One thing our family has always appreciated about living in Boise was the incredible variety of family friendly winter activities that don’t cost an arm and a leg. While it’s certainly fun to visit the Edwards Cineplex, go ice skating, or even skiing up at Bogus Basin, for families on a budget there’s a wide assortment of activities that cost absolutely nothing. Where are these venues?
For children who enjoy model railroads, the Old Boise N Scale Model Railroaders will be presenting their numerous towns and villages all as one huge and exciting exhibit. This exhibit coincides with Boise’s annual “Christmas in the City ” event, and runs November 24th, December 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. in the Mezzanine of Old Boise at 106 N. 6th Street. This family event is totally free and definitely worth seeing.
Climbing Camel’s Back Hill has been a favorite Boise activity for years. This camel shaped hill is fun to climb, and has a view of Boise that’s hard to beat. Kids like to climb straight up the hill, though parents generally prefer taking one of the two alternative paths that follow the base of the hill, and zig zag up the sides. Camel’s Back Park is located at 1200 W. Heron.
Another popular winter event is story time at the Boise Public Library. This is a wonderful free activity for children between the ages of 1 and 8 years. For more information, call the Boise Public Library at 208.384.4076 or visit their web site at www.boisepubliclibrary.org.
Children ages 5-12 might enjoy Home Depot’s Kid Workshops. This free activity teaches tool safety and do-it-yourself skills, and is offered the first Saturday of every month from 9am to noon. Kids get a free Home Depot apron and build a masterpiece to take home.
During Boise’s First Thursdays event, admission to both the Boise Art Gallery and Idaho Historical Museum in Julia Davis Park are free. First Thursday takes place on the first Thursday of every month from 5-9pm , and gives downtown visitors the chance to visit galleries and specialty shops. There’s usually lots of entertainment plus a free trolley to take your family around town. This event is really more geared for adults, but kids will enjoy visiting the museums, watching the entertainment, and riding the trolley.
Visiting the Ducks at the west end of Ann Morrison Park in Boise, has long been a family favorite activity. Parks and Rec tell us not to feed the waterfowl, but it’s OK if you spill a little bit of your sack lunch on the ground. After not feeding the ducks, walk towards the center of the park. With a little bit of luck, the center of the park may be filled with hundreds and hundreds of Canadian Geese who decided it was too cold to fly anywhere.
For nature lovers, Boise is filled with terrific opportunities to sight even more native wildlife. One of our family favorites is the 4.6 acre MK Nature Center is located behind the south end of the Idaho Fish and Game building at 600 South Walnut Avenue, just minutes from downtown. The highlights of the center is a stream walk with viewing windows that give visitors a glimpse into the life beneath the water’s frozen surface. The MK Education building, located at the park’s entrance, is filled with full sized taxidermy mounts and an assortment of kid friendly, hands-on activities. For winter hours and information, call 208.334.2225.
Bird lovers will enjoy taking a walk along Boise’s Greenbelt and watch wintering bald eagles and other wildfowl. The best place for viewing is either at Barber Park, just downstream from the Eckert Road bridge or behind the Spring Meadows subdivision. To access the nature preserve behind this subdivision, park your car at the end of Parkcenter Blvd; following the dirt road to where it dead ends at the river. Pick up the Boise Greenbelt at this point, and walk downstream to reach the preserve. During the months of January and February, the river is exceptionally low which gives families an wonderful opportunity to explore the river bed in this area.
The Kathryn Albertson park at 1001 Americana Blvd. is another great place to watch birds and other small critters. This 41 acre park features wide, paved footways, gazebos, fountains, and a diverse habitat that attracts waterfowl, owls, songbirds, and small mammals, such as foxes, beavers, rabbits, and raccoons. The Kathryn Albertson Park is one of the few parks in which visitors are treated to regular sightings of herons.
For those winters that Boise sees a little snow, sledding or snow tubing is one activity that’s fun for the entire family. Camel’s Back Park and Simplot Hill on Bogus Basin Road are local favorites; be prepared for a crowd! For tinier tots, we used to take the kids sledding behind the amphitheater at Boise State University. It’s not much of a hill, but very quiet and perfectly sized for small fry.
These are just a few of the free winter activities that our family has enjoyed over the years. While it’s certainly not a complete list, it’s great start for families who are tired of Boise’s cold weather and ready to do something just a little bit different.
