Things to do in Boise, Idaho

The things worth doing in any season

The Boise Foothills

The Ridge to Rivers network runs more than 200 miles of trail directly above town, and the Camel's Back Park trailhead — where the trail network meets the neighborhood — is a three-minute walk from our front door. Hike, trail-run or mountain bike. Spring and fall are the good seasons; summer means going early, and winter means the lower trails are often perfectly rideable while the mountains are buried.

The Boise River Greenbelt

Twenty-five miles of paved path along both banks of the Boise River, connecting downtown, Boise State, Julia Davis Park, Ann Morrison Park and points east and west. It is flat, it is shaded, and it is the single easiest way to see the city. About ten minutes by bike from the neighborhood.

The Basque Block

Boise has one of the largest Basque populations outside Europe, and the Basque Block on Grove Street downtown is where that shows: the Basque Museum & Cultural Center, the Basque Market, Bar Gernika, and a handful of restaurants. Order pintxos — Basque small plates, cousin to tapas. It is the most distinctive thing about eating in Boise.

Downtown and the arts

• Freak Alley Gallery — the largest outdoor mural gallery in the Northwest, and free.
• Egyptian Theatre — a restored 1927 movie palace still showing films and hosting concerts.
• Boise Art Museum and the Idaho State Museum, both in Julia Davis Park.
• Idaho State Capitol — open to the public, geothermally heated, and genuinely worth the twenty minutes.
• Old Idaho Penitentiary — a decommissioned territorial prison you can walk through, out past the Botanical Garden.

Spring — March to May

The foothills go green, the trails dry out, and the city's event calendar wakes up.

• Treefort Music Fest in late March takes over downtown for five days with hundreds of artists across a dozen venues, plus its offshoot "forts" for film, comedy, food and yoga. It is the biggest weekend on the Boise calendar.
• Race to Robie Creek in April, billed as the toughest half marathon in the Northwest, sells out within minutes of registration opening.
• Idaho Botanical Garden is at its best in April and May.
• The Capital City Public Market and the Boise Farmers Market both start up in April and run Saturdays through fall.
• Spring is also the right time for Snake River Valley wine country — the Sunnyslope tasting rooms near Caldwell are about 45 minutes west.

Summer — June to August

Hot, dry, and long-evening'd. Boise summers routinely hit the mid-90s in the afternoon and cool off beautifully after eight, which is why the courtyard fire pit gets more use in July than you would expect.

• Float the Boise River. Rent a raft or tube at Barber Park (southeast edge of town, about 15 minutes by car), drift about six miles down to Ann Morrison Park, catch the shuttle back. Roughly two to three hours. The single most Boise thing you can do.
• Idaho Shakespeare Festival runs late May through September at an outdoor amphitheater on the eastern edge of town, backed by a nature reserve. Bring a blanket; it cools off fast after sunset.
• Alive After Five, free Wednesday-evening concerts downtown through the summer.
• Music on the Mountain — free Saturday concerts at Bogus Basin (Boise's ski area, 35 minutes north), at 7,000 feet, roughly twenty degrees cooler than town.
• Zoo Boise and the Discovery Center of Idaho, both in or near Julia Davis Park, for the family half of the group.
• Bogus Basin in summer — mountain coaster, mountain biking, and the ride up.

Fall — September to November

The best season, and not a close contest. Warm days, cold nights, the foothills turn gold, and the crowds thin.

• Boise State football on the famous blue turf — the first non-green football field in the country, and still its most recognizable. Home game weekends fill the city's lodging — book well ahead.
• Hyde Park Street Fair in September closes 13th Street for a weekend of music, food and craft booths, three doors from the house.
• Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic over Labor Day weekend, with dawn launches from Ann Morrison Park.
• Art in the Park, a 70-year-old open-air art show in Julia Davis Park.
• Foothills hiking peaks in October. So does the drive up Bogus Basin Road for the aspens.

Winter — December to February

Boise itself gets relatively little snow — the mountains get it instead, which is a good arrangement for a visitor.

• Bogus Basin, a 35-minute drive up the mountain road directly north of the neighborhood, with skiing under lights most winter evenings. See the full ski trip guide.
• Winter Garden aGlow at the Idaho Botanical Garden — hundreds of thousands of lights, late November through the end of December.
• Idaho Potato Drop on New Year's Eve downtown. Yes, really. It is free and it is fun.
• Ballet Idaho's Nutcracker in December, with live orchestra.
• Lower foothills trails often stay clear and hikeable all winter. And the hot tub is better in January than in July.

Day trips worth the drive