Boise Things to Do Tips by JetlagCity Top 5 Page for this destination

Horse Racing at Les Bois

Check out the thoroughbred and quarter-horse racing at Les Bois Park for something different and inexpensive to do in the summer. It’s fun and only costs $2 to place a bet and admire the beautiful and powerful horses racing around the track. The entrance fee is only $3 or $4, and the racetrack is open three days a week from May through August.

at the corner of Glenwood & Chinden Blvd.

Address: 5610 Glenwood Road

Phone: 208-376-7223

Boise River Greenbelt

Take a walk along the Greenbelt while you’re here to enjoy the view and the sounds of the Boise River. The Greenbelt path follows the river from the Western Idaho Fairgrounds past several parks and the university out to Discovery State Park near Lucky Peak. It’s a nice place for walking, jogging, bicycling, skating, or birdwatching, with the river gurgling along by your side. Pedestrians have the right of way. I’d definitely recommend this scenic area during the day, especially east of Ann Morrison Park. At night it’s a bit too dark and isolated for comfort.

Boise Art Museum

I was always impressed with the exhibits the Boise Art Museum got, considering the small size of this town, and I still am, even after having moved to Seattle. I’ve seen famous artists’ work here several times (a Goya exhibit comes to mind), as well as that of some great contemporary artists, like Anne Siems, Robert Rauschenberg, and William Morris. Each fall the museum also sponsors Art in the Park, a great fair with all kinds of interesting artwork for sale, in Julia Davis Park, where the art museum is located.

Address: 670 Julia Davis Drive

Phone: 208-345-8330

Website: http://www.boiseartmuseum.org/

Bogus Basin Ski Resort

The greatest thing about Bogus Basin is that it’s a short 45-minute drive from Boise, up a winding road into the mountains. Bogus has 7 chairlifts for downhill skiing and snowboarding, over 35 km. of cross-country ski trails, and a tubing hill. Skiing is popular in Boise – it’s the thing to do in winter here. It’s also a great way to escape the “inversions” that Boise is subject to in the winter, when the valley gets cold under gray skies but the ski resort is in the sun up in the mountains. Lessons are always available as are ski rentals. I actually worked here one winter during college, selling lift tickets and season passes. It beat waiting on tables : ) Call 208-342-2100 for the snow report!

Website: http://www.bogusbasin.com/

World Center for Birds of Prey

This is a great place to see magnificent peregrine falcons, eagles, and other birds of prey up close. My most vivid memory is of a giant harpy eagle – that bird was downright scary and very impressive, with talons about 5 inches long! Idaho has one of the densest populations of nesting raptors on the planet, so it’s fitting that this facility is located here. The center breeds endangered birds to be introduced into the wild (they’ve been quite successful with this), gives presentations with live birds, and has educational displays on conservation and incubation. The Peregrine Fund, a non-profit conservation group, has its headquarters here. It’s not a big place, but what’s here is worth seeing. Entrance fee is $4.

One thing still on my to-do list is to take a boat trip along the Snake River, through the Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, which is 485,000-acres.

I did not think to take pictures when I was here. This picture of a Cooper's Hawk is by my Boise area friend, Michael Wiegand - a great photographer!

Address: 5666 West Flying Hawk Lane

Directions: Go South on Cole Road about 5 miles out of town. Flying Hawk Lane is on your right, right before Cole Road ends.

Phone: 208-362-8687

Behind Lucky Peak

When I lived here we always came to this spot instead of Sandy Point, because we didn’t like the crowds at the main Lucky Peak areas. Barclay Bay is part of the reservoir behind the dam. It’s not as popular for swimming because the beaches are rockier and not as sandy, but it’s a great area for boating and water-skiing, or just soaking up the sun like we did.

Lucky Peak State Park

The reservoir here is a favorite local spot to go for a swim on one of Boise’s hot summer days. I really like the desert setting, up in the foothills. “Sandy Point” at the foot of the reservoir is the most popular place. It’s about 10 miles east of town on Highway 21. Come on a weekday if you can, when it’s not so crowded. You can also bicycle out to the reservoir on the same paved greenbelt path that runs along the Boise River in town.

Idaho Shakespeare Festival

If you’re here in the summer check out one of the plays put on by the Idaho Shakespeare Festival in their outdoor theatre. It’s great to watch Shakespeare under a sky full of stars with a bottle of wine and a picnic. I saw my first production of Romeo and Juliet here and it was great! When I lived here the theatre was just a bowl carved out of the ground and people brought blankets to sit on the grass, but they’ve since built a nicer theatre, with seats. It’s still outdoors, right next to the Boise River. They usually put on two Shakespeare plays and two other plays each summer. Tickets are around $30. June through September.

Address: 5657 Warm Springs Ave

Phone: 208-336-9221

Website: http://www.idahoshakespeare.org/