Spokane Manito Park

Manito Park came into existence in early 1904 and has evolved as a vestigial recreational area with flower beds, picnic spots and a zoo. The park is also recognized for its various horticulture displays. A non-profit organization called The friends of Manito supports the park by providing funds for improvements for the general development. The organization also provides educational programs to promote the community’s use of the park. The organization has contributed around 600,000$ to the park.

Manito Park looks like a beautiful place from the Roman times. The park is devoted for trees and for the collection, cultivation, preservation and display of a wide range of plants; a strictly protected 90 acre natural green area. During the spring flowers are in bloom. The willow trees and the lilacs, the cherry blossom and yellow blossom trees and the evergreens that bring to mind a sense of joy are all here. A day out at Manito Park is a wonderful way to relax yourself. A trip to the park will calm your mind, prevents melancholy feelings and stress and makes you forget your everyday problems. Visitors traveling from afar experience more effects on their physical well being than those coming from the neighborhood. Visiting a park also increases social well-being in kids and adults. The clean air and silence is good for the body. Your visit to the park will lift your mood effectively and revitalizes you. Children are often found enjoying spending time outdoors and together experiencing the joys of recreational activi

ties.

Whether it is a leisure walk, a morning exercise run or exploring the huge garden at Manito Park, it is a must visit attraction in Spokane, especially for first timers. Manito Park is a treasure for people who love English gardens or Japanese garden. The park offers lots of walking and jogging trails and several playgrounds. Whether it is a picnic with your family, a softball game with your group or a tennis game with your best friend Manito Park can host all of this. Visitors can also enjoy a mixture of outdoor activities like cycling, bird watching etc. at Manito Park. The park is also a great place to do a little napping, nature photography or quiet contemplation.

Another unique attraction in the garden is the Gaiser conservatory sitting near the Duncan Garden area, where a seasonally changing flowing display is witnessed. The conservatory is humid and warm. The conservatory supports greenhouses and it is built in aluminium. The dome area in the conservatory includes a waterfall, pond, and large tropical plants. During Christmas the light show features over 35,000 lights suspended among the plants giving way for a spectacular display. Head to the conservatory with your children for a delightful time looking around at all the plants and guessing what the names could be. You can take a long walk or a quick one depending on your interest but this place will make you fall in love with gardens all over again.

Manito Park’s main entrance is at the 20^th street with an archway made of hedge and flowers to greet you. Standing at the corner of the main entrance you can look into the park and see the Balzer’s house in the distance, lush green all around and few people here and there along the sides of the path eating their picnic lunches.

Manito Park’s huge 90 acre lush green space is ideal for picnics. One of the many picnic spots in the park are a great way to spend a lovely afternoon. Families can enjoy a picnic out in the sun or in the innumerable stretches of grass under the shade of trees at Manito Park. The park is also dog friendly, but you need to make sure the dog is on a leash. You can take along a picnic lunch, blanket, a Frisbee or a glove and ball and enjoy game time at one of the parks grassy green spots. At the main entrance of the park you will find several picnic tables where you’ll see visitors having a birthday party, family get-togethers or just an afternoon of sun and fun. The park is also a great place for receptions, family reunions, outdoor corporate picnics and anniversaries. The main picnic shelter at the main entrance does have a barbecue grill inside it, which is enough to serve a small group of people.

In the early days before the park underwent many alterations the lake at the park was called Mirror Lake. The alterations resulted in the size reduction and now the lake is called Duck pond. The water level is always kept up by the water from the nearby springs which are diverted in to the lake. The lake has always been a well-liked place for children to swim, fish or canoe during the summer and ice skate during the winter. The alterations enhanced the lake for recreational activities. The early photographs prove that the lake has always been a place of beauty in the heart of the Manito Park’s neighborhood. Visitors can see ducks, swans, sea gulls and geese at Mirror pond. The screeching and quacking of sea gulls and ducks make quiet observation at the pond a near impossibility, but the thrill of feeding them continues to attract people from dawn to dusk. Many old trees around the lake are taken out and replaced with new ones, which are still maturing.

The loop drive allows vehicular access to several exalted views and to the gardens at Manito Park. You can access this road only during the non-winter months. Most of the park is visible from the top of loop drive. You can enjoy a great view of the five beautiful gardens, the pond, children’s playground etc. from loop drive. The view creates a good opportunity for taking photos of the nature, birds, landscape etc. to add to your social media accounts. It also has a charming stone bridge built in the early 1930s. The stone bridge reflect the same architectural style seen in many of the parks in the United States built in its early years.

Joel E Ferris perennial gardens is named after Joel E. Ferris who was a former park board member and civic leader. Today the perennial gardens are in full bloom throughout the year unless covered by snow. On the East side of the perennial garden you can find a memorial bird bath and a butterfly garden. During the spring the blooms attract butterflies in large number adding to the beauty of the park. The perennials are planted according to size and bloom time for the best effect. Throughout the growing season you will find bees cross pollenating and helping herbs and flowers. Through the pinnacle of many years of evolution, the perennial gardens carry more than 300 plants species of a variety of colors, textures and flower types. The floral display go on into late autumn with beds of asters and begins in the early spring with bulbs and primroses.

Rose hill is known for its beautiful collection of wild roses. The garden is a nice place to explore with family for a pleasant evening. The nursery is perfect for quiet contemplation. The garden has impressive quality and full grown versions of the plants. The Rose hill garden holds about 1500 rose bushes representing over 150 varieties and also about 200 varieties of hybrid tea, grandiflora, floribunda, ramblers, and roses of unusual colors like black and green and miniature roses. The stunning coleus and the older succulents rose are a feast to the eyes. The perfect landscaping is a bonus to take pictures at Rose hill. The garden is a riot of color and movement during spring and summer.

All America Rose selections gave Rose Hill the number one spot for its stellar collection. All America Rose selections is an NGO committed to the introduction and promotion of unusual roses.

Japanese gardens are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas to avoid artificial decoration and highlight the natural landscape. Japanese garden designers use plants and worn age materials to suggest an ancient and faraway natural landscape. The gardens express the vulnerability of existence as well as time’s unstoppable advance. The Japanese gardens are placed to be seen from a diagonal and are carefully collected into scenes that contrast right angles. 12 years of meticulous planning the Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden became a reality at Manito Park. Nishinomiya is the sister city of Spokane and it also symbolizes friendship. It is a complete Japanese tradition garden which has artistically placed garden elements, strolling pond style generating a beautiful garden. Time spent around the garden provides an intimacy with nature, inspiring tranquillity and peace. More accessible entrance and the addition of extremely large boulders were introduce lately in the gardens new design. Water, rocks and sand, garden bridges, stone lanterns and water basins, garden fences, gates and devices, trees and flowers and fish are the important garden elements considered in the Japanese gardens. Visitors can take a very tranquil and relaxing stroll while enjoying the calming effect of the garden. A perfect place to unwind, the swimming in the ponds is a recipe for relaxation.

Duncan garden designed in a classical European Renaissance style with bilateral symmetry, a central water feature and geometrical planting beds. Duncan gardens cover at least 3 acres of land in Manito Park. It also includes manicured turf areas and displays of colorful annual bedding plants. A large granite fountain highlights the center of the garden. A gazebo was constructed at the south end of the garden to celebrate Manito’s centennial. The pictures show the garden has had a variety of planting schemes, but the crucial architecture has remained the same.

Park Bench Café in Manito Park is ideal for a refreshing break after a walk or run, or for light meals during the afternoon for picnickers, or just to hangout with a group of friends. The café is located inside the park between Mirror pond and the perennial gardens. The café has a variety of pastries from Rockwood Bakery, wraps, salads, espresso drinks and more. The café is open from 7 am to 3 pm. The café also offers great view of the park.

The park has been identified as Best of Attractions – Spokane by a popular website called uptake.com. The website awards are based on a careful examination of customer feedback and ratings from across the web. A visit to the Manito Park will get you hooked on gardening. Gardening and caring for plants can do wonders for your own well-being. The physical exercise involved in gardening contributes to a healthy weight and blood pressure levels. Whether it is a picnic, a walk tour or a morning exercise routine Manito Park is a must visit attraction in Spokane. A wonderful chance to experience true nature, June through September is a good time to visit the park. The Gaiser conservatory is closed on thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It is also closed on frequent Wednesday’s for pest management. Plan your trip accordingly. Picnic tables at Manito are first come first served so keep that in mind especially on holidays. Clean up your picnic spot. You will always find a trash bin somewhere near you. Keep the garden as clean as possible it will help the whole community enjoy a day out like you.