Coeur d’Alene, Idaho is a great place to live and raise kids. This beautiful Pacific Northwest area is also a memorable destination to visit on a family vacation. Our family has lived in CDA for more than 5 years and we’ve made lots of fun memories. Families can choose from a variety of indoor and outdoor activities to easily fill up any weekend. These 15 family activities in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho promise fun and adventure for the whole family!
Skate Plaza
Skate Plaza roller skating rink in Coeur D’Alene offers public skating as well as event and party rentals. This facility also hosts roller derby and has a video game arcade and snack bar. We’ve spent several fun family afternoons at the local Coeur D’Alene skating rink. The skating rink also offers discount admission on specific days of the week, as well as deals on skate rentals.
Splash Pads
After Memorial Day, Coeur d’Alene opens up the neighborhood and city park splash pads. A handful of local parks have splash pads including McEuen Park, Landings Park and Bluegrass Park. Splash pads add extra fun to a neighborhood park because kids can play in the splash pad and then dry off by playing on the nearby playground. Many of Coeur d’Alene’s splash pads have motion sensors to conserve water usage during less busy times of the day.
Triple Play Family Fun Park
Triple Play Family Fun Park is a favorite Saturday activity for our family. This family fun center includes a water park, bowling alley, large arcade, go-karts, laser tag, mini golf and bumper boats. Kids and adults can try out the low and high ropes courses. Triple Play in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho is a popular destination for birthday parties, Prom after parties and special occasions.
Riverstone 14
Looking forward to seeing a new movie that’s coming out? Coeur D’Alene, Idaho has a great movie theater with 14 auditoriums and a spacious concession area. Our family has seen several memorable movies at Regal Riverstone Stadium 14 including Avengers, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and The Greatest Showman. Regal Riverstone shows first-run feature films using digital projection. The theater offers stadium seating, a game room and concessions such as popcorn, candy and beverages.
Sunset Bowling Center
Next,bowling night is a fun and competitive family activity for all ages! Sunset Bowling Center has 24 high quality lanes for both standard and thunder extreme bowling. You can play a standard bowling game or test your skills in one of their bowling leagues. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights are perfect for a family bowling night; pay just 99 cent per game for bowling from 9:00pm until closing at Sunset Lanes.
Boardwalk Marina
A walk along the boardwalk on Lake Coeur D’Alene is the perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon and get some exercise too. You can also rent a boat, buy fishing supplies or eat lunch near the Boardwalk Marina. Our family has enjoyed many gorgeous lake views from the downtown Coeur D’Alene wooden boardwalks. We’ve discovered that walking down the boardwalk is the next best thing to being on the water!
Lake Coeur D’Alene
Of course, if you can get out on the water, exploring the lake is always an adventurous experience! Lake Coeur D’Alene is very accessible and you can enjoy it in so many ways. Families can go swimming and play on the sandy beaches. Kayaking and paddleboarding are other popular Coeur D’Alene activities for enjoying Lake Coeur D’Alene. You can also rent a boat and a few jet-skis for your family to spend a playful afternoon on the water. If you have your own boat, the various Lake Coeur D’Alene boat launches make it relatively simple to enter and exit the water at your leisure. Coeur D’Alene’s numerous lakes and relaxing local culture make this Pacific Northwest area a popular summer vacation destination!
Fort Sherman Playground
Fort Sherman Park is located West of downtown Coeur D’Alene near the Museum of North Idaho. This playground is especially fun for kids, featuring castle-like wooden play structures, bridges, slides, narrow walkways and climbing walls. Fort Sherman Park is our favorite place to visit among all of Coeur D’Alene’s local playgrounds. The spacious playground is surrounded by a wooden wall to keep kids contained and lots of nooks and corners perfect for playing hide and seek. This interactive wooden playground is also close to the Fort Sherman Park public bathrooms.
Tubbs Hill Nature Trails
Furthermore, Tubbs Hill is another favorite local family destination. Families with kids of all ages can enjoy the Tubbs Hill Nature Trails in downtown Coeur d’Alene. Many of the trails are casual hikes with gorgeous views of the lake. Along the way, you can find historical points and miles of natural scenery. Tubbs Hill is a fun place to look for colorfully painted rocks that kids often leave on the trails, as a geocaching-inspiring community activity.
Museum of North Idaho
Run by local volunteers, the Museum of North Idaho has a collection of items and artifacts relevant to Idaho’s history. Families with older kids will enjoy examining the exhibits featuring beaded Indian bags, a steamboat model and old mining tools. A visit to the local museum is a great way to discover the local history of this beautiful area!
Honeysuckle Beach
Honeysuckle Beach is a great recreational beach park in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Located in the Hayden neighborhood area, this beach is less busy than the downtown beaches. Families can swim in Hayden Lake, play on the sandy lakefront shore, or use the volleyball court, picnic area and public boat access. This park beach is close to public restrooms and a concession stand. The beach also has a public fishing dock.
English Point Recreation Area
The English Point Recreation Area is a perfect destination for a short afternoon family walk any time of the year. This popular recreation area offers a number of trails of various distances. Our family has enjoyed the 2 to 3 mile loops with our young kids. We’ve seen people pushing strollers and walking dogs along these scenic hiking trails. Although practically in town, the English Point hiking trails are still surrounded by tall pine trees and lined with soft ferns. Visitors to the area commonly enjoy hiking, bike riding, horseback riding, or birdwatching along these trails.
Silverwood Theme Park
Silverwood Theme Park is a popular summer destination located just 30 minutes North of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. This theme park and water park is the largest in the American Northwest, with 413 acres of land and more than 70 rides, slides, shows and attractions. Silverwood is the northernmost theme park in the United States.
The park features high intensity rollercoasters including Tremors, Timber Terror, Corkscrew and Aftershock as well as thrill seeker rides such as Panic Plunge and SpinCycle. Families will also enjoy the Magic Show and Boulder Beach water park which includes several wave pools, a lazy river and many water slides.
Silverwood’s kids area has a great selection of fun rides for young kids, including a small kids’ Krazy Koaster, Tiny Toot Train Coaster and Frog Hopper. See our tips for taking toddlers to Silverwood! Of course, you can’t leave without sampling Silverwood’s generous servings of delicious ‘single’ scoop ice cream. We typically purchase season passes and our family has spent many happy days at Silverwood Theme Park.
Farragut State Park
If your family enjoys camping, Farragut State Park is another local gem just waiting to be discovered. Athol’s Farragut State Park is a spacious wilderness preserve covering 4,000 acres. It offers hiking trails, bike routes and equestrian trails. The park is open throughout the year and has several hundred camping sites available for reservation. We often go hiking at Farragut with our family in the summer.
Lake Pend Oreille
Outside of the popular Coeur d’Alene tourist area, Lake Pend Oreille is the largest lake in Idaho with a surface area of 148 square miles. This beautiful lake is a great destination for boating, fishing and tubing. It’s by far our family’s favorite lake to explore. The Farragut Boat Launch in Athol, Idaho is an easy access point for small boats and kayaks onto Lake Pend Oreille, with plenty of parking and a large dock. Once on the lake, you can explore for hours, soak up the sun, go fishing and enjoy tubing behind your boat. Lake Pend Oreille is often not very crowded because it’s such a large lake, with beautiful wooded views of hills and valleys on all sides.
The Coeur d’Alene, Idaho area offers so much natural beauty alongside interactive family activities. Our family has enjoyed making great memories while doing these fun family activities in Coeur d’Alene Idaho.
Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 4 kids in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, creative projects, photography, and traveling. I’ve previously worked as a web designer, journalist, and barista. I hope you enjoy our creative projects and family adventures!