What to do in Boise in August?

Bringing my son to college in August and will need to keep myself busy while he is at band rehearsals for a week (before I return to Hawaii without my baby). Any suggestions for sightseeing? I%26#39;ll be on my own and don%26#39;t want to venture too far from Boise...

What to do in Boise in August?

travel about 2 hours north to McCall it is beautiful that time of year and alot cooler, lots of big pine trees and it is built around a lake, lots of beautiful scenery.

What to do in Boise in August?

In August it will be pretty hot here. It%26#39;s a dry heat! You would want to spend time near the water. Try white water rafting. You could join in with a group and feel very comfortable. You could rent a bike and ride along the Greenbelt that follows the Boise River. The drive to McCall is very pretty but if you didn%26#39;t want to go that far you could just go to Cascade which also has a lake. Saturdays in downtown Boise there is an open market that is very fun. Also on the first Thursday of the month downtown business are open until 9PM. Enjoy your visit!

If whitewater is too ambitious, there is mildwater paddling. The shuttle busses will be running between Ann Morrison and Barber Park for paddling the Boise River. There is a group that usually does paddling Wednesday evenings and weekends on the Boise or Payette River. You can ask about that at Idaho River Sports.

Another place to escape the heat is to go iceskating at Idaho Ice World. You might like the adult public sessions 11:45am-1:15pm Tue-Wed-Thu. Air temperature in the rink is pretty cool, and you may need at least a long sleave shirt or sweater.

If you%26#39;d like to get into the trees and not drive as far as Cascade/McCall, the old mining town of Idaho City is just 40 miles from Boise.

In Boise itself is the Idaho Botanical Garden: http://www.idahobotanicalgarden.org/

The Idaho Shakespeare Festival will be going on at that time: http://www.idahoshakespeare.org/

Boise also has a nice downtown (much improved from when I lived there!) and it%26#39;s fun to just stroll around and look at the buildings, shops, and restaurants. Julia Davis Park has a nice little zoo as well as a rose garden, the Idaho State Historical Society Museum, an art museum, a Black History museum, and a rose garden. There%26#39;s a ';tour train'; that leaves from the park and takes you around historic areas of Boise.

The North End neighborhood includes the Hyde Park area with its shops and restaurants, and the Boise Co-op -- somewhat like a Whole Foods but independently run. http://www.northend.org/default.asp

Out of town is the World Center for Birds of Prey http://www.peregrinefund.org/default.asp and the Warhawk Air Museum http://www.warhawkairmuseum.org/

There%26#39;s a lot of information at http://www.boise.org/

Hope you enjoy your stay -- even if you have to leave your baby in Idaho!!

Pug

We have several museums near Boise State campus. Art, History and a newer Ann Frank memorial.

We have so many beautiful parks all connected by a ';greenbelt'; that can have outdoor concerts in the Summer, nice places to pic nic, paddle boats, shady spots for book reading, tennis, frisbi golf....

We have an excellent perfoming arts center (Morrison Center) as well as Ballet Idaho.

There is one regional shopping mall, there%26#39;s a great little European wine bar inside next to Macys. Lot%26#39;s of movie theatres.

Boise is nice place with alot of culture for it%26#39;s size. The people are the best attribute.

Here are some options:

1. Shakespeare Festival.

2. Go on an innertube, raft, or kayak down the Boise river.

3. Idaho Birds of Prey (1 hour away).

4. Bruneau Sand dunes (1 hour away). These are huge sand dunes and make a pretty challenging hike if you go to the top of the biggest ones.

5. Drive to McCall or Sun Valley to see the mountains.

6. Drive to Bogus Basin (45 minutes away). You can go on hikes and enjoy great views of the valley.

7. Silver City or Idaho city (each 1 hour away). both are old mining towns. Silver City is a ghost town and I%26#39;ve never actually been there. It might be a little scary to do on your own though.

8. The nature center on the river.

9. The zoo.