Things to Do in Coeur d'Alene

The Lincoln Center is a 29,000-square-foot art-deco facility housing ballrooms and meeting halls ideal for weddings, galas, awards ceremonies, and other events. The center has six varying and multifunctional rooms, ranging from 200-person ballrooms to libraries and art galleries.

For weddings, the staff can take care of floral arrangements and catering, while corporate event planners use stage lighting, audio-visual services, and Ozzy Osbourne to make quarterly profit reports more exciting. The stylish ballrooms are put to good use with events such as the Bling! in the New Year party and a beer showcase sponsored by New Belgium Brewery.

Fun Unlimited rents high-octane outdoor equipment to adventurers interested in waverunners, boats, and their own brand of standup paddle boards, among other items, and also leads jet ski and paddle board tours. Rental periods can last from one day to one week, so clients have enough time to whittle a whole family of mannequins out of balsa wood and take them on a cross-country road trip before returning the equipment.

Staffers at Vacation Sports Rentals loan boats, paddleboards, and floatation devices to aqueous adventurers to explore the pristine waterways of Lake Coeur d'Alene while soaking in its surrounding beaches and mountain views. Water vessels available for half- or full-day rental include the Larson Senza speedboat, 24-foot pontoon, and 2011 Sea-Doo waverunners. Four-, 8-, or 24-hour rentals facilitate water sports such as tubing and wakeboarding. In addition to the boats, Vacation Sports Rentals doles out wakeboards, skis, kneeboards, standup paddleboards, and tubes. Safety necessities such as life vests, paddles, and wetsuits keep athletes protected from injury and icky seaweed.

With the roar of engines, bikes pound through the dirt and fly over manmade mountains at Airway MotoCross Park. After quiet falls, the track is groomed by bulldozers to prepare for a schedule of races, special events, and tea-party-ruining competitions. As bikers slip past each other in mid air and spray up a mist of mud, fans cheer on a favorite to win a purse of up to $5,000. Patrons also suit themselves up during open-practice sessions on a track suitable for those of all skill levels and abilities.

Shot chases regulation birds hurtled from two voice-activated traps at Coeur d’Alene Skeet and Trap Club, where guests take aim at clays on three trap fields, a five-stand course, and four skeet fields, one of which is also voice activated. Each field hosts two annual shoots and tournaments for its 55 league teams, while visitors and more than 700 members test their clay-shattering skills with a variety of wobble games. Elsewhere, novices boost shotgun skills during lessons, ladies brush up on gun know-how at instructional clinics, and kids sample clay-target sports in the youth program. In between rounds and lessons, customers can visit the pro shop to restock on ammo or pick up a shotgun to mount and hang above the mantel.

More than 55 lakes—among them Lake Coeur d'Alene, Lake Pend Oreille, and Priest Lake—speckle the region around Coeur d'Alene, giving ospreys plenty of fish to dive after and outdoor adventurers many waterways to explore. The team at New Sun Adventures encourages these explorations by renting out a veritable armada of jet skis, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards.

Locals and tourists alike glide across the glassy waters of Hayden Lake in easy-to-maneuver Emotion Spitfire 8 kayaks or dart around Liberty Lake atop Surftech paddleboards. The company’s fleet of jet-powered Yamaha WaveRunners comes in handy when one needs to fly across the lake or settle a grudge by jousting with foam noodles. For those who prefer adventuring on dry land, New Sun Adventures plans to soon offer ATV rentals for rugged treks through the region’s national forests.