Boise, Idaho is a seriously underrated destination in the United States. There are a ton of cheap things to do and fun outdoor activities. Two days in Boise makes for the perfect weekend away and a fun group trip.
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History of Boise
In the early days, the area around Boise was inhabited by the Shoshone and Bannock people. These tribes spent a lot of time in the area capturing salmon. In the 1800s, European settlers began to come and settle in the area. 1863 saw the establishment of Fort Boise by the military and the area continued to grow during that time.
With the establishment of the Oregon Trail, more settlers began to come to the Boise area and connected the area with other popular cities. In 1866, Boise was made the capital of the Idaho Territory and continued to be the capital after its establishment as a state in 1890.
When to Spend Two Days in Boise
Boise is a gorgeous city to visit anytime of the year. Depending on what activities you would like to do while in Boise is when you should opt to visit. Since we wanted to do winter sports, we opted to visit in January.
During the summertime, Boise can be very humid, but there are a ton of water activities to partake in to cool off. In the wintertime, Boise is cold and snowy, but it is a great place to head for winter sports. Fall and Spring offer some of the best temperatures.
How to Get to Boise
To get to Boise, you will want to fly into Boise Airport. This airport has many domestic flights. Most routes are from the West Coast, Chicago, and NYC. This is not an international airport, so you will have to grab a connecting flight if coming from out of the country. The airport is about 10 minutes from Downtown Boise.
It is quite a trek to drive from any other major city to Boise, but it is possible. Boise is a 5-hour drive from Salt Lake City, Utah, 6.5 hours from Portland, Oregon, and 6.5 hours from Spokane, Washington.
Transportation in Boise
Unless you plan on only staying Downtown, you will want a car to get around Boise. I recommend using Autoslash to get a rental car as they have the most affordable prices.
Where to Stay in Boise
TripAdvisor is a great place to start your hotel search. Search for the best Boise hotels here!
If you do not want to rent a car, the best place to stay is in Downtown Boise. There are a ton of great hotel options including the Hyatt Place Boise Downtown, the Hampton Inn and Suites Downtown, and the Residence Inn Downtown.
Since we had a car, we opted to stay at the Springhill Suites Boise Park Center. This was cheaper than staying Downtown and we also did not have to pay for parking. It only took about 5 minutes to drive downtown from here.
What to do During Two Days in Boise
Day 1
Today you will spend time exploring the Downtown Boise area.
Breakfast at Bacon
Cost: $$
Hours: 8am-2pm
To start off your two days in Boise, grab breakfast at Bacon. This delicious restaurant has several different flavors of bacon. I recommend getting the bacon sampler so you can try all the different flavors. They have a variety of breakfast options, all of which come with bacon. I recommend sharing as a lot of the plates are quite large.
State Capitol Building
Cost: Free
Hours: Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm, Sat: 9am-5pm
Next, head to the State Capitol Building. Here you can opt to take a guided tour, offered at 10am and 1pm, Monday-Friday. You can also just do a self-guided tour at any time. Make sure to head to the basement to check out the historical exhibit about Idaho. Plan to spend about an hour exploring on your own.
Freak Alley Gallery
Cost: Free
Hours: Open 24 hours
After spending some time at the capitol building, head to the Freak Alley Gallery. This alley is full of artwork and murals. It was created in 2002 and has continued to expand since then. It is the largest outdoor mural gallery in the Northwest, so it is well worth checking out. It makes for some great photo spots as well.
Jack’s Urban Meeting Place (JUMP)
Cost: Free
Hours: Tues-Fri: 10am-6pm, Sat: 10am-7pm
Jack’s Urban Meeting Place or JUMP is a fun gathering place downtown. This creative center has a ton of fun community events, especially in the summertime. The highlight of the space is the 5 story spiral slide. Note that a lot of this area is closed in the wintertime.
Lunch at Boise Fry Company
Cost: $$
Hours: Varies by location
You cannot miss eating at the Boise Fry Company when spending two days in Boise. This place has a ton of different fry options. You can get red potatoes, purple potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, and more in various shapes. They also have at least 10 different sauces to dip your fries in. It is the perfect place to try out Idaho potatoes.
Chip Cookies
Cost: $
Hours: Mon-Sat: 10am-12am
After lunch, stop by Chip Cookies to grab a couple of cookies for dessert. They are popular because they have large cookies and the flavors are often unique. Warning: They are huge, so make sure to share or plan to have leftovers.
Idaho State Museum
Cost: $10
Hours: Mon-Fri: 10am-5pm, Sat: 12pm-5pm
This afternoon, opt to visit the Idaho State Museum. This museum is the perfect museum to learn about the history of Idaho. It tells the story of Idaho and its people through various exhibits and artifacts. Plan to spend at least an hour wandering through the museum.
Cloud 9 Brewery
Cost: $
Hours: Wed-Sun: 12pm-9pm
Tonight, have dinner at Cloud 9 Brewery. It is the perfect place to unwind after your first of two days in Boise. They have a ton of delicious beers and also a pretty extensive menu. Cloud 9 also often has specials that are not on the menu so make sure to ask.
Day 2
Breakfast at Waffle Me Up
Cost: $$
Hours: 8am-3pm
For the start of your second of two days in Boise, grab breakfast at Waffle Me Up. This delicious spot makes amazing waffles and has a variety of toppings to go with them. You can order off their creations or create your own! I got a peanut butter and banana topped waffle with blackcurrant syrup.
Visit Bogus Basin
Cost: $$
Hours: Mon-Fri: 10am-10pm, Sat-Sun: 9am-10pm
No two days in Boise are complete without spending some time in the mountains! Bogus Basin is the perfect place to spend a day. This non-profit mountain resort has both summer and winter activities. It is a great place for beginners to do winter sports and is also super affordable.
Winter Activities
December to Mid-April
Bogus Basin has a TON of winter activities for people of all types. The main attraction is the skiing and snowboarding runs. In total, they have 82 different runs. They also have a snow tubing track, nordic skiing, and snowshoeing. All of the activities can be booked ahead of time and it is recommended to have reservations. We went on a weekend and everything was sold out for anyone who did not book ahead of time.
Since I had never skied before, I opted to take beginner ski lessons. These lessons were super affordable at $79 and included all rentals and lift tickets. It was nice to be instructed on the basics and all of the staff was super nice and helpful.
Summer Activities
Mid-April to November
Although not as many activities as during the wintertime, Bogus Basin does have plenty of fun things to keep you busy in the summertime. The largest attraction is mountain biking. They have
The other major attraction is the mountain coaster. This roller coaster takes riders for a spin throughout the woods. You can also go on a scenic chairlift ride, go summer tubing, hiking, a climbing wall, bungee trampoline, and horseback riding.
Wine Tasting
Cost: $10 and up
Hours: Varies by Winery
After spending some time at Bogus Basin during your two days in Boise, head to some wineries for some wine tasting. There are some tasting rooms near downtown or you can opt to make the drive to Nampa where you can visit many of the vineyards. I highly recommend Huston Vineyards. Here you can get 5 tastes for $10 and I felt they had the best wines out of all of the ones we tried. Their Malbec was very delicious.
If You Have More Than Two Days in Boise
There are still quite a few other things you can spend time exploring in Boise. If you have more than two days in Boise, check out these awesome things to do.
Boise Art Museum
Cost: $6
Hours: Tues-Sat: 10am-5pm, Sun: 12pm-5pm
The Boise Art Museum contains a plethora of American Art as well as contemporary and modern art. The museum began in 1937 and is now one of the largest art museums in Idaho. Plan to spend at least an hour exploring the museum.
Old Idaho Penitentiary Site
Cost: $6
Hours: 12pm-4pm
The Old Idaho Penitentiary Site is one of the most popular attractions in Boise. The Penitentiary opened in 1872 and housed some of the craziest criminals in the west. The site contains over 30 buildings to explore. You can add on a guided tour for an extra $2.
Twisted District
Cost: $
Hours: Mon-Thurs: 11:30am-9pm, Fri: 11:30am-10pm, Sat: 11am-10pm, Sun: 10:30pm-5pm
Twisted District is another fun brewery to stop at. They have a large assortment of beers and ciders. The food is just okay but they do have a lot of unique sausage and hot dog combinations to try out. This is a great place to chill for a bit.
During the summertime, make sure to check out the Boise Greenbelt. It is a great area to ride bikes or walk around. You can also go tubing on the Boise River.
Total Costs for Two Days in Boise
Flights: $238/person (but second person free with our companion pass)
Rental Car: $156 total or $78/person
Hotel: $220 total or $110/person
Total: $307/person or $614 total
There are so many fun things to do during two days in Boise. It definitely makes for a fantastic weekend trip. If you have more time, head out on an Idaho road trip or spend some more time in other areas of the Pacific Northwest such as Seattle or Portland or take a weekend trip from those places.
17 thoughts on “Two Days in Boise, Idaho: Wine Tasting, Winter Sports, and Other Fun Things to Do”
Boise is such an underrated destination! One of my childhood best friends moved there in high school, so I have been to visit a lot. There is so much natural beauty in the state and so many fun things to do. It looks like you had so much fun skiing in Bogus Basin! If you ever visit in the summer, don’t miss the Farmers Market in Downtown Boise!
So fun!! I would like to go back in the summertime but I would be sad not to go skiing. The hikes look so nice.
My husband and I would love to spend a couple of days in Boise just to see if it is an area we would like to retire to. Looks as though there are lots of fun restaurants!
It was a very relaxing area!
I love the bacon and potate theme restaurant. I’d love to snowboard in Bosie too!
You would have so much fun snowboarding there and it was not expensive either.
Sign me up for that 5 story spiral slide! I didn’t realize so are so many things to do in Boise. That’s an area I have yet to explore, but this article will come in handy when I do!
RIGHT!? It looked so fun.
I keep hearing more and more good things about Boise and about Idaho in general. I actually know two families that just moved to Idaho! I’m more of a summer gal, and those summer activities sound right up my alley, especially the roller coaster – how neat! I’d also love to eat at the Boise Fry Company; those sauces are calling my name, haha. Thanks for sharing! Xx Sara
It was such a fun city that I was not expecting much of.
How fun are those bacon samples?! I’d definitely be going there for breakfast. Hoping to get to Boise in the near future so thanks for the tips!
Right!? It was so unique and delicious. Hope you get to go to Boise soon.
Sign me up! Any place where you can do wine tasting, skiing, along with a city break is gold. Looks like a fun way to spend two days in Boise and looks like I might need more than 2 days to see and do everything!
YES! It is now like my dream city break. haha
Boise– I think Idaho doesn’t get on many peoples radar– so thanks for this- and you had me at BACON 🙂
Yes! It was not really on my radar until recently. BACON was soooo good.
I was not aware of such place, but it sounds like such a great place to visit! Those food pictures look soooooo good, I would love to try them all. Also the wine tasting would definitely be something to do. Thank you for sharing