COEUR D' ALENE

Sleep: The Greenbriar Inn - 315 E. Wallace Ave, Coeur d'Alene, ID {bed and breakfast a few blocks outside of downtown, still within walking distance- also the location of 315 Martini and Tapas bar- which isn't open Sunday-Monday, so make sure you stay here or spend time in CDA when they are!} 

Eat: 315 Martini and Tapas {inside the Greenbriar, I can't speak to the martinis but the TAPAS.. omg. So creative, so damn delicious. My favorite were the chicken curry cakes with a spicy aoli sauce of some sort} 

The Cellar {I want to chalk up the really weird/bad customer service we had here to it being an 'off' night because the food was outstanding- I had a gnocchi and M housed a giant bowl of paella and declared it the best he ever had- worth chancing some maybe suspect customer service for the food! They also have a cool wine pour area where you can buy a refillable card and sample a ton of wines}

Fire {Artisan pizza in a brick fired oven- lots of variety, tasty, a good casual spot for the artisan pizza lover}

Crafted Taphouse {fantastic place for a burger and a beer- with a twist. Their "OG" menu is, as promised, very original. I had the tacos and M had the chicken and waffles (you can see the literal tower of them below)- also a really awesome indoor/outdoor seating, so try to go on a nice day to enjoy the patio!}

The Garnet Cafe {just a really good old fashioned greasy american breakfast- but with local, sustainable, organic fare. Gotta love the PNW} 

Whispers Lounge {inside the CDA Resort, great spot for a hand crafted cocktail. The first night we went there I was exhausted and got coffee- but the second time I was alert and ordered the huckleberry cocktail- so. damn. good, and I don't like hard alcohol. They also have a really nice patio with a glass wind shield where you can enjoy the sunset over the lake}

See: Mineral Ridge {the photos I found everywhere of this hike sucked, but the views were spectacular. It's a bunch of switchbacks up a hill, but the nice part is the 3 mile loop doesn't backtrack at all, so the "exit" back down to the parking lot is still all "new" territory (and shorter- most of the hike is the trek up, the trek down is only another .5 mile or so) - pretty drive to the area too, and may be worth cruising along the scenic byway if you have time}

Tubb's Hill {Again, the photos of this hike weren't great, and I put it on my list simply because I hadn't found a ton of other things to "plan" but it was so much more than an afterthought. Tubb's is located right in downtown off the big park by the water and follows the ridge out into the lake. It's convenient, not a tough hike by any means, and again- really beautiful} 

Downtown CDA {really cute downtown with shops, restaurants and antique stores- M and I popped into one and wandered around for an hour or so one afternoon/ also pretty much the lake area as a whole- the CDA resort boasts the largest floating boardwalk in the country (world..?), and we made more than a handful of loops on the boardwalk. There's also a little food spot on the dock where we grabbed drinks, ice cream, and snacks at various points} 

The "see" category up top pretty much covers what we did- hiking, eating, walking, sleeping, repeat. It was low key but beautiful and the perfect type of "active-restful" vacation. I'll let the pictures do the talking. 

{315 Tapas and Martinis}

{Whispers Lounge- CDA Resort}

{Mineral Ridge}

{Greenbriar Inn}

{Tubb's Hill}

{Tubb's Hill}

{Tubb's Hill}

{Tubb's Hill}

{Crafted Taphouse}

Now, to plan our fall/spring getaway. I've been trying to coax our entire family (well, some combination of siblings/parents on some side) to take a big vaca. Will report back if I have any luck.