Planned a last minute trip to Boise to visit my best friend, his wife and 2 year old. They've recently moved to Boise and don't have great bearings yet.

Any "super mobile 2 year old" friendly suggestions for Boise?

There is a famous bird of prey/raptor sanctuary just outside of Boise. We loved this. Sorry I can't recall the name.

cohibasymas said:

---

There is a famous bird of prey/raptor sanctuary just outside of Boise. We loved this. Sorry I can't recall the name.

---

Visit | The Peregrine Fund

They also have a cool park with stream aquariums in it with trout and other fish in them called the "StreamWalk" (MK Nature Center | Idaho Fish and Game). It is a pretty cool place as well.

Camelsback Park is also pretty cool. Big sandy hills with trails going up and down them and a nice view of the city from the top. Good place to take a kid to wear them out running up and down the hill.

I spend a ton of time and Boise and I absolutely love it. I'm a bit jealous. I would love to live there with my family. But as a tourist, they don't have a bunch of huge draws.

Here's a scattershot for yourself, your friends, and maybe the kid.

Their park system is top notch. The greenbelt is connected to some really nice parks. Drop in at any of the parks and run around. The Boise River Park has some paddlesports and a beach. It'll obviously be too cold to swim.

I've not been to the zoo, but that's probably a good option for a 2 year old. There's also the Birds of Prey Center and MK Center mentioned above.

Camel's Back and Table Rock are nice little hikes in town.

The Old Penitentiary Site by the botanical gardens is a really nice tour. The kid won't be interested. The Botanical Gardens might be worth a stop with the kid though, if they have their Christmas lights up yet.

Downtown, there's the Freak Art Gallery that's worth a walk through since it's your first time. There's a nice game store downtown called Fantastic Games with a huge selection of kids games (even for little ones).

There's a new food hall by the convention center that is really well done. Neighbor Tim's BBQ has really solid Texas Barbecue - he's got a location there and then one over in Garden City.

The Wylder is my favorite food in town and maybe in all of Idaho - tremendous pizzas (half honeybadger, half broco, with a fried egg on top). It's probably not ideal for kids at night, but it's certainly worth a visit. So if you get a chance - check it out. It might be a good lunch spot for y'all. They don't do reservations and limit their pickup orders, so order early if you get it to go.

Coa de Jima is a not-kid place with fantastic Mexican (with a Spanish influence) downtown. Worth putting on their radar for a possible date night. Now that I think about it, there aren't a lot of families doing dinner downtown.

Their sister restaurant, Barbocoa is southeast of downtown, but is a sight to behold. It would probably be another date night spot. But I've seen kids there before.

Chip Cookies has some great cookies. Like, seriously worth a stop. The STIL is my choice for ice cream among the options downdown.

For the new locals, tell them to check into JUMP (Jack's Urban Meeting Place). They have a lot of cool events and their building is bonkers and includes slides on the roof and some fun equipment for bigger kids. Boise also has a really nice Library system. Something for them to keep in mind.

Boise is also a pretty nice little beer town. Barbarian, Mother Earth, and Western Collective are my favorite stops.

Do with that what you will.

Also, warn the family that at some point, they are mandated to get bikes (if they don't have them already) and at least one of them will legally be required to drive a Subaru.

My wife and I fell in love with Boise when we visited.

Go check out the Boise St blue field, they have a corner of the stadium you can go in and stand on a patio next to it. It's not life changing but when will you ever do that again right?

Also between campus and downtown is the zoo. Haven't been inside but walked around the river next to it and the park. Very pretty area.

Freak alley is cool to walk down and at the end of it they've closed a street to foot traffic only and there's a lot of restaurants with outdoor seating. Went to a brewery at the edge of downtown but can't remember the name of it - lots of local beers though.

CDub06 said:

---

I spend a ton of time and Boise and I absolutely love it. I'm a bit jealous. I would love to live there with my family. But as a tourist, they don't have a bunch of huge draws.

Here's a scattershot for yourself, your friends, and maybe the kid.

Their park system is top notch. The greenbelt is connected to some really nice parks. Drop in at any of the parks and run around. The Boise River Park has some paddlesports and a beach. It'll obviously be too cold to swim.

I've not been to the zoo, but that's probably a good option for a 2 year old. There's also the Birds of Prey Center and MK Center mentioned above.

Camel's Back and Table Rock are nice little hikes in town.

The Old Penitentiary Site by the botanical gardens is a really nice tour. The kid won't be interested. The Botanical Gardens might be worth a stop with the kid though, if they have their Christmas lights up yet.

Downtown, there's the Freak Art Gallery that's worth a walk through since it's your first time. There's a nice game store downtown called Fantastic Games with a huge selection of kids games (even for little ones).

There's a new food hall by the convention center that is really well done. Neighbor Tim's BBQ has really solid Texas Barbecue - he's got a location there and then one over in Garden City.

The Wylder is my favorite food in town and maybe in all of Idaho - tremendous pizzas (half honeybadger, half broco, with a fried egg on top). It's probably not ideal for kids at night, but it's certainly worth a visit. So if you get a chance - check it out. It might be a good lunch spot for y'all. They don't do reservations and limit their pickup orders, so order early if you get it to go.

Coa de Jima is a not-kid place with fantastic Mexican (with a Spanish influence) downtown. Worth putting on their radar for a possible date night. Now that I think about it, there aren't a lot of families doing dinner downtown.

Their sister restaurant, Barbocoa is southeast of downtown, but is a sight to behold. It would probably be another date night spot. But I've seen kids there before.

Chip Cookies has some great cookies. Like, seriously worth a stop. The STIL is my choice for ice cream among the options downdown.

For the new locals, tell them to check into JUMP (Jack's Urban Meeting Place). They have a lot of cool events and their building is bonkers and includes slides on the roof and some fun equipment for bigger kids. Boise also has a really nice Library system. Something for them to keep in mind.

Boise is also a pretty nice little beer town. Barbarian, Mother Earth, and Western Collective are my favorite stops.

Do with that what you will.

Also, warn the family that at some point, they are mandated to get bikes (if they don't have them already) and at least one of them will legally be required to drive a Subaru.

---

Great post. I live in Boise, and will check out a couple of your recommendations I'm not familiar with.

And I don't have a bike or a Subaru (anymore).

It's too bad you couldn't come out a week ago. Our fall is incredible, but now you're dropping in smack dab into winter. It's crazy how fall shifts into winter in a day, literally. Hikes could still be a good option though, as snow here is reasonable and will melt quickly with a couple days of sun, even with highs in the 30s. Got a nice snow yesterday that's already melting off. The greenbelt along the river, along with the parks it goes through, is a fantastic walk on a sunny day. I am out there a few times a week in various stretches.

Enjoy Boise. Not a tourist destination, but it's a great place to live. ****, all of Idaho is. I consider Boise a launching point for unlimited exploration options. Your friend will love it here. And seriously, I can't think of a better place to raise a family. Cleanest and safest city of this size I've come across.

My daughter (about 4-5 when we went) loved the slide at JUMP and climbing around the big spiderweb thing
https://downtownboise.org/do/noon-chutes-jumps-5-story-slide

Alright folks thank you for the rec's!

We've been here since Thursday morning and head out tomorrow afternoon. We did the Wylder, the STIL, the Stuffed Olive (in Eagle near their home) and Kosta's Taverna (also in Eagle) and all were excellent! We've mostly toured around and looked at Camels Back. Went to the market at the Grove, Freak Alley, been enjoying Alchemy Coffee.

Really liked this town. Quiet, comfortable, safe spot.

Thanks again!

If you're up in Eagle, Crave is out friends' go to spot. I've had a pretty good lunch out there.

Had to hit Wylder a second time on the way to the airport. Stellar rec!

That's awesome. Glad you enjoyed it as much as I do.

How is Boise in late May, early June? My family (with kids) are going and wondering what we can do to justify staying through the week. When are trails accessible without snow?

After spending a long weekend in Boise are we just better off headed North to Montana/Yellowstone, or west to Oregon?

Greener Acres said:

---

How is Boise in late May, early June? My family (with kids) are going and wondering what we can do to justify staying through the week. When are trails accessible without snow?

After spending a long weekend in Boise are we just better off headed North to Montana/Yellowstone, or west to Oregon?

---

May is generally really nice, then it heats up quickly. Two years ago it was 100+ every day in June and July, but this year June was incredible. 70s and 80s every day, pretty perfect, and we spent a lot of time at the river once it was low enough with a safe current. Trails will all be accessible, as there's basically zero chance of rain at that point in the year, and even when it does snow in the late winter, it generally is gone within a few days. So unless you're coming in March or April, that isn't a worry.

Since we're so close to the mountains, even if you come to Boise that time of year and need a change, a quick drive into the mountains can be a nice change of pace.

That said, you also can't go wrong with Montana or Yellowstone. Avoid Oregon unless you plan to go west, IMO. Strongly recommend exploring Idaho to the north though. So much natural beauty in this part of the country, it's hard to do it all in a short time.

Quote:

---

Avoid Oregon unless you plan to go west, IMO.

---

One of my favorite places on earth is in NE Oregon close to Boise: Wallowa Mountains / Joseph, OR / Eagle Cap Wilderness. Anthony Lakes is a dope little ski resort nearby in the Elkhorns, but they'll be closed by April - but totally worth a hike to play in the snow at Hoffer Lakes or something.

You also have the the deepest canyon in the US, Hell's Canyon. The Strawberry Mountains. John Day Fossil Nat and the Painted Hills.

You'd be fine at Yellowstone or Glacier in May, but you'd def start hitting the summer crowds in June.

Agree with this. If you want to get out of Boise, the area up around Stanley or McCall is great. Lots of hiking to be had out there and lots of natural beauty.