Twin Falls is one of Idaho’s hidden gems that never seems to be a destination but rather, a place to drive past on the way to somewhere else. This town boasts a population of 60,000 people, an interesting history, and some scenery and events that will have kids dropping their jaws in amazement.
Twin Falls is located in south central Idaho, just a few miles south of Interstate 80. It’s about a two hour drive east from the capital city of Boise City which makes it a fabulous day trip for residents of Boise.
Perrine Bridge
Visitors to Twin Falls enter the city crossing over the Snake River by way of the Perrine Bridge. The bridge is about 1500 feet long and 486 feet high. When it was built in 1927, it was considered one of the highest bridges in the world. Driving over the bridge just doesn’t do it justice. For a spectacular view, drive on over to the Visitor’s Center on the south side. From the visitor’s center lot, you and your family can view the canyon and bridge from a well protected overlook.
From this vantage point, you and your kids might be able to catch a glimpse of BASE jumpers. Instead of bungee jumping, these sport enthusiasts wear a parachute and land somewhere down in the canyon below. The Perrine Bridge is the only man-made structure in the United States where BASE jumping is allowable without a permit which makes it a very popular destination.
Conditions have to be just right for BASE jumping which means that for visitors, it’s a “hit or miss” event. The four times we visited Twin Falls this year, we’ve seen BASE jumping only once, and it was quite a spectacular thing to watch!
If there isn’t any BASE jumping going on during your visit to the Perrine Bridge, not to worry. There’s still some fun things for the kids to see around the bridge. Walking along the south rim of the canyon towards the east, you will find the dirt ramp used by stunt motorcyclist Evel Knievel back in 1974 when he unsuccessfully tried to jump the canyon. There’s also a marker to commemorate the location.
West of the bridge is the Centennial Park Trail in which your family can hike along an undeveloped stretch of the canyon to view breathtaking scenery and wildlife.
Shoshone Falls
About 15 minutes east of Twin Falls are the Shoshone Falls, which is breathtakingly beautiful. The Shoshone Falls are 12 feet higher than Niagara Falls and are best viewed during the spring when the water levels are highest. Adjacent the Falls is a lovely, sloped park with picnic tables and assorted viewing platforms. Visitors to the park can choose from a couple of trails that ascend from the park to the Canyon rim above. There is a nominal fee to enter the park.
For younger kids, there’s some playground equipment and a snack stand to keep them entertained. Older kids will enjoy scrambling around the trails and overlooks.
Deirkes Lake
As you start to leave the Shoshone Falls, you will see a small sign pointing left to Dierkes Lake. This tiny lake is rimmed with tall canyon walls, and is set up with floating docks and life guards so kids can swim. One of the most striking features of this location are the tall canyon walls that surround the lake and the eerie silence.
Dierkes Lake has rest rooms, a snack bar, picnic tables, and a small playground as well.
The Herritt Museum and Faulkner Planetarium
Located on the campus of the College of Southern Idaho is the Herritt Museum and Faulkner Planetarium which are housed in the same building. For kids, one of the more striking features of the museum is the exhibit halls to the right of the entrance. These rooms feature an Amazon Rain Forest complete with a field stations, computers, temple ruins, and lots of hand on activities for “junior explorers” to discover. Some of the activities include reassembling archeological finds, looking at butterflies and insects under a microscope, and “What’s this?” type of games. The room looks like a scene out of an Indiana Jones movie and is totally fun.
A new addition to the fossil room is a full scale replica Mammoth fossil. The critter looks like it could be about 12-15 feet in height and will leave your kids slack jawed. Admission to the Herritt Museum is free.
At certain times of the day, the Faulkner Planetarium puts on several shows. The shows are affordably priced at $9 per family for the first show, and half price ( or $4.50) for the rest of the shows that day. The best value seems to be on Saturdays when the Planetarium shows four different shows. Some of the shows are more appropriate for younger kids (Such as the Mystery of the Missing Seasons) while others are more interesting for kids 12 and up.
At least twice a month, the observatory is open to the public for nighttime star gazing through a huge telescope. Our kids always get a kick out of walking up inside the observatory and seeing the telescope in action. As my youngest boy once said, “It feels like I work at NASA.”
For a fun day trip, Twin Falls is definitely a place worth visiting. For more information about things to see and do in Twin, visit www.twinfallschamber.com.
