Life In Boise

• Greenbelt – affordable
• Zoo
• Skate Park – affordable
• Lucky Peak – affordable
• Bogus
• Tablerock – affordable
• Foothills – hiking – affordable
• Camel’s back – affordable 
• Downtown
• JUMP Building 
• Hyde Park 
• Botanical Gardens
• Train Depot – affordable
• Floating the river – affordable

• Starting right next to campus, there is Julia Davis Park which is across the river from campus. There are plenty of fun things to do in right in the park. The discovery center, BAM, Idaho State Museum, The Idaho Black History Museum, rose gardens, and the Boise Zoo are all located in the park.
• The Boise Art Museum is a great place to find inspiration and explore local art, and It is free for Boise State students; just bring your student ID.
• The Discovery Center is a must-go for science fans. It has hands-on science experiments and demonstrations and is a great place to expand your knowledge of a variety of interesting concepts in a fun, creative ways.
• The Idaho State Museum is also located near campus and is a great place to learn about the States history. 
• Freak Alley is a popular multi-mural gallery located downtown and is a great spot to get some pictures and check out local artists.
• The Boise Capital Building is free and open to the public. It is an impressive piece of architecture and is a great place to take photos or kill some time. 
• The Idaho Botanical Gardens, Old Idaho State Penitentiary, and the Idaho Museum of Mining and Geology are all located near the base of Table Rock.
• The Idaho Botanical Gardens is a fantastic place to connect with the natural world and see some beautiful trees and plants. The Garden is home to over 800 species of plants from 42 families located in 14 specialty gardens. 
• The Idaho Mining and Geology Museum is a fascinating place for anyone interested in geoscience and Idaho history. The museum has an impressive variety of rocks and gems and is quite literally one of Boise’s hidden gems. 
• Boise has a lively local music scene with frequent concerts around town. Treefort Art and Music Festival takes place in the spring and is an amazing way to discover new emerging artists. Over the course of the week, there are countless venues throughout the city. Venues like Nerolux, the Knitting Factory, the Shredder, and El Korah Shrine are popular places to see touring artists throughout the year.

The City of Trees has countless restaurants that will meet all your cravings. We’ve listed our favorite breakfast, lunch, and dinner spots that you must try. If you’re anything like us, you’re not always willing to break the bank, even if the food is worth it. That’s why we’ve identified which restaurants are affordable.

Breakfast

• Blue Sky Bagels – affordable
• Addie’s – affordable
• Goldy’s Breakfast Bistro
• The Griddle
• Big City Coffee and Cafe
• Elmer’s 
• Moon’s Kitchen Cafe – affordable
• Capri – affordable
• Flying M
• Zeppole
• Java

Lunch

• Dharma – affordable
• Boise Fry Company – affordable
• Fanci Freez – affordable
• Tin Roof Tacos – affordable
• Tupelo Honey
• Lemon Tree – affordable
• Phở Nouveau
• Flatbread
• Parilla
• Lucky Fins
• Guido’s – affordable

Dinner 

• Pie Hole – affordable
• Yoi Tomo Sushi and Grill – affordable
• Eureka
• Cafe Ole
• Bardenay Restaurant and Distillery
• Fork
• Los Betos – affordable
• The Reef
• Lucianos
• The Brickyard

No matter what mode of transportation you’re using, traveling around Boise doesn’t need to be a stressful or confusing experience. To help you out, we’re sharing all the ins and outs of parking, biking, walking, scootering, and Ubering around Boise. We also list the grocery stores that will help you stay fueled while studying for all your classes.

Parking

This Downtown Parking page tells you all you need to know about where you park in downtown Boise, how much it costs, and the rules and regulations.

Biking in Boise

Boise is very bike friendly with plenty of designated bike paths, sharrows and bike routes. If you’re looking to Bike around town we, of course, recommend that you use the bike lanes on the street or the sidewalks. Please visit this Bike Safety page to learn more about some of the regulations regarding biking in Boise and how you can stay safe while biking in the city. You can also bike on the Boise Greenbelt, a place where you can escape from some of the hustle and bustle in the city. Please visit the Greenbelt Etiquette page to learn more about how to use the Boise Greenbelt. 

If you would like to rent a bike to round around town, you can use the Vall-eBike program and pay for a temporary bike. To learn more about the program, visit the Boise Vall-eBike page. The Cycle Learning Center also offers semester and year long bike rentals for students.

Walking Boise

Luckily, there are some places you can walk to and from in Boise. We recommend that you use the sidewalks and crosswalks when walking across town.

Of course, you can use the Boise Greenbelt to quietly and peacefully walk around to different parts of town. Please visit the Greenbelt Etiquette page to learn more about how to use the Boise Greenbelt.

Scooters & Uber

To get around Boise, you can use scooters and driving services like Uber. Like any other city in the U.S, Uber is a big help when you don’t have a mode of transportation, especially on a night out. You may be familiar with Lime Scooters or something along those lines, they are so fun to use and so convenient. You can find them on almost any sidewalk, the greenbelt, and even main areas on campus. To learn more about how to use scooters in Boise, where you can and can’t use scooters, and the scooter services available to you, please check out the Scooters in Boise page.

Bronco Shuttle and Boise system (Valley Ride)

There are a couple bus systems you can use to get to and from BSU’s campus and other areas in Boise. The Boise State Bronco Shuttle travels around campus and into downtown Boise. To learn more about how to use the Bronco Shuttle, the rules and regulations, and where the shuttle stops are located, please visit the Bronco Shuttle page. You can also use Valley Regional Transit, the Boise bus system that travels to numerous parts of the city. To learn more about how to use Valley Regional Transit, the rules and regulations, and the bus stops, please visit the Valley Regional Transit website.

Grocery stores 

If you’re living off campus, don’t have a food plan, or just looking for a store to stop by and get some food, there are a plethora of grocery stores in Boise. These are some of our favorites:

• Trader Joes
• Winco
• Whole Foods
• Albertsons
• Walmart
• Fredmeyer