Boise is an easy, outdoorsy city for little kids: a downtown science center, a zoo and a history museum together in Julia Davis Park, a raptor center on the hill and nature trails right on the Greenbelt.
Not this week’s events, just the reliable stuff. Where to eat with a toddler, where to burn off energy when it rains, where to splash, what’s worth the admission, and where to spend a night without going far.
Places where a dropped fork is no big deal and nobody minds a little noise.
Burgers on the side and fries front and center, with house-made sauces and salts. Kids’ meals (grilled cheese or a slider burger) come with a kid fry and a drink.
A local pizza chain where you can build your own pie, from Canadian bacon and pineapple to a Denver omelet-style pizza.
For rainy mornings, cold afternoons and anyone who needs to run in circles for an hour.
A hands-on science center with free parking next door and sensory kits on request.
Seniors 65+ $24
Idaho history and culture. Last admission 4:15pm.
$3 per person with EBT, up to 4
Boise Public Library’s downtown branch, with Pajama Storytime and other free kids’ programs. Construction is underway around the building.
A climate and water center with more than 25 hands-on exhibits, including a sand watershed and a snow theater, plus an outdoor River Campus with a pipe crawl. Open Monday through Saturday.
Pools, fountains, zoos and theme parks: the big all-day outings.
The city’s oldest park, from 1907, with a rose garden, a Solar System Trail and the bandshell.
Gardens including a Children’s Adventure Garden. The lot is temporarily closed, so park at the Table Rock Trailhead.
youth; Seniors and students $13
A nonprofit mountain recreation area with summer activities and, once the snow comes, skiing and an 800-foot tubing hill.
An Idaho Fish and Game nature center on the Greenbelt, with a stream walk and underwater windows for a fish-eye view. The paths are open dawn to dusk, and the visitor center is open Tuesday through Sunday.
A quiet 41-acre park built for watching wildlife, with wide paved paths that suit a stroller.
Museums, animals and farm days that hold a little one’s attention.
A city zoo inside Julia Davis Park, easy to pair with the Idaho State Museum.
On Laura the wolverine
“it was just amazing to see her in the flesh because you look at this animal and you think, it's pretty cute and it's pretty cuddly, but then you see her scale a tree in her habitat”
The Peregrine Fund’s raptor center, with live birds of prey and trails through the sagebrush overlooking the city. Open Tuesday through Sunday most of the year.
These don’t change week to week. Last checked . Hours and prices change, so check the place’s own site before you go. Know a spot we missed? Tell us at hello@littlesweekly.com.
Where a family can go in Boise without paying for admission. For free days, free events and this week’s free outings, see every free thing to do in Boise.
715 S. Capitol Blvd.Downtown LibraryBoise Public Library’s downtown branch, with Pajama Storytime and other free kids’ programs.FreeIndoor
Downtown, along the riverJulia Davis ParkThe city’s oldest park, from 1907, with a rose garden, a Solar System Trail and the bandshell.FreeNear downtownKathryn Albertson ParkA quiet 41-acre park built for watching wildlife, with wide paved paths that suit a stroller.FreeFree or cheap for babies and toddlers, and easy with a stroller.
Julia Davis ParkIdaho State MuseumKids 5 and under are free.Kids $5Adults $10Ages 5 and under freeIndoorEast End, by the Old PenitentiaryIdaho Botanical GardenThe Children’s Adventure Garden, and kids 3 and under are free.Kids $9Adults $15Kids 3 and under freeWest Boise, 6411 N. Ancell Ave.The WaterShedA sand watershed and pipe crawl at toddler height.Indoor715 S. Capitol Blvd.Downtown LibraryPajama Storytime and other free kids’ programs.FreeIndoorRecurring and free. Times change by branch, so check the calendar.
Weekly; days and times vary by branchFree storytimes for babies, toddlers and preschoolers at the Downtown Library and branches around the city.
Schedule ↗Weekly at the Children's Area Branch; Wednesdays and FridaysFree baby, toddler and preschool storytimes. This fall's regular sessions include Baby Storytime (Wednesdays 11:15am) and Time for Twos Storytime (Wednesdays 10:15am).
Schedule ↗Baby storytimes, places where babies get in free, and where to change and feed. For rainy days, see indoor play places; for zero-cost ideas, see free things to do.
Wednesdays at 10:30am · Library! at Cole & Ustick - 7557 W. Ustick Rd., Boise, ID 83704Families with babies, toddlers and preschoolers
Storytime calendar ↗Thursdays at 10:30am · Library! at Collister - 4724 W. State St. Boise, ID 83703Families with babies, toddlers and preschoolers
Storytime calendar ↗Tuesdays at 10:30am · Library! at Hillcrest - 5246 W. Overland Rd. Boise, ID 83705Families with babies, toddlers and preschoolers
Storytime calendar ↗Wednesdays at 11:15am · Children's Area branchBirth to 18 months
Storytime calendar ↗
Under 2 free
Admission page ↗Kids 3 and under free
Admission page ↗
The universal changing table on the first floor isn’t available while that floor is closed for construction.
Official site ↗Santa visits and Christmas lights only run part of the year, so they have their own pages with this season’s dates and prices.
The guide is the evergreen list. Here’s what’s happening in Boise right now.
Julia Davis Park, Kathryn Albertson Park, the MK Nature Center paths, the Greenbelt and library storytimes.
Yes. Kids under 4 are free, and seeing the falcons and eagles up close is the highlight.
The Discovery Center, the Idaho State Museum and The WaterShed are all indoors.
Idaho State Museum: Kids 5 and under are free. Idaho Botanical Garden: The Children’s Adventure Garden, and kids 3 and under are free. The WaterShed and Downtown Library are also easy with a baby or toddler. Free for the littlest: Discovery Center of Idaho (Under 2 free) and World Center for Birds of Prey (Under 4 free). See best for under 3s.
Boise Public Library: Weekly; days and times vary by branch. Nampa Public Library: Weekly at the Children's Area Branch; Wednesdays and Fridays. Library storytimes don’t need a ticket, but times change by branch, so check the calendar first. See library storytimes, and this week’s dated sessions are on the Boise weekly list.
Every one of the 13 places is somewhere we’d take a baby, toddler or preschooler, with a note on who it suits and when to skip it. Prices, hours and menus come from each place’s own site, and 4 of them have checked admission or menu prices. The guide was last checked Oct 18, 2026. How we choose and check.
One short email every Friday morning: the five things worth leaving the house for in Boise, plus what to skip.
