SpringHill Suites Boise ParkCenter

fine fine weather

by senneterre

go to boise if you like the outdoors, because the weather is excellent: even if it's 105 degrees, there's no humidity, so you can walk around without any problem, as long as you use sunscreen, wear sunglasses, and drink lots of water. There's little rain, not much pollution, so biking and hiking are good options.

Hot spa hunting

by Idadelf

North of Boise are many accessible, easy to get to natural hot springs. There are also some out of the way ones-usually the best, and some commercial one. Its worth getting a map or a book showing where and what they have.

Jaialdi - Basque Festival

by WulfstanTraveller

Every 5 years, Boise hosts Jaialdi, the international Basque Festival. This includes music, food, etc., on the Basque Block downtown, plus cultural displays, dancing, and more. It lasts for several days, building to the main centrepiece which is the big festival of dances, music, competitions, and food, etc., at the Boise fairgrounds to the NW of downtown.

It is very large and Basques from all over the world come to the event. There were many from Spain and France, as well as the UK, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Australia, etc., in addition to Basques from all over Idaho, California, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon.

This is in part because Idaho, especially Boise and the Boise area, has one of the largest Basque communities in the US (although California has the largest, with the greatest concentration being in Bakersfield).

The website I give below is for the Boise Basque association, probably the best place to get info on it, as well as other Basque-related things. However, as I said, this festival is only once every 5 years. It just took place thus summer, 2010, so the next I suppose will be in 2015.

Ah, Boise!

by bocmaxima

"The Boise I Know"

Boise is one of my favorite western cities. There's a laid-back attitude, a relatively safe city environment, a dynamic Downtown area and a population that has a lot of pride in their hometown and the environment of Idaho.
Boise is also not quite as "white bread" as many people might think. It's tradition as a farming center has brought in a large Latino population, meaning a more interesting cultural mix but also the presence of good taco shops, something that I don't think I could get by without.
Additionally, Boise has the largest ethnically Basque population in the country, centered around the "Basque Block" on the southeastern edge of its Downtown. I don't think I had ever had Basque food before visiting Boise (it's delicious!).

"First Visit"

I didn't really know what to expect from Boise when I first came in 2007. I hadn't spent much time in Idaho at all, so coming here was more to just check out and get a feel for the town than anything.
The first thing I noticed was the Boise River, and that there were people tubing it. Not many cities in the country have the luxury of a tubable river. Second thing I noticed was the gorgeous, renovated rail station at the top of the hill south of Downtown. No matter you cannot normally enter it, it's fantastic. Third thing that made me love Boise was "Alive After 5," a weekly free concert series during the su

"Second Visit (I'll be back!)"

In late 2010, with me still looking for a job, I found a Dollar Rental Car deal that offered $1 per day for up to 7 days if you picked up in Boise and dropped off in Nevada, Arizona or California. It was relatively last minute, but flights on Southwest from Phoenix were still $100 one-way, so off we went.

Svetobeznik's Boise , City of Trees

by Svetobeznik

Boise (pronounced boy-see) is the capital and largest city in the State of Idaho, and is the hub of commerce, banking and government for the state.

Located along the Boise River and nestled against foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Boise offers many outdoor activities to local residents, from skiing at Bogus Basin Ski Resort to biking on the Boise River Greenbelt to boating at nearby reservoirs. The Boise area has access to outdoor recreation such as: desert, rivers, mountains and lakes for hiking, camping, kayaking, river rafting, hunting and fishing.

Many large regional, national and international companies are headquartered here, including Simplot Corporation, Boise Cascade, Albertsons, Micron Technology and Hewlett-Packard.

Boise is home to Boise State University, the state's largest university with an enrollment of over 15,000 students, as well as 34 grade schools, 9 junior high schools, and 5 high schools.