Idaho

Boise

In recent years, Idaho’s capital has become a youthful, outdoorsy, somewhat hip small city. You can start your tour of this easily navigable city at the state capitol, a particularly fine example of Classic Revival architecture. (The building is heated from underground hot springs.)

The Idaho Historical Museum at Julia Davis Park has a re-created saloon and exhibits on the Chinese miners who came to the territory in great numbers in the 1860s. At the Idaho Basque Museum and Cultural Center, you can learn about the culture of the Basques who immigrated to the United States from the Pyrenees Mountains of Europe. There are several Basque restaurants on Grove Street, an area known as the "Basque Block."

The National Interagency Fire Center focuses on the ways firefighters and smoke jumpers use the latest technology to battle forest fires. It’s open year round, but only a limited number of tours take place during the summer fire season. You can see eagles and falcons at the World Center for the Birds of Prey, a preserve devoted to protecting the birds.

The Morrison Knudsen Nature Center is a wildlife park that re-creates each of the ecosystems present in Idaho. To the southwest of Boise, near Nampa, is the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge, consisting of Lake Lowell and more than 100 islands (accessible by boat) in the Snake River. Birders will be ecstatic when they see the number and variety of waterfowl that stop there.

Nampa is the site of the annual Snake River Stampede in July, one of the top rodeos in the country. It includes nightly entertainment by top-ranked country-music entertainers.

Located in southeastern Idaho, Idaho Falls is primarily known as a gateway to Yellowstone National Park. The Tautphaus Park Zoo has African lions, zebras and camels and a petting area where the kids can have fun with pygmy goats, karakul and other species. The town hosts some festivals, such as the Idaho Falls Snake River Settlers Celebration (fireworks, barbecue, games — Fourth of July weekend) and the War Bonnet Roundup (a rodeo—August).

Idaho’s most famous ski resort, Sun Valley was built in the 1930s and is one of the nation’s oldest and most elegant resorts. The original base lodge and some of the on-mountain restaurants are beautifully finished with etched glass and brass fittings.

Skiing on magnificent Mt. Baldy is outstanding but primarily for advanced skiers; it has a variety of steep runs, moguled trails, deep powder and open bowls in a relatively uncrowded setting. In addition to the groomed trails, there are also vast unmarked areas on the mountain and in the backcountry.

For novice skiers, nearby Dollar Mountain has gentler terrain; it’s used primarily as a teaching mountain. Additional wintertime activities at Sun Valley include snowboarding, cross-country skiing, helicopter skiing, ice skating and swimming. Two separate areas of the beautifully maintained Sun Valley village offer lodging and apres-ski amenities. Hotels and restaurants are also found in nearby Ketchum.