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My daughter (22) and I are coming up on Labor Day weekend to check out Boise and the surrounding towns to see if moving to Idaho is the right place for us. We are both natives of Las Vegas and want to get away from the heat and see 4 seasons. Can any of you please let me know what we should do while we are there so we can get an idea of the area? The best places to visit outdoors as well as the different places in town that will help us to get an idea of what it is like to live there? We only have about a day and a half to check everything out so we are going to be busy. I wish we could stay longer but my daughter can't get off work. Any and all help is appreciated.
Boise has a ton to offer, but in very different areas of interest. What are you looking for? Outdoor activity/sports? Cultural? Restaurants and nightlife? Higher education? Festivals and events? Let me know and I'll direct you as best I can. We are in our 50's, so are not up on the college/bar scene, but our daughter graduated from BSU a few years ago and knows where all the cool bars, etc. are. I can ask her, if your daughter is interested in that.
I'm the worst possible person to suggest things to do and places to see, since I'm totally a homebody. So I'll leave that to others to chime in on.
But I will chime in on the fact that you are moving here to get away from the heat. You should be aware that Boise in the summer isn't THAT much cooler than Las Vegas in the summer. It is cooler, but it is still HOT. Of course, Boise the other 9 months of the year, is much nicer than Vegas. We do have 4 seasons. Spring and Fall are both very nice.
Boise has a ton to offer, but in very different areas of interest. What are you looking for? Outdoor activity/sports? Cultural? Restaurants and nightlife? Higher education? Festivals and events? Let me know and I'll direct you as best I can. We are in our 50's, so are not up on the college/bar scene, but our daughter graduated from BSU a few years ago and knows where all the cool bars, etc. are. I can ask her, if your daughter is interested in that.
We are not into sports at all, so we would be looking more for festivals, cultural, nightlife and restaurants. I don't believe she will be taking any college classes so we are good there. We are not really partiers, just social drinkers so we don't need a huge bar scene.
Boise summers are nowhere near as hot as Vegas summers.
Boise averages 8 days with highs over 100 and 51 days with highs over 90. July is the only month where the high averages over 90 at 91.8.
Vegas averages 74 days with highs over 100 and 134 days with highs over 90. July and August have average highs above 100 at 104.2 and 102.
Boise summers are quite nice.
I looked online and it looks like Boise gets to be about 91 which is a huge break for us with the 115 to 120 degree summers here in Las Vegas. I will take the 90's any day. haha
I'd basically recommend Downtown first. Front St. and Myrtle St. are going to be your two main veins there. Main and 6th Street will have your standard downtown bar scene. Also downtown along 8th Street and along Idaho St. are bars and restaurants.
For the University scene and culture you're going to want to drive Capitol Blvd from the Boise Depot. You might also want to tour the Boise Depot and take scenic pictures from there of the grounds and the State Capitol in the background. You'll pass the University, Julia Davis Park where lots of festivals are held, it has the museums tucked away in there, the zoo, paddle boats with ducks and swans on the pond. The library is on the other side and Ann Morrison Park which is a big one and also has festivals like the hot air balloon launching. Then you'll get into BoDo and you might want to walk around that. It has the Edwards Theater in there and more bars and restaurants and shopping. It's across from Trader Joe's.
To get a more older Boise feeling drive along State Street. Then when you get to 16th St take a left and go up Americana. You'll come upon Kathryn Albertson Park which is a nice nature walk and little loop you can take. That's the best place if you want to see fall when the season comes and fell like you're out of the city. Another hidden gem similar to this but on a much smaller scale is the nature center in Municipal Park.
Also downtown is the Linen District. Which is along Grove St. I like Big City Coffee for breakfast or lunch. It's between 14th and 15th street on Grove. On Idaho and 11th is the Record Exchange that you might also like the check out. Another popular breakfast spot is Goldy's on Capitol Blvd between Grove St and Main St.
For residential tour Warm Springs Blvd in the east end and Harrison Blvd in the north end. Harrison Blvd is the road to Bogus Basin ski resort which is a 30 minute drive from Boise. You might like to drive to the top of that and look at the view of the valley. Along Warm Springs you'll get to the old penitentiary and botanical gardens where they bring in some popular music shows.
There is also the Boise Co-Op to see which is off of 8th St between Fort St. and Union St. Close to that is the beautiful St. John's Cathedral. If you drive along Hays St. from there you'll see a bit of the North End and reach Harrison Blvd. But before that is 13th Street. If you take a right on it you'll get into Hyde Park. Stop at Goody's for an ice cream sundae or a sweet treat. There a several places to eat or shop at in Hyde Park. If you keep driving along 13th Street you'll come to Camelsback Park. This is a popular North End park where they hold festivals as well. In this park you'll see a hill you can hike. There are two ways to hike it. Take it straight up or take the trails on the side with steps. At the top you get a nice view. People go there to see fireworks sometimes. From here there are a lot of trails people like to go hiking and biking on.
You can also park anywhere along the Boise River downtown and go walking along the Greenbelt for miles.
The exit you want to take when you get into town is Broadway, but it's currently under construction and is confusing with a sea of barrels to navigate so take it slow and easy going in.
I looked online and it looks like Boise gets to be about 91 which is a huge break for us with the 115 to 120 degree summers here in Las Vegas. I will take the 90's any day. haha
Everyplace is heating up. Boise I believe had the second biggest average temp rise in the last decade or two. This may be in part due to growth. But yes, mid to upper 90s are pretty standard. 100s are not unusual at all. But you'll get random days in the 80s, sometimes low 80s.
But I think Lacerta was making a point that hot is hot and Boise may be cooler but isn't exactly "cool" during summer.
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