Garden District Driving Tour | Coeur d’Alene, Idaho’s Historic Gem Welcome to our exclusive driving tour of the Garden District—Coeur d’Alene’s newly designated Historic District! 🌲🏡 Located just east of downtown Coeur d’Alene, the Garden District is a charming and walkable neighborhood filled with tree-lined streets, historic Craftsman homes, and a timeless, peaceful vibe. This area is now officially recognized for its architectural and cultural significance, reflecting early 20th-century development when Coeur d’Alene was growing as a timber and tourism hub. From bungalow-style homes to stately early-century residences, the Garden District offers a unique blend of history, character, and location—all within minutes of Lake Coeur d’Alene, Tubbs Hill, and Sherman Avenue. 🔍 Search for Homes in the Garden District: https://destinationliving.co 📘 Explore Coeur d’Alene Like a Local – Get the Everything Guide: https://destinationliving.co/everythi… Whether you’re relocating, investing, or dreaming of your next home, this tour gives you a true feel for one of the most beloved neighborhoods in CDA. Be sure to like, subscribe, and leave a comment if you’d like a personalized tour or home search! #GardenDistrictCDA #HistoricDistrict #CoeurdAleneRealEstate #IdahoLiving #DestinationLiving #MovingToIdaho #CDAHomes
Welcome to the heart of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where history and charm intertwine in the newly designated Historic Garden District. As of May 2025, this beloved neighborhood has earned its place on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its rich architecture, heritage, and vibrant community spirit. The Garden District is nestled just north of Sherman Avenue, bounded by Montana Avenue, on the south side, Lakeside Avenue, west side, Fifth Street, and on the east side, we have Eleventh Street.
This area encompasses a tapestry of early 20th century homes with over 500 primary structures and nearly 400 outbuildings, reflecting the architectural evolution from 1890 to 1940. Many residents love the Garden District for its walkability. Strolling through, you’ll encounter tree-lined streets adorned with a diverse array of historic homes.
From classic craftsmen bungalows to elegant Queen Anne and Tudor Revival styles, the neighborhood showcases the craftsmanship of a bygone era. While the Garden District is primarily residential, as you can see up here, it does have a sprinkling of thoughtfully integrated commercial spaces that reflect the neighborhood’s charm. There are small cafes and boutiques on 7th and 8th Street down near Sherman.
They have houses that have been converted into boutique retail spaces or even quiet coffee shops. There’s also professional offices in historic homes and a few buildings that are closer to the district’s southern edge have been adapted into law offices, real estate agencies, or even consulting firms. There’s also bed and breakfast, vacation rentals, and the community garden and park spaces.
The park here in the Garden District is a neighborhood hub where families love to enjoy picnics, kids play, residents walk their dogs. They also do informal community meetups and events. It’s just an awesome, awesome gathering space that so many people love.
And while we’re talking about being outside and taking advantage of everything that Coeur d’Alene has to offer as far as the outdoors go, let’s talk about walking times from the Garden District. So down to Sherman Avenue where all of the shops and restaurants are located, it’s about five to ten minutes depending on the exact location that you’re at. To downtown where the resort is located, about 12 to 15 minutes.
And to Tubbs Hill or the lakefront at McEwen Park, about 15 to 18 minutes on foot. This just goes to show again why the Garden District is appealing to those looking for charm, location, and community. As we continue this beautiful tour, I want to circle back around and let you know a little bit more about the journey to secure the Garden District’s place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Initiated in 2018 by local residents who were passionate about preserving their neighborhood’s heritage, the process involved meticulous research, collaboration among various commissions, and overcoming unforeseen challenges. So in 2018, like we just said, the residents of the Garden District approached historian Robert Singletary. He was then the chair of the Kootenai County Historic Preservation Commission.
They wanted to explore the possibility of listing their neighborhood on the National Register and thought he would be the one to get things going. In 2019, the Kootenai County Historic Preservation Commission received a grant from the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office to conduct a reconnaissance survey. The architectural historian Sharon Boswell was engaged to assess the district’s historical significance with assistance from the KCHPC members and local volunteers.
There were two years filled with back-end work and finally in 2021, a comprehensive survey of approximately 530 buildings within the Garden District was submitted to the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office, marking a significant step towards nomination. In 2022, the newly formed Coeur d’Alene Historic Preservation Commission took over the project. They applied for additional state grants to prepare the official nomination documents for the National Register.
And finally, in May 2025, the Garden District was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its rich architectural diversity and historical importance to Coeur d’Alene. As you can see driving through, the Garden District just exudes a warm, family-friendly atmosphere. Residents enjoy the convenience of being within walking distance to downtown Coeur d’Alene, shops, restaurants, and churches.
The neighborhood just has such a good feel and it’s remotely flat, so the walkability everywhere is pretty easy and very, very enjoyable. A lot of the homes in the Garden District have alley access driveways, so the front of your house can be kept as welcoming and inviting, and the backside is where you have your private entrance to your garage where you can keep your garbage cans and all the stuff like that. So, it really does help to keep the neighborhood clean looking and just really historic and beautiful for what it is.
Now that we’ve talked about the incredible milestone we achieved in the Historic Registry, let’s talk about the neighbors and what they like to do. The neighborhood’s charm goes beyond its historic architecture. It’s also about the people who live there and the vibrant, engaged culture that they maintain.
True to its name, the Garden District has lush, mature greenery and flower-filled yards. Residents often participate in seasonal planting, yard work, and neighborhood beautification projects. They even have a shared harvest community garden.
Located on Foster Avenue, this garden allows residents to grow their own produce, share harvests, and even donate access to local food banks.
It’s also a gathering place for workshops and seasonal planting events.
With the amazing front porches, people love to gather and have block parties and gatherings. A lot of neighbors know each other very well and host regular gatherings, especially during the summer. Local volunteers also help plan community events like the annual historic home tours, holiday light walks, and now celebrations tied to the new historic district designation.
For the next couple minutes, enjoy the drive and soak in the beauty of this neighborhood.
The lush greenery, these towering mature trees. I mean, look at these trees. They are absolutely massive.
It feels like you’re in a beautiful, private little tunnel. And take in the rich variety of architectural styles that give each home its own personality.
Coming up on the right is the park that we were talking about.
It’s a pretty quick little spin over there to it, but that is the hub of the community. There are so many fun things to do there. Kids love it.
On these beautiful days, there’s no place better to have a picnic. Well, actually down at McEwen, right next to the lake might be a little bit of a better spot to do a picnic, but you hear me. You are 15 minutes away.
You can walk down to the lake again.
It is just prime location to be in the heart of Coeur d’Alene
One quirky little fact about the garden district is that there are no stop signs at some four-way stops. So as you’re driving through, you do try to be a little bit careful and cautious to everybody else on the road as you all yield to one another. But yeah, that’s kind of a fun fact is, you know, no four-way stops.
So we are coming back up to the park on your left, the one that we kind of zoomed by earlier. You can see a little more of that. There’s a pergola, there’s a grass area, there’s the playground.
There’s just a lot that that has to offer. So we just want to say one last time, congratulations Coeur d’Alene! This achievement underscores the dedication of local residents and preservationists in honoring and safeguarding the unique character of the garden district for future generations.
We really do live in such a special community filled with wonderful, wonderful people. We’re so glad you were here to watch this driving video of the beautiful garden district in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. If you have any questions or want to look up some homes that may be for sale in the garden district, go to our website at www.destinationliving.co. If you have any other questions or would like to schedule your own tour with us, give us a call. Don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d love to hear from you.
