What are some of the best things to do in Boise? Boise is a beautiful Pacific Northwest city that offers various tourist destinations, including natural and man-made attractions. Boise, the state capital of Idaho, is home to lovely parks, top-notch museums, day trips, excellent restaurants, and distinctive attractions.
Visit the bustling Capital City Public Market, see modern art at the downtown Boise Art Museum, and take in breathtaking views from the downtown Boise River Greenbelt. For those who enjoy being outside, the neighborhood and neighboring areas both provide a variety of exciting activities. You can also visit the Idaho Black History Museum while you’re there.
This list of the best things to do in Boise is provided in this article.
Best Things To Do In Boise
Boise is an excellent destination for families since it offers a wide variety of appropriate activities for children as well. These activities include zoos, aquariums, and even an unusual attraction in the shape of a first-world center for birds solely devoted to raptors and other birds of prey.
If you are traveling with your family, Boise will not disappoint you.
So, now let’s look into the best things to do in Boise:
1. Visiting Julia Davis Park In Downtown Boise
Julia Davis Park is a must-visit location if you’re looking for the best entertaining things to do in Boise, Idaho. This park is located near the Boise River in downtown Boise. Several parks are along the riverbank, but this one is perhaps the most beautiful.
There are a lot of beautiful things to do in Boise. There are numerous museums and even a zoo on the grounds of Julia Davis Park. It’s ideal for outdoor activities, and all 43 acres are well-kept. Julia Davis Park has a plethora of one-of-a-kind activities available to you, even if all you do is sit back and take in the splendor of your setting and the present moment. Every day from 7 a.m. until midnight, Julia Davis Park is open.
2. Guru Donuts
Boise’s Guru Donuts is a great location for coffee and possibly a sweet treat. Guru Donuts, another hidden gem in downtown Boise, offers a fantastic variety of freshly prepared donuts. Guru Donuts is a must-visit if you’re seeking locations to go for delicious meals.
The Idanha Hotel serves as the home of the headquarters for Guru Donuts. It is evident from tasting their products and observing the personnel’s passion that they put a lot of effort into each menu items. The fact that Guru Donuts offers vegan and gluten-free donuts shows just how well they accommodate various tastes and dietary requirements. On your visit, take the opportunity to enjoy one of their fantastic donuts. Guru Donuts is open every Tuesday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
3. Boise River Greenbelt
The Boise River Greenbelt is a park that encircles the Boise River for 25 miles. Boise River Greenbelt is a well-known and adored park with a tree-lined path that runs through the city center of Boise and offers animals and picturesque views.
After cleaning the Boise River and its banks, the city bought land parcels to build the sizable greenbelt. This is a terrific region to explore if you’re seeking outdoor activities in Boise, Idaho. A ten-mile self-guided bike ride, horseback riding or hike that includes a historical scavenger hunt is also available in Boise River Greenbelt in addition to walking routes. Trails like the Idaho Birding Trail and the Bethine Church Boise River Path are available in the Boise River Greenbelt.
4. Idaho Botanical Garden
The Idaho Botanical Garden, situated on 50 acres of ground off Old Idaho State Penitentiary Road, was previously the farm and nursery of the Old Idaho Penitentiary State Prison.
The Idaho Botanical Garden was built in 1984. The rose garden comprises various distinct gardens, such as the English Garden, Cactus Garden, and Alpine Garden. Several classes and workshops, including Garden on the Road and Nature Detective, are offered at the Idaho Botanical Garden. Several other events are also held there, including musical concerts, the Foothills Walk, the Grow the Garden Party, and more.
5. Boise Art Museum
The Boise Art Museum is home to a collection of modern art and exhibitions on Julia David Drive. The museum first opened as the Boise Gallery of Art in 1938, and in 1973 it underwent renovations to add more than 10,000 square feet to the structure.
The current building is 34,800 square feet in size after a 1997 extension. The museum also features a sculpture court, a museum store, an education wing, an outdoor gym, and other structures besides its primary structure. One of the top things to do in Boise, Idaho, for art lovers and enthusiasts is to visit the Boise Art Museum. In addition to its permanent collection, the museum also holds several special events and temporary exhibitions.
6. Discovery Center Of Idaho
The Discovery Center of Idaho is an interactive science facility on West Myrtle Street. The discovery center of Idaho’s mission is to encourage people to develop an interest in engineering, mathematics, science, and technology.
The facility contains over 200 exhibits. They include the Turbulent Orb, Centripetal Wheel, and Bubble Wall, among others. The discovery center also offers classes on Saturdays during the academic year in addition to permanent exhibits, rotating exhibitions, and camps for kids during school breaks. This one-of-a-kind location should be your first stop if you are looking for things to do in Boise with children. Other activities include Young Discoverers for children ages three to five and Adult Night, which features local food, drinks, and live music.
7. Aquarium In Boise
The Aquarium of Boise, found on North Cole Road, is a hands-on aquarium that opened its doors to the public in 2011. The aquarium, once known as the Idaho Aquarium, was constructed in a 10,000-square-foot warehouse that had been renovated, and it continues to expand as new shows are occasionally added.
The aquarium has interactive touch tanks that let guests get up close and personal with sea creatures like coral, crabs, rays, sharks, and starfish. The primary attractions consist of a shark nursery, a gigantic octopus tank, and a coral reef habitat, amongst other things. Also, brand-new exhibits like a marine science lab and an aviary for birds exist.
8. Hulls Gulch Reserve
The Grove and Lower Hulls Gulch are two hiking routes that may be found within Hulls Gulch Reserve. The 292-acre reserve is north of downtown Boise at the foot of the foothills.
The creek originating in the foothills and flowing through the reserve gives the place its name. There are over 150 miles of hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and running routes. Visitors can enjoy glimpses of a wide range of species on the reserve, including birds like the great horned owl, reptiles like lizards and snakes, and mammals like coyotes, mule deer, and red foxes. The Jim Hall Foothills Learning Center gives visitors environmental and preservation education.
9. Boise Farmers Market
Going to the local farmer’s market will always be one of the top things to do in Boise. You might discover a lot about a community’s pride when you observe how active a community’s market is. The Boise Farmers Market is fantastic because it offers customers and sellers a wonderful setting.
This is an excellent opportunity to sample food from the surrounding area. You’ll quickly discover that this state is more than just a state of potatoes. When visiting the Boise Farmers Market, you may taste fantastic wine, cheese, and meats.
Everyone participating is valued at the Boise Farmers Market. Its exploration is a worthwhile, cost-free activity. Have a look at it and see how much you like it. It is only open on Saturdays between April and October, and the hours are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
10. Visit The Morrison-Knudsen Nature Center
The Morrison-Knudsen Nature Center, an excellent location for experiencing nature, is close to downtown Boise. Come here if you’ve needed reminders that there is a world outside of mobile devices and social media.
The Morrison-Knudsen Nature Center offers excellent opportunities to have nature lovers learn about the natural world. Learn about all life forms at the Morrison-Knudsen Nature Center, including those with wings, fins, and leaves. They also provide entertaining things to do in Boise, like scavenger hunts. The Stream Walk is a great activity that allows you to take in numerous breathtaking sights. If you love nature and are looking for outdoor activities, visiting this place is a fabulous idea.
Even if you cannot view all the sights, you should still feel satisfied. It is open every Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m..
11. Boise Trolley Tours
The Boise Trolley Tours, located on North Garden Street, provides a range of excursions from locals with in-depth knowledge of the city center’s attractions. Every day from May through September, the firm offers 75-minute narrated tours of historic downtown Boise in open-air replica trolley cars.
In addition to other fascinating locations, tours go to the Basque Block, the Idaho State Capitol building, Hyde Park, and Warm Springs homes. The company offers unique tours, such as the 21+ Halloween Tours that transport guests by trolley to the Old Pen’s Frightened Felons Event. The 31-passenger Ms. Molly Trolley is a well-liked vehicle that may be used for private occasions like weddings and celebrations.
12. Kathryn Albertson Park
The 41-acre Kathryn Albertson Park is one of several riverside parks named after significant local women. In 1989 Kathryn McCurry Albertson and her husband gave the city the park. Paved walking trails, various fauna, and gazebos that may be reserved for special events are all present in the park.
A fountain and various ponds are also seen at Kathryn Albertson Park. The park’s animals and natural themes are described on signs engraved in big rocks that line the trails. The park’s vegetation was chosen to provide shelter and sustenance to the local fauna.
13. World Center for Birds of Prey
The Peregrine Fund, established in 1970 to safeguard endangered raptors, has its headquarters at the World Center for Birds of Prey on West Flying Hawk Lane.
The world center for Birds, constructed in 1984, is located on a hilltop 580 acres above Boise. The Velma Morrison Interpretive Center, bird aviary, raptor breeding facilities, the Archives of Falconry, and the Fund’s headquarters are all located at the center. This interpretive cultural center, built in 1992, offers interactive displays, multi-media performances, and live demonstrations. Many unique events are held at the facility, which also gives tours.
14. Basque Museum & Cultural Center
The Basque Museum & Cultural Center, which is on West Grove Street, emphasizes the history and culture of the Basque people. It was founded in 1985 and is the country’s only Basque Museum cultural center.
The Cyrus Jacobs-Uberuaga House, the former city center’s oldest brick building and a former boardinghouse for Basques, now serves as the basque museum cultural center’s home. The basque museum aims to promote and preserve Basque history and culture. As the city where Basque immigrants first moved to the United States, Boise has a special place in Basque culture and history. There are tours offered for groups and schools at the museum.
15. Capital City Public Market
The Capital City Public Market opened its doors in the early 1990s as an outdoor market and features more than 150 vendors from the greater Boise area today. Capital City Public Market, which spans four blocks in Boise’s downtown, is the place to go if you want to sample some fresh vegetables from Idaho.
Conclusion
It is safe to say that Boise, Idaho, is one of the most entertaining cities in the western region of the United States. There are so many fantastic things to do in Boise, many of which are free. In Boise, you can find fantastic things to do year-round, whether you visit in the winter, summer, spring, or fall. Plan to visit this fabulous capital city as soon as you can. Hopefully, the surroundings, hospitality, and food will make you smile. It’s a city that goes above and beyond for anyone.
Last Updated on by Pragya Chakrapani
