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    Idaho Botanical Garden

    4.1 (100 reviews)
    Open 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

    Services - Idaho Botanical Garden

    Venue rental

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    Marisa P.

    A great spot to get engaged!!!!! Obviously biased, but we had a great time at the Idaho botanical garden. The koi pond, the different gardens, everything was beautiful. We downloaded the app, so it was nice to follow along and hear the history behind the old prison grounds and buildings. Plaques and such from donors and people who've passed were very touching. Lewis and Clark and Sacajawea area was the toughest walk. But overall a very peaceful, nice experience. Including a photo of the bridge in the meditation garden where I became a fiancée!

    Valerie W.

    Got to experience the Christmas lights at the Idaho botanical garden this weekend. It is such a beautiful place to walk to see Christmas lights. They had hot drink booths as well!

    Jamie C.

    Listen, before anyone comes for me.. I realize that we visited in March and it is still winter conditions in Idaho! With that being said, it was the mere fact that this company was still okay charging us $14/person and claiming "oh it's still very pretty year round, things just haven't fully bloomed yet". Understatement of the year. We were walked over to the entry gate by an employee (that was locked) to be let in and were told, just unlock the gate when you're done. This should have been our first clue. I can't explain how ugly and dead everything was, which again, we understand how nature works... but do not charge for this! The koi fish pond was covered in tarp, all water fountains turned off, most pathways blocked with a "staff only" sign. It was comical at this point. So my best advice to people is not to even add this to your to-do list until late April may be even later, unless you want to walk through what appears to be a cemetery. My advice to the company, do NOT charge for winter walk through's... $28 for me and my friend ?! Insane. We quickly ended this tour, found our way out through the huge locked gate and made our way to the old penitentiary, which was worth every dollar and cheaper ! Botanical Gardens was a HUGE bust.

    Lynette H.

    We had the best time here! It's so beautiful and a great activity for families. My husband sister invited us to the garden. She is a member and was able to get us in for free! We loved all the different areas. Most notable was the koi pond, fairy houses, sand pit, and the picturesque fern tunnel! Free parking too!

    Ali B.

    I love visiting botanical gardens when I go somewhere new, and the Idaho botanical gardens were awesome! I could see how it would be an awesome concert venue as well. The one thing that freaked us out was all the hornets and bees but that's to be expected haha. The plants were beautiful and there was a lot to see. We paid to get into the garden and penitentiary and it was a good deal. Glad we checked it out!

    Taylor W.

    We went to see the Christmas lights at the Botanical Garden's and they were nothing short of amazing! You have to pay $15 a piece to enter the "exhibit", which I thought was so worth it. They have beautiful lights everywhere as well as interactive experiences along the way. They have free hot chocolate and cookies as well as items to purchase (food trucks, kettle corn, coffee, etc). I will definitely make this an annual trip!

    Winter Garden Aglow
    Dan D.

    Went here for the Winter Garden Aglow on Dec 28. It was fantastic. We are new to Boise, but found the lights and walk to be amazing even in the cold - just bundle up. They had hot cider or hot chocolate and cookies (please donate!). They also had a few stands set up if you wanted a beer or food. But the treat was the lights! Since this is a night event, and we had never been here before, it is hard to comment on the Garden itself, but we did note a few of the areas that were lit up by lights and noted that we HAD to come back in nicer weather and with items abloom. Definitely will be back for a totally different experience.

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    6 months ago

    Excellent gardens and staff! Concerts are always on time and high quality. Appreciate that they are so organized and welcoming.

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    11 months ago

    My family and I enjoyed our day here. The gardens are well done. The view of the mountains here were so pretty

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    3 years ago

    Don't go in early Spring There is hardly anything blooming in early May. Not really worth your time. I hear it's nice later in Summer.

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    2 years ago

    One of my favorite venues for an outdoor concert in Idaho! I've been so many shows there and will continue to go to shows!

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Awesome place, well kept and lots of secret places to see! The rock formations are beautiful

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Idaho Botanical Garden

    Review Highlights - Idaho Botanical Garden

    Finally it educates you in fire wise gardening and the western natives of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

    Mentioned in 10 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    I recently attended an event dinner hosted at The Linen Building. The space is beautiful and was…read morefilled with art and strung lights. There was a hosted bar and buffet table, as well as professional lighting which seemed to mirror a dance area on the floor. Seems like a perfect venue for a wedding reception, depending on the size of the guest list. For event organizers: Make you sure know how to control the tempertaure. The AC was blasting the entire time and I noticed many people complaining about how cold it was.

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    This was my first time ever visiting a penitentiary and it was one heck of an experience! As…read moretranquil, peaceful and even beautiful as it is, you can't help but feel eary and even emotional as you walk through the various cell blocks. It was built in the late 1800's and was operation through the 1970's! How wild is that?! I was even able to go inside of several solitary confinement rooms and have the door closed behind me. And the only light was a hole in the ceiling. According to the audio guide and plackards on the wall, some inmates were thrown in there for months at a time, some for even up to a year. The worst part was, they weren't even told beforehand how much time it would be. Even just for a few seconds, if felt pretty surreal hearing the door close. We spent several hours walking through the various cell block and yards, and probably an hour at least walking through the armory collection. The collection was quite vast and spanned by WW1 and WW2. All in all, for only $8, it's definitly a must-do when visiting Boise for the first time.

    Idaho Botanical Garden - museums - Updated May 2026

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