Heading to CdA next week for the race - have a very moody 11 year old boy – anything off the beaten path you can recommend for activities? I know about Silverwood and there’s a zip line course. Anything else to keep him happy and my stress levels down pre-race!!
Pokémon, has he caught them all?
Well that’s the one thing he is exciting for …new Pokemon stops!
Silverwood is awesome and cheap. The water park is in my opinion way underrated. Super fun and lots to do. Can keep him busy all day. Hell two days if you do the rides and water park. And it’s not Disneyland expensive. Parasailing on CDA lake is fun and takes about an hour and can add a go pro to have some memories. Paddle boarding rentals on the lake to wear him out. If you guys are into Cabelas and seeing all that stuff it is 15 minutes away. You can fish at the numerous lakes. There is something like 100 lakes within a one hour drive of CDA. Can take hiking trails around the lake as well. Not sure what you mean by moody but hope this helps?? Love the venue just wish they didn’t move the date on me.
Depends on how long you’re going to be there and what you’re looking to do.
If your kid likes burgers I would recommend Hudson’s Hamburgers. Make sure to bring cash as they only accept cash.
In Spokane, there is Riverfront Park, a very scaled down version of Silverwood, but it’s free and there’s many different things to do.
Laser Quest in Spokane, it’s a fun laser tag game in the old armory.
There’s Tubbs Hill on the lake (if you’re at the resort looking out onto the water) it’s directly to your right, there’s a hike around it and you can jump off rocks of varying heights into the lake.
Renting a boat/jetski and going onto the lake… always fun.
There’s a bike trail that goes from Montana into Idaho, website is www.ridethehiawatha.com there’s bridges and tunnels you ride over and through one of which is over a mile long. (Bring a flashlight for this).
Gizmo CDA is an awesome Makerspace! I don’t know if they’ve got any camps or whatever going that week, but they probably do. http://www.gizmo-cda.org/ Their website sorta sucks, but it’s an awesome place with great people and it’s really thriving. About a 5 min drive from the athlete village.
Silverwood is great, but it’s a solid 45 min from CDA. If you’ve got nothing going on, of course, check it out.
Personally, I’d vote Roger’s Ice Cream or Paul Bunyon over Hudson’s for burgers, but I’m in the minority on that. I feel like Hudson’s gets TONS of love, but every time I go, I feel like it’s a plain, boring, only-good-vs McDonald’s burger. Not that PB and Rogers are any fancier, sure, I just prefer their burgers. I don’t think the hype of Hudon’s is deserved.
Triple Play / Raptor Reef is okay… Good for go-karting and general arcade stuff. I’m not a HUGE fan personally, but I’ve heard it’s popular. Probably good for kids his age. If you want a waterpark / GoKart / Laser tag type place but don’t want to drive up to Silverwood, do this. Good for eating up 2-3 hours, whereas Silverwood is more of an all day thing.
Silver Mountain in Kellogg now has a waterpark too. About a 30 min drive. I’d probably do Silverwood simply because it’s outdoors and also has roller coasters and an amusement park, just heads up.
This website is really solid for ideas:
We have been there several times with our now 3 teenagers, but were 1st there when they were 5, 7, and 9. Personally we don’t do amusement parks, burger places, etc. CDA has wonderful outdoor activities that are super! We went to a ranch with real cowboys, rode horses, had a campfire, cooked dinner etc. We did lots of hiking including going to the ancient cedars with HUGE trees 1000+ years old - a bit of a drive but the kids thought it was spectacular. The lakes, streams, fishing, water sports, etc, etc. CDA is my wife’s favorite IM destination and the kids wouldn’t argue that.
CDA really is a great place. Ten minutes out of town might as well be three hours. Head out to the Wolf Lodge exit on I90, drive South to Harrison, and just soak it all in. You can hike up Mineral Ridge from that road ten minutes south of the interstate for this view:
https://loveofidaho.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/sam_0524.jpg
Or, drive 30 min to Kellogg, drive up the North Fork and hike / camp / flyfish / etc.
Came here to suggest this. Anything with a smartphone would be a huge hit. And by huge hit I mean the kid would leave you alone to enjoy the trip and the race. 
Previous posts have nailed the highlights, including Silverwood, Triple Play, the Route of the Hiawatha (mountain biking down an old railroad grade), the new-ish zip line operation out by Beauty Bay, Tubbs Hill, swimming at the Cd’A city beach or the two smaller city beaches out at Sanders Beach (you’ll run right by there during IM). Hayden Lake has a public beach at Honeysuckle. If he likes fishing, Hayden Lake, Cd’A Lake and Fernan offer the closest / best opportunities from shore or public docks.
Go to the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce building when you first hit town. It is at the intersection of Sherman and Northwest Blvd downtown. Pick up “101 Things To Do In North Idaho” or any one of a number of other similar publications / flyers. Ideas abound.
My son does the Pokemon Go thing and he says opportunities are plentiful all over downtown Cd’A and in McEuen Park.
Excellent – thank you for all the suggestions!
Here’s another tip, but more of a food-oriented one. Bonsai Bistro, which is on Sherman Avenue literally at the IM finish line, is for the month of August offering their menu for 1/2 price. Bonsai is owned by the Cd’A resort and has been in town for years as a Thai / Chinese / Sushi east meets west type of place and has been good, but…ownership recently re-tooled the menu, simplifying it. To re-launch, they are doing the 50% off menu during the entire month of August. I am a local and have eaten there a few times / year since the inception of the restaurant but I have been there 3X during this promotion. The half off special includes drinks, liquor, wine by the glass and bottle but does not include the sushi bar or take out.
So if your party likes Thai / Hunan type of food and you’re downtown you might want to check it out. And no, I am not in any way connected to this establishment nor do I have monetary interest in promoting it.