Things to do in Idaho Falls (Council: hotel, buy, theater)

[mrauber7]

Hello,
My husband and I live in Montana and are taking some time off at the end of this month. We are considering visiting Idaho Falls as neither of us have ever been there. What are some fun things to do? We have a one year old little boy and Idaho Falls came up because we discovered there is a zoo there. Are there other fun family activities that could round out a fun few days, or would you suggest stretching our vacation out over multiple towns/cities between here and there? Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by mrauber7

Hello,
My husband and I live in Montana and are taking some time off at the end of this month. We are considering visiting Idaho Falls as neither of us have ever been there. What are some fun things to do? We have a one year old little boy and Idaho Falls came up because we discovered there is a zoo there. Are there other fun family activities that could round out a fun few days, or would you suggest stretching our vacation out over multiple towns/cities between here and there? Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi mrauber,

Without knowing your city in MT, it's kind of hard to make suggestions of stopping or driving straight through. Bear world is about 20 miles from Idaho Falls. There are The Zone and other places to have fun. Many do day trips from Idaho Falls. A new interactive center about art, for kids, just opened in July. There are museums, gyms with tramps etc. I'm not positive what a 1 y.o. will get from most places.

Check these links out for more to do. Idaho Falls Magazine (I think it's IdahoFallsMagazine.com) and
Colonial Theater, Willard Arts Center, ARTitorium on Broadway | Idaho Falls Arts Council for more info. Also East Idaho Events is containing a lot more about what is happening on specific days.

Good luck planning a fun trip

MSR

[banjomike]

A visit to the Museum of Idaho is always well worth the time. It's the only museum in Idaho that gets major touring museum exhibits, and when one is showing, it's always something a person will never be able to see again unless they go to a big city to see it.
They are now preparing for a new major exhibit; the last one featured artifacts and the history of the race to the South Pole, the last great geographical exploration of the world.

I went just a couple of days before it closed, and although I already knew the story of the Amundsen/Scott rivalry well, and the reasons why everyone who went for the Pole with Scott died while Amundsen lost no one, and reached the pole with aplomb, seeing why and how that happened blew me away as I passed through the exhibits.

Every single one of the big exhibits has been like that. They really personalize history and the sciences well.

The museum is always good, even when there's no major exhibit at the time. It's full of an excellent collection of regional and Idaho Falls artifacts, and often holds special short-term exhibits and events that are highly participatory, some more for kids than adults.

Link:
Museum of Idaho - Welcome to the Museum of Idaho

Our local art museums are also pretty darned good. They have had some exhibits that major art centers like San Francisco, New York, and L.A. weren't able to land. Art exhibits are constantly on display at the Idaho Falls Art Museum, on the eastern greenbelt just south of Broadway, at the Willard Center for the Arts downtown, and at the offices of the Post-Register, the local paper, located on the N. Yellowstone highway, close to the North Hiway Café, Idaho's oldest restaurant that is still in continuous operation. (It's also still a local favorite, too, and always a good place to eat.)

Scotty's, Idaho Falls' oldest drive-in, is just around the corner, and it's still popular too. Scotty's is still making all it's french fries from scratch, and their menu is still all original. The Great Scott is the hamburger that the Big Mac always wanted to be, and you can still buy an iron port soft drink there. Iron Port was once the most popular fountain drink in the country, but very few places offer it now.

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by banjomike

A visit to the Museum of Idaho is always well worth the time. It's the only museum in Idaho that gets major touring museum exhibits, and when one is showing, it's always something a person will never be able to see again unless they go to a big city to see it.
They are now preparing for a new major exhibit; the last one featured artifacts and the history of the race to the South Pole, the last great geographical exploration of the world.

I went just a couple of days before it closed, and although I already knew the story of the Amundsen/Scott rivalry well, and the reasons why everyone who went for the Pole with Scott died while Amundsen lost no one, and reached the pole with aplomb, seeing why and how that happened blew me away as I passed through the exhibits.

Every single one of the big exhibits has been like that. They really personalize history and the sciences well.

The museum is always good, even when there's no major exhibit at the time. It's full of an excellent collection of regional and Idaho Falls artifacts, and often holds special short-term exhibits and events that are highly participatory, some more for kids than adults.

Link:
Museum of Idaho - Welcome to the Museum of Idaho

Our local art museums are also pretty darned good. They have had some exhibits that major art centers like San Francisco, New York, and L.A. weren't able to land. Art exhibits are constantly on display at the Idaho Falls Art Museum, on the eastern greenbelt just south of Broadway, at the Willard Center for the Arts downtown, and at the offices of the Post-Register, the local paper, located on the N. Yellowstone highway, close to the North Hiway Café, Idaho's oldest restaurant that is still in continuous operation. (It's also still a local favorite, too, and always a good place to eat.)

Scotty's, Idaho Falls' oldest drive-in, is just around the corner, and it's still popular too. Scotty's is still making all it's french fries from scratch, and their menu is still all original. The Great Scott is the hamburger that the Big Mac always wanted to be, and you can still buy an iron port soft drink there. Iron Port was once the most popular fountain drink in the country, but very few places offer it now.

I'm glad you added the museums Mike. I meant to but thought my post was long enough.

I notice the OP hasn't posted again. It does take our time to respond. It would be nice if the OP at least acknowledged the effort. That is part of what burns us out when others post.

MSR

[mrauber7]

Originally Posted by Mtn. States Resident

I notice the OP hasn't posted again. It does take our time to respond. It would be nice if the OP at least acknowledged the effort. That is part of what burns us out when others post.

MSR

Oh, I'm sorry I didn't respond earlier! I really do appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. Those all sound like great ideas and we are definitely planning on checking out the museums. thank you again!

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by mrauber7

Oh, I'm sorry I didn't respond earlier! I really do appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. Those all sound like great ideas and we are definitely planning on checking out the museums. thank you again!

Thanks mrauber7,

I hope you understood my point in that many want information, few thank us and even acknowledge they read anything. For me personally, that leads to burnout so I don't respond to the next 2-4 who ask questions. One could spend endless time here and never hear again from the OPs.

I'm glad you'll check out the museums. I think you'll be surprised how good they are. Also, the Greenbelt would be a lovely place to walk by the river.

The Zoo, museums, mall if you like to shop and other retail or movies. There is a 14 theatre movieplex, plus older movies at other theaters. It will take longer than a day to spend time at the zoo and museums. Let us know if you want recommendations for lodging or restaurants.

Mostly, besides having fun, please post here afterwards so other parents of young children can learn what you enjoyed.

Have fun planning a great visit

MSR

[cleosmom]

Not knowing when you're trip is, I decided to take a look as I know once we head to Fall the hours change. I discovered that if you're here on the 27th of September you can take advantage of free admission day

For more information City of Idaho Falls - The Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park

[Mtn. States Resident]

Originally Posted by cleosmom

Not knowing when you're trip is, I decided to take a look as I know once we head to Fall the hours change. I discovered that if you're here on the 27th of September you can take advantage of free admission day

For more information City of Idaho Falls - The Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park

Cleosmom, that's great. Don't the corn mazes and other start around that time?

MSR

[juneaubound]

Originally Posted by cleosmom

Not knowing when you're trip is, I decided to take a look as I know once we head to Fall the hours change. I discovered that if you're here on the 27th of September you can take advantage of free admission day

For more information City of Idaho Falls - The Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park

Thanks for posting this Cleosmom! We're definitely going to take advantage of that.

[mrauber7]

Do you know if the zoo is typically super crowded on the free day? I'm thinking it might be worth it for us to just pay the $14 for my husband and I in order to avoid the crowds, we would like to stroll and enjoy at a leisurely pace And I just looked up the corn maze, that looks like fun but I can't tell if it might be geared towards older children. Does anyone know if that's an appropriate activity with a one year old? Thanks everyone, for your input, we are headed down next Wednesday 9/24 and we can't wait! Might as well try this too, anyone have any recommendations for a hotel with a pool?