Urban and outdoors mix to make Spokane a destination must, according to popular travel website TripAdvisor

Spokane was one of seven “rising U.S. cities” named as top-tier bucket list destinations for 2019, according to a popular travel website.

TripAdvisor said Lilac City is “a mixture of urban chic and outdoor adventures that has something for everyone.”

The website cites several must-see things and must-do activities: tasting food at The Wandering Table, listening to live music at The Bartlett or the Spokane Symphony at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox, riding the SkyRide over Spokane Falls and feeding the Garbage-Eating Goat at Riverfront Park.

Kate Hudson, spokeswoman for convention and visitors bureau Visit Spokane, said out-of-state travelers typically enjoy Spokane’s hiking and skiing options, bustling downtown core and views of Spokane Falls.

“The falls is always as stunner,” she said. “I think the thing about Spokane is we are underestimated. I don’t think people realize we are a four-season destination with an interesting mix of urban and natural landscapes.”

Hudson said there’s been an increase in tourism over the past five years, with the city drawing more than $1.3 billion in tourism spending in 2017.

“I expect it to be more next year,” she said.

Adam Hegsted, chef and a James Beard Award regional semifinalist, said Spokane is becoming more of a destination for travelers.

Hegsted, who is owner of the Eat Food Group of restaurants that includes The Wandering Table, The Yards Bruncheon and The Gilded Unicorn, said his establishments attract people not only from the Northwest but from across the United States.

“The food scene has helped definitely develop the region,” he said. “We’re able to create things that are a little bit neat.

“In general, it’s a good time and place to be in Spokane.”

The six other cities TripAdvisor named as travel hot spots include Annapolis, Maryland; Reno, Nevada; Richmond, Virginia; Louisville, Kentucky; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Tucson, Arizona.