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    2 years ago

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    WalkAbout Boise

    WalkAbout Boise

    4.3(4 reviews)
    2.5 km

    I'll start by saying that you really can't beat the price for this tour. Any other type of tour in…read morethis city is likely going to cost you at least twice as much, so if you're looking to just get a quick look at parts of downtown on a dime, this is the tour for you. As mentioned, this is meant to be a fairly quick (1.5 hours) walking tour of part of downtown Boise to just get a brief sense of the city's history and culture. Our tour guide focused a lot of time and information on the Basque region and culture, and the rest of the time on some of the architecture and brief history of how the certain buildings came to be. The first half or so of the tour was very engaging and I definitely learned some interesting facts. But during the last half of the tour, I found my attention wandering off more than a few times as the guide shared stories that in my opinion ate up too much time, and weren't always related to Boise, which was a bit confusing. Don't get me wrong, it was an extremely friendly, upbeat, and clearly knowledgeable tour guide--I just would have liked learn a broader sense of Boise's downtown history rather than focusing in on facts and stories that don't necessarily help you appreciate the city. But with our guide we also got access to areas you might not otherwise see if you're only in town briefly, like a special Basque sports club and the Egyptian Theater. He also shared lots of valuable opinions on other places to go and things to experience. Overall, you can't beat the price, it's a leisurely walking tour, and you might learn some interesting history (perhaps more than you even care to learn!). It'd be a great tour for those who are unsure of what to do or where to go, and regardless, downtown Boise is a beautiful and entertaining area that you'll enjoy experiencing on foot.

    This is an excellent tour of downtown Boise. I've lived in Boise for 3 years now and it was fun…read moreseeing/learning about buildings that I had not noticed before. It was a perfect compliment to our morning at the downtown market. I will definitely take my parents when they come to visit.

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    WalkAbout Boise
    WalkAbout Boise

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    Old Idaho Penitentiary

    Old Idaho Penitentiary

    4.7(163 reviews)
    2.8 km

    I saw a sign for this place from the freeway, and since I had a little bit of extra time, I decided…read moreto come in and check it out. . It was fascinating. It was a prison from 1872 until the end of 1973, it closed because of concerns about living conditions. All of the remaining inmates were moved to a newer prison south of Boise. Inmate labor had a hand in building almost all of the buildings, and the sandstone for the buildings came from a quarry that the inmates also worked at. The price is very reasonable to get in. You can't go inside all of the buildings, but there are signs everywhere including talking about the buildings that you can't go into. Several of the buildings you can go into, you can see how the inmates lived. Besides just reading the signs about the buildings, for a small extra charge, they do offer a guided tour, or for free, you can bring up an audio tour on your phone. I did the audio tour, and I was so engrossed in the stories, , I didn't think about taking any pictures. The exhibits talk about inmate life what the conditions were like, what it was like to be a guard and administrators here, and there are lots of exhibits that talk about different inmates who were here, what they did, and for some, what happened to them after they got out. The prison held men, women, and at times, even children There is also a fascinating weapons exhibit in the far corner Of the complex. It has weapons from ancient times, all the way up through Vietnam. The most fascinating thing is, all of the weapons were the collection of just one man who donated them.. He donated over 2000 weapons, and just a small piece of that is on display at any one given time. Definitely worth stopping and checking out. Thanks!

    What a great experience while visiting Idaho. Our family took us here when we visited and I had…read morejust been to San Francisco the weekend previously and saw Alcatraz so I definitely value this experience. You were able to go in and tour on your own or have someone guide you along the way we chose to do a self guided tour. You were able to go inside and see all the jail sales and solitary confinement. They have a men's quarter and a women's quarter. I also very much enjoyed going to the museum of all of the different types of guns. There is plenty of places to break and sit on a bench if you feel overwhelmed and you're able to go inside of the jail cells. Definitely a fun educational thing to do. They also offer discounts for elderly AAA and EBT. I love a little piece of history inside of a big city

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    Old Idaho Penitentiary - A heart-shaped marker for a convict, lovingly created by his friends.

    A heart-shaped marker for a convict, lovingly created by his friends.

    Old Idaho Penitentiary
    Old Idaho Penitentiary

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    Idaho State Capitol - Idaho State Capitol

    Idaho State Capitol

    4.6(52 reviews)
    2.9 km

    This historically significant and grand building is open to the public from 7 am - 7 pm, 7 days a…read moreweek. I was pleasantly surprised, that yes, I can just walk up the grand staircase and into the rotunda. The liberty bell is currently being restored so it's not there but the rotunda and statues are all there. You can take the free tour and if not, just walking around and finding pockets of history is inspiring. For instance, the mail tunnels/gold slots are active ones so if you plan ahead, you can mail something out from the capital building (sadly, it doesn't have a special postmark). Also, the Idaho treasurer's office hallway is worth a visit because Spuddy Buddy dressed up as American heroes is just so Idaho. If you start there, you can pick up a 250th year scavenger hunt for kids where they can walk into the house of reps and collect stickers, bookmarks, and other things from the offices there. Also, don't skip out on the historical room with the bank vault doors. If you are into old bank doors (e.g. the bank door and vault at 8 Horses Lounge), they have two here with great random facts. I don't know what parking is like but many people ride Lime scooters and bikes there.

    We visited Idaho's Capitol building while on a trip to the Gem state, and it's located in downtown…read moreBoise, which is its capital city, and their capitol is really quite impressive, massive and grand. Lots of incredible ornate architecture, marble and other fancy stones galore are used in many opulent carvings and designs throughout the building. There are many historical sculptures in this capitol and there's also a small museum like exhibit at the basement inside that goes over the history of Idaho and important past, recent, and current events. Their legislature's meeting hall was also quite large and regal. All in all, it was an eye-opening tour of Idaho's capitol building, it really is worth a visit here to see some pretty amazing sculptures, paintings, architecture (especially the rotunda), and to learn about this state's history in a real life way.

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    Idaho State Capitol - Idaho State Capitol entrance with yellow roses

    Idaho State Capitol entrance with yellow roses

    Idaho State Capitol
    Idaho State Capitol - Very beautiful inside

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    Very beautiful inside

    Idahistory Tours - walkingtours - Updated October 2026

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