The red and green trolleys you see trundling around downtown Boise aren’t just for tourists — they’re a way for locals to learn more about the city we call home. Better yet, they’re just one of the many historical tours you can take to fuel your curiosity about the City of Trees.
The aforementioned trolleys are running daily at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and they seem to be frequently full this summer season. The tours are two hours long with an audio guide, and looking out of a trolley window might make you see things with a fresh perspective. You can also call to create a custom tour with their team.
Thanks to owner and tour guide Mark Iverson, IdaHistory’s tours will likely have the most personality of any of the tours listed here. Iverson specializes in Boise’s more ghastly stories, but even these are part of the fabric of our community. Plus, for little random pieces of Boise history, follow their Instagram.
I’ve been putting off returning to this tour (which I last did as every Idaho public school fourth-grader), because the morbidity of the old prison will certainly land differently as an adult. But that’s a good thing, and we’re lucky to have access to this history! The Old Pen has both walking tours and cemetery tours.
In case you missed the Boise Depot Centennial celebration, you can still tour the 1925 building each of the next two Sundays for free! That includes, if you’re able and the weather permits, a climb up the belltower.
- From the archive: A look at the Depot’s first birthday — and then questions about its future.
One of the most unique facets of Boise’s past and present intersects with Basque history. But it’s not by chance that Boise is home to the largest number of Basques outside of the Basque country. Learn why with a walking tour, either self-guided through the museum and cultural center, or reserved for a group!
My last recommendation is a sort of catch-all from the Idaho State Historic Preservation Council. These 90-minute tours look at economic, ethnic, and architectural histories to tell the story of our city.
Boise will continue to surprise you for as long as you live here, so go seek out something new!
