Spokane’s Riverfront Park is a fun place for families to play.

Spokane, Wash., hosted the World’s Fair in 1974 to revive its blighted downtown. Many doubted that this small city of well under 200,000 could pull off an international event. But like the “Little Engine that Could,” the community rallied and created a 100-acre park hugging the Spokane River. Big-name companies and countries from around the world built exhibits and attractions luring in over 5 million people. The world’s smallest Expo was declared a big success.

Today, Riverfront Park continues to attract locals and visitors from all over. The river still cascades through its heart and when you walk along the many bridges and pathways that get you close to the roaring, rushing water, you can feel its refreshing sprays. A few highlights from World Expo ’74 still remain, such as a collection of carnival rides, and there are new things to check out. In a nutshell: This park offers nonstop fun for families and here’s a list of things you must do on a visit.

Spokane Falls Skyride gets you up close and person with a raging waterfall.

1) Get a close up view of the falls on the SkyRide. Like giant toys, window-filled gondolas hang over the country’s second-largest urban falls. Catch a ride in one and you’ll get a close up view of Spokane Falls as you drop down 200 feet and then travel back up. The ride lasts about 15 minutes.

2) Take a whirl on the carousel. Fifty-four beautifully hand-carved horses, one giraffe and one tiger populate this well-preserved masterpiece dating back to 1909. Which one should you hop on? Doesn’t matter as long as you get on the outside so you can pull plastic rings from the dispenser and toss them at the clown’s mouth.

3) Feed the goat garbage. Is it a real goat? No, it’s just a cool statue and if you press a button the goat sucks up garbage from you hand.

4) Glide across the ice at the Ice Palace. If you’re lucky to visit the park late October through February, you can glide across one of the best outdoor skating rinks in the country.

Love rides that make you dizzy? The Sizzler is for you.

5) Get tossed around on the Pavilion Amusement Rides.From the Tilt-A-Whirl to the Sizzler, these carnival-type rides will have you flying all over the place. Prefer something tamer? Try the Ferris wheel.

6) Catch a movie on a humongous screen. A projector the size of a Volkswagen beams movies up on a five-story-high screen. You feel as if you’re part of the action.

7) Tour the park on a train. This red train on wheels rolls through the park as the conductor highlights points of interest and historical facts. Thirty-minute ride.

8) Slide down a giant wagon. You can’t miss the giant Radio Flyer wagon. The cool thing about this gigantic sculpture by artist Ken Spiering is you can slide down the front of it. Spiering meant for the piece of artwork to be a symbol of childhood.