# Things to do with toddlers and little kids in Boise: the parent guide > 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. - Last checked: 2026-10-18 - 13 places for ages 0–6, with admission and menu prices from each place’s own site - Canonical page: https://littlesweekly.com/boise/guide/ - This week (Markdown): https://littlesweekly.com/boise/index.md - Visiting guide (Markdown): https://littlesweekly.com/boise/visiting/index.md - City index for agents: https://littlesweekly.com/boise/llms.txt ## Kid-friendly restaurants ### Boise Fry Company (Boise, Meridian, Nampa and Caldwell) - 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. - Price level: $ - Hours: Sat 11am–9pm - Good for: Fries front and center; kids’ meals come with a kid fry and a drink. - Skip if: you want a full meal; burgers are the side here. - Website: https://www.boisefrycompany.com/ ### Flying Pie Pizzaria (Several Boise-area locations) - A local pizza chain where you can build your own pie, from Canadian bacon and pineapple to a Denver omelet-style pizza. - Price level: $$ - Good for: Build-your-own pizza for picky eaters. - Skip if: you want quick in-and-out food; build-your-own takes a bit. - Website: https://www.flyingpie.com/ ## Indoor play and rainy days ### Discovery Center of Idaho (Downtown, 131 W. Myrtle St.) - A hands-on science center with free parking next door and sensory kits on request. - Price level: $$ - Tickets: kids 2–17 $18; adults 18+ $27; Under 2 free. Seniors 65+ $24 - Hours: Mon–Sat 10am–6pm; Sun 10am–5pm - Good for: A first-morning science stop with free parking and sensory kits; under 2 is free. - Skip if: you’d pay $27 per adult for a short visit. - Price source: https://www.dcidaho.org/visit/ (checked 2026-10-17) - Website: https://www.dcidaho.org/ ### Idaho State Museum (Julia Davis Park) - Idaho history and culture. Last admission 4:15pm. - Price level: $ - Tickets: kids 6–17 $5; adults 18–59 $10; Ages 5 and under free. $3 per person with EBT, up to 4 - Hours: Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; Sun noon–5pm - Good for: An easy add-on to the zoo; kids 5 and under are free. - Skip if: you arrive after 4:15, the last admission. - Price source: https://history.idaho.gov/museum/ (checked 2026-10-17) - Website: https://history.idaho.gov/museum/ ### Downtown Library (715 S. Capitol Blvd.) - Boise Public Library’s downtown branch, with Pajama Storytime and other free kids’ programs. Construction is underway around the building. - Price level: Free - Good for: Free Pajama Storytime. - Skip if: construction around the building makes it a hassle with a stroller. - Website: https://www.boisepubliclibrary.org/ ### The WaterShed (West Boise, 6411 N. Ancell Ave.) - 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. - Hours: Mon–Sat 9:30am–4:30pm; closed Sun - Good for: A sand watershed and pipe crawl, Monday to Saturday. - Skip if: you can only go on a Sunday; it’s open Monday to Saturday. - Website: https://www.boisewatershed.org/ ## Parks and outdoor play ### Julia Davis Park (Downtown, along the river) - The city’s oldest park, from 1907, with a rose garden, a Solar System Trail and the bandshell. - Price level: Free - Hours: Daily sunrise to midnight - Good for: A free Solar System Trail between the zoo and the museum. - Skip if: it’s pouring; pair it with the indoor State Museum. - Website: https://www.cityofboise.org/departments/parks-and-recreation/parks/julia-davis-park/ ### Idaho Botanical Garden (East End, by the Old Penitentiary) - Gardens including a Children’s Adventure Garden. The lot is temporarily closed, so park at the Table Rock Trailhead. - Price level: $$ - Tickets: kids $9; adults $15; Kids 3 and under free. youth; Seniors and students $13 - Hours: Daily 9am–5pm (last admission 4pm) - Good for: The Children’s Adventure Garden; kids 3 and under are free. - Skip if: you don’t check parking first; the site has had lot changes. - Price source: https://www.idahobotanicalgarden.org/ (checked 2026-10-17) - Website: https://www.idahobotanicalgarden.org/ ### Bogus Basin (16 miles up the mountain) - A nonprofit mountain recreation area with summer activities and, once the snow comes, skiing and an 800-foot tubing hill. - Price level: $$ - Good for: A tubing hill once the snow comes. - Skip if: you don’t want to drive 16 miles up the mountain with a carsick toddler. - Website: https://bogusbasin.org/ ### MK Nature Center (East of downtown, 600 S. Walnut St.) - 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. - Good for: Peering at fish through underwater windows. - Skip if: it’s Monday and you want the visitor center; it opens Tuesday to Sunday. - Website: https://idfg.idaho.gov/visit/mknc ### Kathryn Albertson Park (Near downtown) - A quiet 41-acre park built for watching wildlife, with wide paved paths that suit a stroller. - Price level: Free - Good for: A quiet, free stroller loop with ducks and geese. - Skip if: your kids want a playground; it’s built for watching wildlife. - Website: https://www.cityofboise.org/departments/parks-and-recreation/parks/kathryn-albertson-park/ ## Museums, zoos and big outings ### Zoo Boise (Julia Davis Park) - A city zoo inside Julia Davis Park, easy to pair with the Idaho State Museum. - Price level: $$ - Good for: A small after-nap zoo visit near the State Museum. - Skip if: you want a big zoo; it’s small and in a city park. - In their words: 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” (Mónica Esquivel, Boise State Public Radio, on Idaho Matters (Boise State Public Radio): “From meerkat babies to a wolverine: What's new at Zoo Boise”, Feb 2026: https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/show/idaho-matters/2026-02-11/new-zoo-boise-animals) - Website: https://zooboise.org/ ### World Center for Birds of Prey (South Boise, off Cole Road) - 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. - Price level: $ - Tickets: kids 4–16 $9; adults $14; Under 4 free - Good for: Up close with falcons and eagles; under 4 is free. - Skip if: it’s Monday, when it’s usually closed. - Price source: https://peregrinefund.org/plan-your-visit (checked 2026-10-18) - Website: https://peregrinefund.org/visit ## Free things to do - Downtown Library - Julia Davis Park - Kathryn Albertson Park ## Best for under 3s - **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**: A sand watershed and pipe crawl at toddler height. - **Downtown Library**: Pajama Storytime and other free kids’ programs. ## With a baby or a 1-year-old ### Baby and lap-sit storytimes - **Family Storytime** (Boise Public Library): Wednesdays at 10:30am · Library! at Cole & Ustick - 7557 W. Ustick Rd., Boise, ID 83704. Families with babies, toddlers and preschoolers https://boisepubliclibrary.libcal.com/calendar - **Family Storytime** (Boise Public Library): Thursdays at 10:30am · Library! at Collister - 4724 W. State St. Boise, ID 83703. Families with babies, toddlers and preschoolers https://boisepubliclibrary.libcal.com/calendar - **Family Storytime** (Boise Public Library): Tuesdays at 10:30am · Library! at Hillcrest - 5246 W. Overland Rd. Boise, ID 83705. Families with babies, toddlers and preschoolers https://boisepubliclibrary.libcal.com/calendar - **Baby Storytime** (Nampa Public Library): Wednesdays at 11:15am · Children's Area branch. Birth to 18 months https://nampalibrary.libcal.com/calendar ### Babies get in free - **Discovery Center of Idaho**: Under 2 free. https://www.dcidaho.org/visit/ - **Idaho Botanical Garden**: Kids 3 and under free. https://www.idahobotanicalgarden.org/ ### Changing tables and nursing rooms - **Downtown Library**: The universal changing table on the first floor isn’t available while that floor is closed for construction. ## Library storytimes - **Boise Public Library**: Weekly; days and times vary by branch. Free storytimes for babies, toddlers and preschoolers at the Downtown Library and branches around the city. https://www.boisepubliclibrary.org/ - **Nampa Public Library**: Weekly at the Children's Area Branch; Wednesdays and Fridays. Free baby, toddler and preschool storytimes. This fall's regular sessions include Baby Storytime (Wednesdays 11:15am) and Time for Twos Storytime (Wednesdays 10:15am). https://nampalibrary.libcal.com/calendar ## Happening this week - **Great Pumpkin Giveaway at the Children’s Museum of Idaho** (Sat 10am–1pm) at Children’s Museum of Idaho. Included with admission: $13 ages 2–64, $5 ages 12–23 months; under 12 months free. https://littlesweekly.com/boise/#e-great_pumpkin_giveaway_at_the_childrens - **Scarecrow Stroll at Idaho Botanical Garden** (Daily 9am–5pm) at Idaho Botanical Garden. $15 adults, $9 youth; kids 3 and under free. https://littlesweekly.com/boise/#e-scarecrow_stroll_at_idaho_botanical_gard - **Pumpkin Palooza in Meridian** (Mon–Thu 4–9pm; Fri–Sun 9am–9pm) at Pumpkin Palooza. $5 entry; 2 and under free; rides extra. https://littlesweekly.com/boise/#e-pumpkin_palooza_in_meridian - **Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch at Lowe Family Farmstead** (Mon–Thu 4–9pm; Fri–Sat 10am–9pm) at Lowe Family Farmstead. $12 Tue, $16.99 Mon/Wed/Thu, $21.99 Fri, $24.99 Sat; 3 and under free. https://littlesweekly.com/boise/#e-corn_maze_and_pumpkin_patch_at_lowe_fami - **Harvest Festival (Library! at Cole & Ustick)** (Sat 11am–1pm) at Library! at Cole & Ustick. Free. https://littlesweekly.com/boise/#e-harvest_festival_library_at_cole_ustick Full list with every outing: https://littlesweekly.com/boise/index.md ## Holiday pages - [Santa in Boise: breakfast with Santa, photos and Santa trains (2026)](https://littlesweekly.com/boise/santa/index.md) - [Christmas lights in Boise for little kids (2026)](https://littlesweekly.com/boise/christmas-lights/index.md) ## About this list - Published by Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/). Free weekly lists for kids ages 0–6, city by city. - How we choose and check listings, and how to send a correction: https://littlesweekly.com/how-we-choose/ (corrections: hello@littlesweekly.com). - Sponsored spots are labeled on the HTML pages and are not part of this editorial list. - How to cite: “According to Littles Weekly (https://littlesweekly.com/…), …” and link the page you quote. ## FAQ ### What’s free to do with little kids in Boise? Julia Davis Park, Kathryn Albertson Park, the MK Nature Center paths, the Greenbelt and library storytimes. ### Is the World Center for Birds of Prey good for toddlers? Yes. Kids under 4 are free, and seeing the falcons and eagles up close is the highlight. ### What can we do in Boise with a toddler when it rains? The Discovery Center, the Idaho State Museum and The WaterShed are all indoors. ### What’s good for babies and kids under 3 in Boise? 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](https://littlesweekly.com/boise/guide/#under3). ### Where are the free storytimes in Boise? 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](https://littlesweekly.com/boise/guide/#storytimes), and this week’s dated sessions are on the [Boise weekly list](https://littlesweekly.com/boise/). ### How do you choose the places in the Boise guide? 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](https://littlesweekly.com/how-we-choose/).