Tour guide Rob was fantastic! It only took us 12+ years to visit Boise Depot. Don't wait to take an…read moreengaging free tour and hear the fascinating history of railways in Boise dating back to 1887 (in current location since 1925). We had a small group at noon on March 22, 2026 and Rob was great about answering our many questions and curiosities! His next tour at 1:30pm was huge so we were lucky to have a more intimate gathering! Now I need to figure out a reason to have a party there and rent the space. So cool.

The Boise Depot is a historic Spanish-style structure operated by the Boise Parks & Recreation…read moreDepartment as a public ceremonial or meeting space & historic site. It was designed by NY architects & opened in 1925. However it was closed when we arrived Monday at 10:30 we came back in the afternoon and walked inside. We took the elevator up to the bell tower for city views. The Great Hall is a 3,542-sq ft multi-story atrium that once was the stations waiting room. Ten original benches line the walls of the Great Hall holding 300 standing & 165 seated people.. hours are limited because this venue is rented out The original 1925 Barkalow Brothers Newsstand is featured on the west wall. The newsstand has been slightly restored but remains in its' original form. This area is great for a buffet or display. The Great Halls' ceiling is lined with Spanish trusses, each imprinted with antique locomotives. The famous Platt Gardens are here.

Highly recommend the Macabre History Tour of Boise! The guide was hilarious, super knowledgeable,…read moreand really brought Boise's darker past to life. Walking through the old streets and hearing all the creepy, historical stories was fascinating. It was a great mix of local history and eerie legends that kept me hooked the whole time. Definitely something unique and worth checking out if you're into true crime or just want to see Boise from a different perspective.

From the owner: IdaHistory was founded by historian Mark Iverson, who believes that history doesn’t have to be dull…read moreto be educational. Combining meticulous research with captivating storytelling, Mark brings the past to life in a way that’s both informative and entertaining. Are you a true crime junkie who craves stories that keep you on the edge of your seat? Don’t miss out—reserve your spot today for one of our popular experiences: "A Macabre History of Boise Walking Tour" or the "Boise True Crime 1970s Motorhome Tour." Get ready to dive into Boise’s dark and fascinating past as Mark guides you through the scenes of the city’s most infamous crimes, weaving together the chilling tales that have shaped the city’s history.

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.

This was a wonderful tour! Julia really knows her history, and introduced us to Boise while…read moreentertaining us with a mixture of historical facts, anecdotes, and cool information. There was a 10K race going on, which blocked a main road, so she had to improvise and give the tour taking some alternate roads and looping back. There was only one other couple besides us, so it was luxurious, and she was open to questions. She really inspired me to learn more Boise history. She even dropped us off by our car, because it was " on the way". It was supposed to be 90 minutes, but it was 2 hours packed with all sorts of information! Thanks for the great intro, Julia!

Fantastic tour of Boise, really in-depth information of the city. Well worth the time to get the…read morehistory and lay of the land.

This #ThankYouThursday, I'd like to share some love and gratitude for The Bishops' House in Boise,…read moreId! My son recently had his wedding here. There were a couple small hiccups, but by and large a wonderful wedding made all the more wonderful by this historic gem in Boise. Their wedding was on Halloween, which is always a little bit of a gamble weather-wise. The wonderful thing about the Bishops' House is that we were able to decide the morning of the wedding whether we'd like to proceed with the wedding inside or out. Ultimately, the bride and groom opted for an inside wedding (who can resist a bridal entrance down a staircase?) with the reception taking place in their autumnally perfect basement (seriously, from the fireplace to low flickering lights--it was perfection for a Halloween costume party wedding reception. The event coordinator met with us to provide a tour of the venue, which included tons of fun historical tidbits. The bride and groom both had their own suites to get ready in, which was lovely. The bridal suite has a lovely balcony as well. The grounds are also beautiful and with cooperative weather they were able to get some amazing photos taken on the grounds. The place was ours for a full 12 hours which gave us plenty of time to decorate, have the ceremony, dine, have the reception, clean-up and go! The cost for the venue was roughly $3000. Given we had it for 12 hours and was the location of both the wedding and reception--it felt like a solid deal. And, of course the bride and groom absolutely adored the location and have beautiful memories to last a lifetime--can't really put a price on that.

We had our wedding at the Bishops house and it was amazing. Amelia and all the staff were great to…read morework with and we loved having our special day there. Couldn't have been happier .

This was such an amazing experience for my daughters wedding! the perfect end to the evening! If…read moreyou are thinking about renting, do it!!! you won't regret it!

My fiancé and I recently had a lovely holiday date night doing the Griswold Christmas lights tour !…read moreIt was a wonderful experience stepping into a luxurious 1947 convertible and getting snuggled up with plush blankets, classic Christmas songs playing and a cup of delicious hot cocoa! We had the opportunity to take pictures throughout, the light displays in the neighborhood we drove around were beautiful and our driver Tim was very pleasant. We almost did a trolley Christmas lights tour but I think it's worth it to pay more and do this for the extra special touches and extra room- especially if you are plus sized like myself or extremely tall like my fiancé. There was definitely quite a bit of confusion at first on where to meet our driver. The email mentioned a sears parking lot at Boise Towne Square but there dosen't seem to be a Sears there so they may want to make some updates with the directions. I called Carolyn who told me that the meeting spot was a parking lot behind a hotel that is across from the mall and she stated to look for the classic convertible stating the driver already arrived there... well, we found the hotel lot she mentioned but the car was nowhere to be found so I called the driver whose number she gave us and he said he was on his way and would be there in 5 minutes ..so must have been some miscommunication on their end lol Aside from that though, it was a great experience and we would do it again!

We absolutely loved this tour! We opted for the guided tour & man was it worth it! Lisa was very…read moredope! She had a fun personality, and was very informative. We enjoyed having access to so much of the prison, including being able to walk into the cells. Thank you Lisa for your patience as we were able to take our time as we were in a small group.

I went to Boise with friends, and pretty much did what the group wanted to do, because I had no…read moreclue what to do on my own. I had no expectations, well I wasn't really expecting much. I have to say I really enjoyed touring around here! I'm sure it's a lot more beautiful then when it was in operation. I loved reading the stories of the inmates, though a lot were sad stories. I spent a lot more time here than I was expecting to!

I took a tour of the Idaho State Capitol while visiting with friends in Boise. The tour was free…read moreand our tour guide Karen was full of interesting facts with an added touch of humor. We even got to meet the governor. There was a quilt display on the top level that I enjoyed. Now I want to tour all the state capitols!

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.

This is a must do if you're visiting Boise, Idaho! We had the best tour guide, her name is…read moreKayshauna. She took us to 4 very different and amazing local spots. It's an easy stroll with stops for local history. Kayshauna was fun, informative and friendly. First stop was beef tallow fries with bison burger and build your own seasonings. It definitely sets the mood for the tour. We moved to one of the most infectiously delicious spots - Ansots!! Ellie and her staff make you feel like family. The food sampling was varied and oh so yummy. We had to indulge in the Basque cheesecake and bought pieces to take back to enjoy later at the hotel. There are two more delicious stops. You will not go hungry! You can also opt to add alcohol to your food tour but there is water and mocktails if you didn't. It was one of the best things we did on our trip. Book it and you won't regret it.

I want to give a 4.5 stars. Only taking away a star for paying for alcohol up charge and only…read morereceiving a strawberry mimosa and a cider drink of the 4 places we went. Olive- our host- 10/10. She's warm, welcoming, inviting and so damn smart. A wealth of knowledge. I want to be her friend. Stop one- lemon tree 5/5- will be back and recommended to friends and family. I tried a sandwich that I would never order on my own. And it was delicious. Sausage, pear, jam, figs, goat cheese and amazing local bread. Strawberry basil mimosa- so good. Stop two: bacon! Wow!! Incredible. Atmosphere, service. Awesome. The bacon shot jar tasting of their flavored bacons hit the spot. A piping hot bowl of their bacon Mac n cheese was the show stopper. Hot, ooey gooey, bacon, mushrooms, pasta, cheese and tomatoes hello! Finished with a beignet. No alcohol. Def coming back. Third stop: Sid's garage. Fun. Super Smokey smell- fire alarm was going off when we walked in. We had the flashed fried deviled eggs. To.die.for. I will say there was an issue with our order, and it was handled in front of us instead of taking it to the side. Ace pineapple cider provided. Finished at guru donuts- not a sweet fan but that salted caramel donut. Yum! Olive made the experience. Expected more drinks for the up charge.