locally-made premium ice cream, be sure to visit Brain Freeze Creamery!

Brain Freeze Creamery
1238 W Summit Pkwy

Spokane, WA 99201
(509) 321-7569

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Visit Spokane: Manito Park

Located just a few minutes away from Downtown Spokane is Manito Park.

The 78-acre park is home to a splash pad, playgrounds, duck pond, and greenhouse conservatory, but it was the gardens, particularly Duncan Gardens, that drew me to Manito Park.

Greenhouse Conservatory

There are a total of five gardens at Manito Park that are full of plants and flowers in all colors imaginable.

As soon as we arrived at Manito Park we stopped at Rose Hill.  I had no idea there were so many varieties of roses - over 150 types of roses can be found at Rose Hill!

Near the garden of roses was the Inland Empire Dahlia Society National Trial Garden.  Gorgeous blooms in hues of yellows, purples, and pinks were a beautiful sight!

In addition to the Rose Hill Garden, you'll also find the Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden, Lilac Garden, and Ferris Perennial Garden.  Because we were pressed for time, we were unable to go to these gardens, but we did head straight to Duncan Gardens right after Rose Hill.

Designed over 100 years ago by John Duncan, Manito’s second superintendent, the stunning grounds of the garden were designed in a classical European Renaissance style,

Complete with a fountain and gazebo, the garden is picture-perfect (in fact we saw a family taking professional photos there).

Duncan Gardens was absolutely beautiful. The vibrant pinks, purples, reds, and greens were spectacular.  

We saw a lot of people strolling through the gardens, jogging with their pets, and playing at the playground.

Manito Park is a lovely place to visit in Spokane!

Manito Park

1702 S Grand Blvd

Spokane, WA 99203
(509) 625-6200

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Visit Spokane: Top 10 Reasons to Stay at Red Lion Hotel at the Park

During our family's first visit to Spokane, we stayed at the Red Lion Hotel at the Park, and it was the perfect place to stay.  If you're visiting Spokane, here are top 10 reasons why you should choose Red Lion Hotel at the Park.

1. Just steps from Riverfront Park - The hotel is named Red Lion Hotel at the Park because the hotel is literally right at the park. 

2. The Dam Bar & Grill - Located inside the Red Lion Hotel at the Park, this eatery servers "dam" good food!

3. Comfortable accommodations - Plush, pillow top beds, a refrigerator, microwave, and a coffee maker all helped to make for a comfortable stay

4. View - You can get a pretty view of the Spokane River from your room!

5. Atrium Cafe's Breakfast Buffet - A great way to start your day in Spokane!

6. Cascadia Soapery Bath Amenities - These Environmentally Responsible Products are not only eco-friendly, but they smell great too!

7. Outdoor pool - This large pool even has a waterslide!

8. Indoor pool - Yes, the Red Lion Hotel at the Park has two pools!

9. Complimentary Bike Rentals - Perfect for exploring Riverfront Park.

10. Convenient location - In addition to being steps away from Riverfront Park, the Red Lion Hotel at the Park is within walking distance to Downtown Spokane.  You can even take their complimentary shuttle to Downtown!

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Visit Spokane: Frank's Diner

Frank's Diner operates out of an old presidential railroad car, and has been dishing out breakfasts that has earned them numerous awards.

With such limited seating, our family made sure to get there early for breakfast one morning.

Chicken & Waffle

Cinnamon Swirl French Toast

Kid's French Toast

Mighty Midget

Side Bacon

I ordered the Chicken & Waffle - a Crispy Pecan Chicken on a Belgian Waffle.  It was so scrumptious!  The savory, nutty chicken was super yummy by itself, but combined with the sweet waffle & syrup, it was fantastic!

Kids meals are inexpensive ($3.25 for the French Toast; $4.25 for the Mighty Midget) and portions are huge!  Two of my kids should've shared the dollar pancakes.

Service was great, and by the time we finished breakfast there was a long line waiting to get in. 

Because we were dining in a train car, with limited space for seating, all 5 of us were squished into a booth, but we managed.

It was neat to be sitting in an old train car!

Frank's Diner is definitely a must-visit in the Spokane area!


Frank's Diner
1516 W 2nd Ave
Spokane, WA 99201
(509) 747-8798

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Visit Spokane: Green Bluff Growers Apple Festival

During our visit to Spokane, the annual Green Bluff Growers Apple Festival was being held, so we were excited to take the kids.

Several farms in Green Bluff participate in the festival with kiddie rides, activities, produce sales, and more.

We ended up at Beck's Harvest House, where they had apples and pumpkins to pick, food trucks, and lots of kid-friendly activities.

We spent a lot of time in the Friendly Family Farm Funland, where for $10 guests can get a wristband providing unlimited access to a giant corn maze, hay maze, cow train ride, bouncers, and more! Everyone who entered had to have a wristband, even if they weren't participating. There was a tent area parents could sit beneath that was outside of the Funland, but it was very far away from the activities, and we wanted to keep an eye on the kids, so we paid for wristbands for the adults as well.

Giant bouncy pillow

Getting ready to walk through the corn maze.

Hope we don't get lost in the giant corn maze!

Smaller hay maze

Giant slide

Tire mountain

Cow train

Racing!

See Saw

It was quite a warm day, so after all of the fun in Funland, we decided to indulge in some refreshing drinks from the Best Buzz Espresso Truck.

Cotton Candy Smoothie

Huckleberry Milkshake

Frozen Strawberry Lemonade

Orangecicle Smoothie

The Apple Festival was a lot of fun, and a great experience for the entire family!

Green Bluff Growers hosts several events throughout the year.  Click here for their calendar of events.

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