Short Boise Trip

I am coming to Boise for a weekend to attend a football game. Is there something that is a must see in such a short time there? Good places to shop? Recommendations for dinner, lunch or brunch?

Short Boise Trip

I would be intrested in an answer to the above as well, having only been to the east and west coast of the US I was thinking of a trip to the Boise to try out life in middle US.

Short Boise Trip

To Alinlondon who replied to Golf55 post. If you are coming to check out Boise you really need to rent a car and head up to the Sawtooth Mountains. Boise is not that beautiful, some may disagree, but this is my post. About 20 minutes out of Boise you start to see some pretty scenery and incredible rivers. I have been all over the world and I think the Stanley area is one of the prettiest places on earth. If I win the lottery, I%26#39;ll live there! If you want a more glitzy mountain area, then head over to Sun Valley. In Boise, if you come in the summer, floating the river with tubes and beer is a big attraction here. There is skiing at Bogus Basin just a few miles up the hill from Boise. Restaurants we like are the Gamekeeper (steak/seafood) and well, I can%26#39;t think of too many great ones here. You don%26#39;t come to Boise for the food (I%26#39;m from LA). The Grove Hotel is our nicest hotel, very central. But here again, don%26#39;t expect the Ritz. The Hilton Garden Inn has been highly recommended to me. It%26#39;s new. I%26#39;d recommend trying to arrange a whitewater rafting trip if that interests you. We are famous for them. If you kayak there is lots of that too up on the Payette River about an hour from here. The nightlife, well, I imagine if you drink enough you can have fun anywhere right? The summers here are a little more lively than the winters. We have a very long bike-walking trail that goes along the river for something like 30 miles. I hope you have fun here in the US. Las Vegas is great fun-that%26#39;s where we like to go.

Golf55:

When are you coming to Boise and what are your main interests. They is plenty to do in and around Boise. Point me in the right direction!

I%26#39;ve heard that the McGrath%26#39;s Fish House at 1749 S Cole Rd in Boise is a must-do.. any other seafood houses there?

Hello. I stayed at the Grove when visiting Boise for the first time last year. I found its central location made it easy for me to walk around and get a taste of the area. There are several good/different types of restaurants near by. There is a Basque (some of the original settlers of the area) around the corner), a good sushi place a few blocks away on the second floor of a food plaza, and the Bittercreek Alehouse, 246 N. 8th St., with home brews and a gret select of food. Perfect for after the game. There%26#39;s the ';Tater Express';, a small train/trolley that you can take to get a tour and some history of the area. There%26#39;s also Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial and Park with quotes from Eleanor Roosevelt, Gandhi, Confuscious,etc. Not something I expected to see. The Grove is also attached to the local hockey team%26#39;s stadium, so if you like ice hockey you might want to get tickets. Otherwise sometimes they have people playing ';broom ball'; there. I can only guess that it%26#39;s a local sport as no one else at my event had ever heard or seen it before -quite a sight to see. Enjoy your trip.

My recommendations:

Discovery Center of Idaho. They have different interactive science exhibits (ie: bugs, robots etc..) very cool and interesting.

World Center for Birds of Prey. If you%26#39;re into that.

Goldfork Hot Springs. Just south of McCall. About 1 1/2 hrs north of Boise. Awesome and way fun. Very remote and you get to meet lots of different people.

McCall Ice Festival. If anyone is coming in February, this is a sight to behold. Ice Sculpters from all over the world come and show off their stuff. Huge sculptures in every parking lot in town.

Lucky Peak. jet skiing, water skiing, wake boarding, bon fires, you name it.

Restaurants: Square (crepes, cheeses, yum) Lucky 13 in Hyde Park (you%26#39;ll love the atmosphere and it%26#39;s great grub) PF Changs, Mona Lisa (fondue) and Happy Fish (sushi).

All the downtown Boise shops are great. Just stroll the streets. Try to make it to the Saturday Market every saturday morning on 8th Street. Also, if you%26#39;re here in the summer, check out Alive After Five every thursday night at the Boise Centre on the Grove. Live bands, food, drinks, dancing and people.

Boise is awesome. Enjoy!

We like the Red Feather for brunch. (I think that%26#39;s the name of it. It%26#39;s downtown.) The Cottonwood Grill is elegant, has great food and atmosphere, reservations suggested. The Co-op is a great market/deli for tailgate food and it has a fine wine selection. It%26#39;s on Fort and 8th, I think. (I can drive there, but don%26#39;t remember addresses.) We like Louis%26#39;s Pizza and Rocky Mountain Pizza for lunch/kids.

Where are you coming from? That would indicate what kind of shopping you like. There isn%26#39;t a Magnificent Mile like Chicago. Give us a hint. :-)

I know that this is a little late, but in case others are thinking of visiting Boise, I thought that I would put in my two cents worth. I%26#39;ve visited Boise twice with my wife, and I thought that the Hilton Garden Inn was nice the time we stayed there. It is also conveniently located near the McGrath%26#39;s Fish House, which I highly recommend. I particularly like the Cajun Catfish, the fish tacos with dirty rice, and the Halibut Cheeks DaVinci, if they are serving it when you are there. There is also an Imax theatre near the Hilton Garden Inn. I would say that the Birds of Prey Center isn%26#39;t worth the cost though it was informative and entertaining. They had a lot of snow and rain fall this year, and Shoshone Falls, approximately two hours east of Boise, is supposed to be spectacular this spring. Of course, as the flow in the Snake River goes down over the summer that will change.