Picnics at Manito Park

Manito Park in Spokane Washington is a great place to have a family picnic, especially this time of year. Manito Park is coming into full bloom and as the weather warms, one of the many picnic spots are a great way to spend a beautiful afternoon.

Here are some picnic ideas next time you go to Manito Park.


1. Picnic On The Green
There are countless stretches of grass under the shade of trees or out in the sun where families can enjoy a picnic at Manito Park. Bring a picnic lunch, blanket and a frisbee or glove and ball and enjoy one of Manito Park's grassy green spots for an afternoon picnic.



2. Picnic Tables
There are several picnic tables around Manito Park, particularly near the main entrance. I've seen many a folks having a birthday party, family get-together or just an afternoon of sun and fun at one of the many picnic tables at Manito Park. Picnic tables at Manito are first come first served so keep that in mind, especially on holidays and get there early if you want a good picnic table. Please clean up after yourself, leaving the park better than when you found it. There is nearly always a trash bin close by, so take advantage and keep Manito Park clean for so the whole community can enjoy picnics at the park. Many of the tables are also close to the children playgrounds, so families of all sizes and ages are sure to have a good time.




3. Picnic Structure
The main picnic shelter near the Main Entrance to Manito Park is available by reservation only. There is a sign posted near the front of the structure with a phone number on it, so make sure you make reservations for the structure before setting up your picnic.

That said, the Manito Park picnic shelter is a great place for receptions, family reunions, outdoor corporate picnics, birthdays or anniversaries. The shelter does have a bbq grill inside it, but it likely isn't enough to service several people. The main shelter at Manito Park is a great place to picnic, just make sure you reserve it before you setup shop. They get real grumpy if you don't contact them about using it before you picnic.

There are many places at Manito Park that are good for enjoying a picnic in the park. So grab your kids, a sack lunch and some outdoor toys and head over to Manito Park for an outdoor picnic. As always, respect the park, clean up after yourselves, no loud music or alcohol. So what are you waiting for? Get over to Manito Park for a picnic today!

Manito Park Japanese Garden Rules

Here are the rules posted for visitors to the Japanese Gardens at Manito Park in Spokane Washington.

1. No Dogs allowed. They would like it if you did not bring your dog into the Japanese Garden at Manito Park.

2. No Food Allowed. Do not feed the koi fish, and do not bring food into the garden. If you have a coffee with you when you enter, please be considerate and do not litter.

3. Stay on the paved pathways. There is a gravel path through the Japanese garden.

4. Keep off the grass. This one is a bit redundant - because if you stay on the paths, then by default you will stay off the grass. But they must have believed it was necessary to say it twice. You know, the department of redundancy department.

5. No bicycles or skateboards. Not sure how one would skateboard inside the garden on gravel paths, but we suppose it had to be said for some reason. Navigating the gravel paths in the Japanese Garden at Manito Park would be tricky anyway, so avoid the trouble and leave your bike outside.

6. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. This makes sense, although assumes the adult accompanying the child under 12 is more mature than the child.

7. Use fish viewing areas to access the water. Not sure how else the water would be accessed, but okay. I think this is related to #3 and #4 - stay on the paths.

8. Do not touch fish or wildlife. Yuck the koi pond looked filthy last weekend, only touch the fish if you want a disease.

9. No commercial photography is allowed except for reserved weddings. Apparently they want to control photography of the garden and only grant the privilege to those who pay the fee. Those of us amateurs with point-and-shoot cameras are okay.

10. This is not a playground (duh), it is made for enjoying the beauty and for meditation. Okay, except, how ignorant do they think I am exactly, wait - I don't want to know.

11. Please show respect for the garden and other guests. Yes, please don't be annoying, loud, rude and be nice. Seems simple enough.

These are the 11 rules posted outside the Japanese Garden at Manito Park in Spokane Washington. For more information about Manito Park, visit http://www.manitopark.org/.